Trip Dates: June 19th, 2019 - July 23rd, 2019
I’m on a mission to visit all of the National Parks in the United States and it’s no secret some are easier to visit than others. Alaska is home to some of the nation’s most remote lands and least visited National Parks. At the time of writing this, I was in Juneau awaiting the ferry to Gustavus, the gateway to our last National Park – Glacier Bay. I couldn’t have been happier; my Dad and I were so close to reaching my goal of visiting all eight National Parks located in Alaska. The trip had been challenging in many, many ways but the largest obstacle (aside from the price tag) was the actual planning of it! After all, five of the eight parks do not even have roads leading up to them. For those interested in doing a similar trip or for those wondering how I actually completed this massive puzzle, this blog post will focus on the logistics and itinerary. Subsequent posts will recap our time in each park. The logistics were essentially a nightmare but the memories from the trip itself will last a lifetime!!! There will be plenty more photos in the upcoming posts! Denali is in the works now!
I spent at least seven months planning our trip which is spanning 35 days (June 19th, 2019-July 23rd, 2019). We booked one-way flights to Anchorage, Alaska back on November 24th, 2018 which left about seven months to get everything planned. There were a lot of moving parts to the trip as some reservations (i.e. Brooks Camp in Katmai) became available later (typically January 5th but in actuality March 2nd due to the partial government shutdown) and I had to subsequently shuffle a few things around. I was sending emails on Christmas Day from the middle of the South Pacific Ocean (in the National Park of American Samoa!) in order to reserve a public use cabin as reservations could be made up to six months in advance of the day of request.
I built in days for “wiggle room” which were for anything from weather to fatigue to just not feeling well. I have rushed parks in the past and wanted to ensure we got an adequate experience in these parks, especially due to the once-in-a-lifetime nature of this trip and the overall cost. Speaking of cost(s), my Dad and I split the trip 50/50 and I worked my tail off to make this a dream a reality. I literally drove for Uber, delivered food with Postmates, and worked a LOT of Saturdays to get overtime for my real job. While it would have been great to stay in lodges and hotels every night, the majority of the time we were crammed in a two-person backpacking tent and the worst part was going 4-5 days between showers. The sacrifices were completely worth it to me because we got to eat some decent meals, meet amazing people, and experience awesome adventures.
The order in which we visited the parks was as follows:
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve - Nabesna/Slana & McCarthy/Kennecott
Kenai Fjords National Park
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve
Kobuk Valley National Park
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve
Katmai National Park and Preserve
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Below is a skeleton version of the itinerary I created for the trip. Check back soon for the details of each park and our experiences in each park. Both my Dad and I kept journals on the trip and wrote in them frequently! I’d be happy to help anyone who is planning a similar trip or has questions about our time in the parks – don’t hesitate to ask!
The "Skeleton" Itinerary:
Wednesday, June 19th, 2019 – Day One
Dad departs Buffalo
Krista departs Los Angeles
Krista & Dad meet at the Seattle airport
Krista & Dad arrive in Anchorage!
Pick up rental car from Avis
Sleep at Sockeye Inn in Anchorage
Thursday, June 20th, 2019 – Day Two
Breakfast at Snow City Café
Drive to Denali National Park
Take photos near the Park Entrance
See the Sled Dog Demonstration
Dinner at 49th State Brewing Company
Camp at Riley Creek Campground
Friday, June 21st, 2019 – Day Three
Board the Camper Shuttle & Enjoy the ride to Wonder Lake Campground
Hike the McKinley River Bar Trail
Attend a Ranger Program with Ranger Frank
Camp at Wonder Lake Campground
Saturday, June 22nd, 2019 – Day Four
Take the bus to Kantishna – the end of the Denali Park Road!
Attend a Ranger Program with Ranger Frank
Camp at Wonder Lake Campground
Sunday, June 23rd, 2019 – Day Five
Take the bus back towards the Park Entrance
SHOWER & Laundry at Riley Creek Campground
Eat at Prospector’s Pizzeria & Ale House
Attend a Ranger Program
Camp at Riley Creek Campground
Monday, June 24th, 2019 – Day Six
Drive to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
Hike to the Caribou Creek Cabin (Public Use Cabin)
Sleep at Caribou Creek Cabin
Tuesday, June 25th, 2019 – Day Seven
Hike down to the Nabesna Road
Drive to the end of the Nabesna Road
Hike the Rambler Mine Trail
Hike back up to Caribou Creek Cabin, Sleep
Wednesday, June 26th, 2019 – Day Eight
Relax at the Caribou Creek Cabin all day!
