Visiting Alaska on a short time frame can seem like a daunting task. Alaska is the size of 20% of the entire lower 48 states, and you’re trying to see it all in a week. Impossible, right? The short answer is yes. There is no way to see the entire state without taking a summer sabbatical to cruise around at your own pace. But here’s the good news: you can get the Alaskan experience without having weeks on end to explore. Here are 3 tips for your Alaskan vacation on a time budget:
1. Pick a central hub to explore from
Our favorite hub city is Anchorage. Just a few miles from the airport you can already feel the wilderness of Alaska surrounding you as you see mountains looming in the distance. Wildlife is abundant on short hikes from the city perimeter, and the midnight sun is present from wherever you stay.
We love to stay in Anchorage at the beginning and end of our trip, then plan a few days exploring the Kenai Peninsula. Our two favorite peninsula activities are guided King Salmon Fishing trips (give us a call!) and visiting Homer for a chartered ocean fishing trip.
2. Utilize day trips
Once you pick your place to stay (we’re choosing Anchorage), so many pieces of the Alaska experience are available to you on day trips. Visit Denali national park for amazing views of wildlife or take the train for a tour of Alaska’s glaciers. These are just a few of the ideas for activities within a few hours of your home base!
3. plan ahead and book your tickets
There’s nothing worse than trying to book a trip on Tuesday and there aren’t any spots available until Wednesday. It throws off your plans for the whole week! We suggest making an itinerary and booking ahead on most of your guided tours and activities. Leave a day or two for discovering new things to visit along the way, but don’t miss out on an exciting adventure because of a lack of planning. You can also keep an eye out for discounts if you plan a few months in advance!
These are our favorite tips for exploring Alaska if you don’t have a month of vacation time built up (we sure don’t!). You can still experience everything that makes Alaska wild on a short amount of time. All it takes is a little planning and you’ll be ready for the adventure of a lifetime.
