Alaska Highlights, Anchorage to Denali

The Trip

Alaska is a vast, beautiful and varied state.  If you have not yet experienced its splendors, or are not yet ready to do so with a backpack or on an expedition raft or kayak tour, then this trip is for you. 

We begin in the urban setting of Alaska’s largest city, Anchorage.  Its population of about 295,000 comprises 50% of the population of the entire state.  From its beginnings as a shipping anchorage and location for the terminus of the Alaska Railroad, the site rapidly grew in size and importance.  Anchorage is now a cosmopolitan city with wonderful restaurants, breweries, markets, shops, museums, theaters, and schools, albeit with somewhat of a frontier atmosphere.

Within 60 miles of Anchorage are two interesting areas we will visit:  a chain of lakes that is popular for kayaking, and a mountain pass providing easy access to lovely alpine vistas and a glimpse of the area’s mining past.  We continue on to visit two iconic parks:  Denali State Park and Denali National Park.  The state park is popular, but less crowded, and we are free to engage in more activities there, such as kayaking and hiking.  In the national park our focus will be to experience the unsurpassable Denali bus tour deep into the park.

Our trip then takes us to the historic village of Talkeetna, whose roots lay in the gold mining boom of the turn of the 20th century.  Situated at the foot of North America’s tallest peak, Denali, it is also a hub of climbing activity and history.  Add to it the flavor of an outdoorsy and artistic population, and you have a great stop.

Lastly, after a night back in Anchorage, we travel about 60 miles to the southeast to the town of Whittier, accessible by boat, plane, or the 2.5-mile-long Anton Anderson Memorial Tunnel, the longest highway tunnel in North America.  Whittier itself has an interesting and perhaps strange history, having been developed as a “hidden port” during World War II.  In Whittier we will join a commercial glacier and fjord tour, seeing the sights aboard a stable and modern catamaran-style ship.

Day 1: Our trip officially begins at lunchtime.  We will meet at the room of the trip leaders, who will have prepared a tasty meal to eat while we have introductions and an orientation to the week’s adventure.  After lunch and everyone checks in, we will head downtown to visit the Public Lands Office, offering tons of information, museum displays, and interesting videos.  Next we will go to the fabulous Anchorage Museum, where we will spend the next 2-3 hours immersing ourselves in all things Alaska.  We end the day with a delicious dinner.

Day 2: After breakfast we travel in our vans to a lovely chain of lakes not far from Palmer for a guided kayaking tour.  We will eat lunch at the park where we take out, and then head to our campground in the hills.  If there is time we may tour an old mine.

Day 3: This morning we take a hike in the Hatcher Pass area.  It is on a nice trail, not too steep.  We will decide how far to go based on weather conditions and how everyone is doing.  We’ll have our lunch, then drive to our next campground in Denali State Park, where we can have a late afternoon walk on a flat trail beside a lake.

Day 4: Today we will kayak or canoe on Byers Lake in Denali State Park.  From the far side of this large lake it is possible to see Mount Denali, if the clouds cooperate.  We’ll have lunch and then pack up for the drive to Denali National Park, where we will spend two nights in a group campsite.

Day 5: The Denali Tour Bus is a fantastic way to see the park and to become educated. The bus drivers are all licensed tour guides and give a wonderful running narrative of all things Denali throughout the day. The tour takes up to eight hours.

Day 6: We travel on to the quirky town of Talkeetna, base of operations for the many climbers who hope to summit Denali. We’ll visit the museum, shops, and even the cemetery, where there is a memorial to the climbers who have lost their lives on the mountain.  We’ll also have time for a hike along the Talkeetna River.  We will stay at an old lodge right in town.  This is hostel-style, so be prepared to share rooms and bathrooms.

Day 7: Breakfast at our lodge is famously huge and delicious.  We’ll then travel back to Anchorage and our hostel there, stopping at the Iditarod Museum en route.  There are a variety of Anchorage attractions we could visit this afternoon.  

Day 8: Leaving early, we drive along Turnagain Arm, where it is possible to see beluga whales in the water or Dall’s sheep high on the rocks on the other side of the road.  We will explain the effects of the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake on this area.  Then it’s through the longest highway tunnel in North America to the town of Whittier, where we will board a sleek ship for a day-long tour of fjords and glaciers.  Finally, back to our Anchorage hostel.