Thursday, June 27th, 2019 – Day Nine
Hike down to the Nabesna Road
Drive the McCarthy Road
Shuttle to Kennicott
Eat dinner in McCarthy at The Roadside Potato
Sleep at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge
Friday, June 28th, 2019 – Day 10
Breakfast at the Kennicott Glacier Lodge
Mill Town Tour with St. Elias Alpine Guides
Hike the Root Glacier with Wrangell River Tours
Eat dinner at Kennicott Glacier Lodge
Attend Ranger Program
Sleep at Kennicott Glacier Lodge
Saturday, June 29th, 2019 – Day 11
Shuttle back to McCarthy
Drive from Wrangell-St. Elias to Anchorage
Sleep at the Microtel Inn & Suites
Sunday, June 30th, 2019 – Day 12
Drive to Kenai Fjords National Park
Attend Ranger Led Hike to Exit Glacier
Camp at Miller’s Landing
Monday, July 1st, 2019 – Day 13
Kayak & Hike Caines Head with Miller’s Landing
Complain about Miller’s Landing
Camp at Miller’s Landing
Tuesday, July 2nd, 2019 – Day 14
Drive back to Anchorage
Eat at Snow City Café
Run errands
Return Rental Car
Fly to Fairbanks
Do laundry and SHOWER!
Sleep at the Alaska Heritage House
Wednesday, July 3rd, 2019 – Day 15
Fly to Bettles!
Meet "Uncle Jeffy"
Village Van Tour with Bettles Lodge
Ranger Program at the Gates of the Arctic Visitor Center
Sleep at Bettles Lodge
Thursday, July 4th, 2019 – Day 16
Fly to & Land in Gates of the Arctic National Park & Kobuk Valley National Park
Sleep at Bettles Lodge
Friday, July 5th, 2019 – Day 17
Float the Koyakuk River
Sleep at Bettles Lodge
Saturday, July 6th, 2019 – Day 18
Fly back to Fairbanks
Visit the Museum of the North
Fly back to Anchorage
Fancy dinner at Marx Bros. Café
Stay at Ingra House Hotel
Sunday, July 7th, 2019 – Day 19
Fly to Port Alsworth with Lake and Pen Air
Explore Lake Clark National Park Visitor Center
Camp at Port Alsworth Campground/Tulchina Adventures
Monday, July 8th, 2019 – Day 20
Explore Port Alsworth
Read and relax on Lake Clark
Attend a Ranger Program
Camp at Port Alsworth Campground/Tulchina Adventures
Tuesday, July 9th, 2019 – Day 21
Read, rest, relax on Lake Clark
Camp at Port Alsworth Campground/Tulchina Adventures
Wednesday, July 10th, 2019 – Day 22
Charter flight from Port Alsworth to King Salmon with Lake and Pen Air
Fly from King Salmon to Brooks Camp with Katmailand Air
Attend Bear School at Katmai National Park
Ranger Led Cultural Walk
Hang out with Bears!
Eat dinner at Brooks Lodge
Attend a Ranger Program
Camp at Brooks Campground
Thursday, July 11th, 2019 – Day 23
Eat breakfast at Brooks Lodge
Tour to the Valley of 10,000 Smokes
Watch bears!
Shower!
Attend a Ranger Program
Camp at Brooks Campground
Friday, July 12th, 2019 – Day 24
Watch bears all day!
Attend a Ranger Program
Saturday, July 13th, 2019 – Day 25
Watch salmon, watch bears
Camp at Brooks Campground
Sunday, July 14th, 2019 – Day 26
Eat at Brooks Lodge
Last chance to see the bears and salmon
Fly from Brooks Camp to King Salmon to Anchorage to Juneau
Receive word the Mendenhall Campground is flooded
Do laundry! And sleep at Frontier Suites Hotel
Monday, July 15th, 2019 – Day 27
Alaskan Brewing Company
Whale Statue
Explore Juneau
Eat at SALT
Sleep at Frontier Suites Hotel
Tuesday, July 16th, 2019 – Day 28 (Today)
Sleep in, relax
Eat at Sandpiper Café
Work on blog post
Do laundry
Return rental car
Sleep at Frontier Suites Hotel
Wednesday, July 17th, 2019 – Day 29
Take Alaska Marine Highway (ferry) to Gustavus
Take shuttle to Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve!
Camp at Bartlett Cove Campground
Thursday, July 18th, 2019 – Day 30
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Ranger Program
Explore Inter-Tidal Zone
Friday, July 19th, 2019 – Day 31
Boat Tour of Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Saturday, July 20th, 2019 – Day 32
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Ranger Programs & More
Sunday, July 21st, 2019 – Day 33
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve
Hike
Monday, July 22nd, 2019 – Day 34
Ferry back to Juneau
Sleep at Frontier Suites Hotel
Tuesday, July 23rd, 2019 – Day 35
Find + Buy Xtra-Tufs!
Fly Juneau to Seattle
Depart Seattle for Buffalo
Wednesday, July 24th, 2019 – Day 36
Arrive in Buffalo!
Try to put the trip into words!
Many more photos coming soon with upcoming posts - check back often!
