jillmc

Four couples are hoping to plan our own land tour starting in Fairbanks and working our way south over 2 weeks-hopefully next summer. Any itinerary suggestions from those of you that have done this? We are all in our 60's and pretty adventurous! 😁

Quilter 53

My best advice is to get a copy of The Milepost. It is a mile by mile "directory" of the Alcan Highway and the highways in Alaska. It's full of maps, history, anecdotes, and advertisements, of course. But you can browse the roads you plan to take, find out if there is anything of interest to you on the route and plan accordingly. I live just outside of Talkeetna which will be on your route south from Fairbanks, and of course, I think it's worth the extra time it would take to drive the 14 miles in from the main hwy. But you and your friends may look at the info and decide it's not for you. That's the best thing about The Milepost!
I think you are doing your Alaska vacation the right way. You can tailor your trip to what you want to do and not be part of the "herd" on the bus tours. I will suggest if you have time, you might want to take the Hurricane trip out of Talkeetna that the Alaska Railroad offers. It'll take you back north but the views from the RR is so much different than the hwy, it'll blow your mind! It's a 5 hour round trip that takes you to Hurricane Gulch. After living in Alaska for 45 years and Talkeetna for a total of 21, I finally got to take this trip last summer. I loved it!
Also, one of our local gift shops has a selection of fabric with an Alaska theme. I think it's pricey, but I had to buy a couple of yards myself to give a project that perfect touch. They also participated in the Row by Row this year for the first time.
Feel free to PM me if you have questions.
http://www.themilepost.com/

dunster

I agree with Quilter 53 about getting the Milepost. It is well worth the cost. I used it to plan our trip to Alaska years ago (2008?). We spent a month driving up from Oregon and enjoyed the Canadian portion of the trip as much as the Alaska portion. One of my favorite excursions was taking the narrow gauge railroad from Skagway. We didn't make it all the way to White Horse because of flooding along the tracks, but the trip was very memorable. One of our excursions was a flight up to Barrow, above the Arctic circle, which was expensive but very enjoyable. Enjoy your trip. I wish I were going along.

jillmc

Thank you quilter 53 and dunster! I have ordered Milepost. There is so much to see and do-we get overwhelmed trying to sort it all out. Our 5th couple gave up and put down a deposit on a cruise. I love to research trips, so even if we don't go until 2019, i want this to be a meaningful trip.
Quioter 53, thank you for your offer to share info-i will take you up on that as we narrow down an itinerary!

paoberle

Make sure you get to Seward and the Alaska Sea Life Center. It's a fascinating place. Also, make sure you get out on a boat into the bay to see the whales and other animal life.

I know Denali has to be on your itinerary. Try to stay out at Kantishna. If the farthest point in Denali that you can go and the closest point to the mountain.

Enjoy! Alaska is an amazing place.

Jan in FL

Quilter 53, I totally agree, if you are close enough, you MUST see Talkeetna! We were fortunate enough to visit about 8 or 9 years ago and still talk about your lovely town quite often. It has a unique charm that I haven't seen anywhere else.

thimblebug6000

Will you be camping or staying in hotels? I borrowed the Milepost from our library years back and it was a good resource for sure, like others have said. Not everything is in there though, as it does cost money to be included in the book.
We really enjoyed camping on the Homer Spit.... lots of wind. When we were in Seward it rained so we took a little Motel... there was some kind of car show on so not much available.... that is one thing to check if you can, look at the events calendar for whatever town you plan on visiting to make plans around things.
We mostly travel alone, friends who travel in groups usually assign one as the "planner" and a couple as the drivers if they are all in one vehicle. Most important.... pack your sense of humour with you and enjoy!

MarleneC

I also agree with Quilter 53--I live in Kenai, Alaska--have lived in Juneau and Anchorage and The Milepost is a must. Pretty much tells you what to expect from mile to mile. The train is great but very slow--sometimes you think you could walk faster--LOL. Most of the towns/cities have fabric shops with Alaska themed fabric. Kenai Fabrics certainly has a lot. Fairbanks is a great place to start and it has quite a few great tourist attractions. Another thing to remember is that Alaska has a lot of 2-lane highways and it can be hard to find places to pass the slow traffic--the highest speed in a lot of areas is 55MPH. Bring lots of patience with you.

Quilter 53

jillmc,
After thinking about it, 2 weeks will not be enough! LOL

donac

We did a Quilting cruise and gen added the land tour. I hit a quilt shop at every port and stopped we made.

Seward and the Sealife center was great. Talkeetna was a great place to see.

I came home with a duffle bag full of fabric and even had some mailed home. The fabric is very different than here on the Jersey shore. I plan to use some for a friend's 60th birthday. She and her husband own a cabin in the woods of Alaska.

Have fun