Day 9: After a breakfast celebrating the accomplishments and experiences of the week, we will say our good-byes and either head to the airport or wherever else we may be traveling in Alaska.

Getting There

Our arrival and departure city is Anchorage, which has a modern international airport, designated as ANC.  Most major carriers fly in and out of this facility. Do not be dismayed if you find your flight, especially departure, scheduled to leave at midnight or later.  For some reason this is quite common in Anchorage.

Please do not make non-refundable air reservations until notified by the trip leader.  And when you do, strongly consider trip insurance, because stuff happens!

Accommodations and Food

On this trip we spend four nights tent camping (each participant brings his/her own gear) and four nights in hostels.  Hostel accommodations (staying in bunk beds) are separated by gender and baths are shared. Couples will not be able to have their own bed or bedroom. The leader has stayed at both hostels we will use, and vouches for their condition!

Meals will be plentiful and delicious.  Your leaders like to cook and enjoy planning menus that include local touches.  We prefer to have omnivores on this trip, though can welcome some vegetarians if they can be a bit flexible.  Enjoying fish is a plus.  Please discuss any dietary concerns with the leader well ahead of time.  Due to challenging logistics, major dietary restrictions cannot be accommodated. 

Trip Difficulty

The trip offers both hiking and paddling, so being in basically good physical condition will make your trip enjoyable.  Participants should have had some experience in paddling flatwater, though both leaders are also paddling teachers and can help you improve your technique if you are rusty. Pay attention to core -- abs and back -- as well as shoulders to prepare for a day on the water.

Our hikes will be moderate in both length and elevation gain -- so suitable for most walkers.  We will hike somewhat slowly, taking in the scenery and taking time to use our cameras.  If you are a fast/strong hiker, be prepared to be a cheerful and patient member of a slower group.  Alaska trails can be rocky, rough, or muddy, or all three in the same hike.  You need to be able to walk for up to eight miles on uneven terrain.  If you normally use hiking poles, bring them.

Equipment and Clothing

It’s all about the layers!  Alaska weather can range from cool to cold to hot -- and this can all be on the same day.  Excellent rain gear is a must, as is a day pack with a rain cover.  This pack will hold your rain gear, extra clothes, snack, water, etc., so make sure it is an appropriate size and style to be comfortable.

A detailed equipment and clothing list will be sent to all approved participants.

References

• McPhee, John, Coming Into the Country.
• Kantner, Seth, Ordinary Wolves.
• Kantner, Seth, Shopping for Porcupine.
• Borneman, Walter R, Alaska: Saga of a Bold Land. 
• Mitchener, James A., Alaska.
• Muir, John, Travels in Alaska. 
• Pitcher, Don, Moon Spotlight: Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula. 
• Rockwell, Kent, Wilderness: A Journal of Quiet Adventure in Alaska.
• Washburn, Barbara, The Accidental Adventurer.
• Cox, Loretta Outwater, The Winter Walk.

Conservation

The enormous state of Alaska also has enormous conservation concerns. One of the biggest is how to handle the extraction of resources -- or if resources should even be extracted. Gold and silver exploration is ongoing, and along with new mine proposals come the very real threats to watersheds, fisheries, animal migration corridors, and the way of life in rural Alaska. Add pressures from coal, oil, and gas companies and you begin to understand the high stakes for currently untrammeled Alaska.

The affects of climate change are magnified in northern latitudes. Already coastal villages are being undermined by waves no longer subdued by sea ice, which now forms a month later and melts a month earlier. Some are having to move the entire village inland. Warming temperatures are melting permafrost, setting off a chain of responses in vegetation, trees, animals. With the melting of permafrost comes the worry of releasing of sequestered carbon that will now thaw out of the soil, or even rise up in large, poisonous bubbles from arctic lakes.

We will also be discussing the issues of the fishing and crabbing industries, which currently provide us with some of the healthiest seafood on the planet. Can this be sustained? Should fish farms be allowed?

We hope each participant will bring to the trip their knowledge of conservation topics, especially near their home, so we can share and learn from each other.

Sierra Club National Outings is an equal-opportunity provider and when applicable will operate under permits obtained from U.S. federal land agencies.