My family and another family are planning to spend 1 week in Alaska next summer. We will fly into Anchorage and rent RVs for the week. I read the recommendation of the Travel Guide to Alaskan Camping, which I did purchase. It is chock full of campground information, which is helpful, but also overwhelming.

We are looking for something that at least appears to be in the wilderness, scenic, would love water, essential to have mountains in view. Does anyone who has traveled through Alaska have suggestions? Right now we are looking into the Kenai Peninsula, but are unsure where we should go for the best of all possible Alaska adventures...with kids! We are willing to dry camp at least part of the time.

Any suggestions from people who have been to Alaska would be helpful!

Thanks!

Ok, here's the good part, there is almost no where in Alaska that you won't be in the middle of the above. Since you only have a week, yes do the Kenai Peninsula. Valdez is beautiful and the Sea Otter RV park is right on the water with a view of the Prudhoe Oil Terminus on the other side of the bay. We watched an otter every morning playing in the water. An eagle was swooping about everyday.
They think of it as little Switzerland and if you are there when snow is still frosting the mountain tops it sure seems that way.
Seward is the best place to take a whale watching/glacier calving all day boat ride with the Kenai Fjords people. We took the dinner cruise and had a delicious salmon dinner near the base of a glacier which cracked, rumbled and crashed into the water. A black bear wandered near the waters edge on one side. We saw whales/puffins/sea lions etc. on the trip out. Very cold on that water, bring layers, hats and gloves so you can stay outside for the view.
Homer Spit was lots of fun to stay right out on, awesome food, especially the fried halibut chunks. In Kenai, we stayed at the Beluga Lookout rv park which is up on a scary bluff where the Cook Inlet meets the Kenai River. The beluga whales congregate there to eat the salmon when they start running. And there's an excellent Russian Orthodox church and a natural history museum within walking distance from the campground.

You will just be stunned by the beauty. Go, enjoy. Sorry you only have a week. You'll want to stay longer in every port.

Liane

Thanks for the info! We really appreciate it. We were looking at the Millers Landing Campground in Seward and the Village Barabara campground in Homer. We had also considered the Beluga campground. Is it realistic to think about doing both Seward and Homer areas? I would love to see the drive on the Cook Inlet.

slv

If you are up for it and can grab a space, for $10(used to be)you can drycamp on the Seward waterfront city parking lot. We ended up staying several days because we enjoyed watching the enormous tidal change and eagles swooping down for whatever remains they could steal. There is a rustic bathhouse and dump station. Seward only has a couple streets and is a strip between the mountains and the sea. I didn't find the museum there worth the high fee however. The waterfront was far more interesting.

We drove from Seward to Homer in a day and stayed out on the spit. Just love being out as close to the water as we could get. Then we came back to Kenai.

Given their locations you could go Seward, Kenai, Homer. One day each. However, if you want to do the whale/glacier trip you'll need two nights at Seward unless you can tightly pre reserve the dinner cruise, get there, park, take the cruise, then leave the next morning.

On a tight schedule, I guess of the three I'd give up Homer. I'd not want to miss Seward for the cruise and Kenai for that drop dead view toward the opposite shore and the mountain range with it's volcanoes. But then I still salivate for those halibut chunks.

The drive from Anchorage to Seward is gorgeous. From Seward over to Soldotna along the Kenai River, you'll not believe the color of the water. A mesmerizing blue/green. Combat fishing(shoulder to shoulder) in that river is a weird sight for sure.

Sure you can't go 2 weeks? Ahhh so much scenery so little time.

Thank you again!

slv

After spending a month in this great state, we still didn't see everything we had a intrest in seeing and will be returning again in 2006 if God is willing. We suggest you just relax and enjoy while you ooh-ah every place you journey. Do realize Ankorage is like many other large cities and more than half of Alaska's population resides in the city, so if you want wilderness and only have one week, you would want to avoid this area.

The other suggestions given are all great and you won't regret any decision you make on areas to visit, only regret will be that you aren't able to stay longer.

Have a great time!

We ditto the earlier post about Valdez, which is breathtaking. You are surrounded by mountains, and the drive through the Pass in order to get there ALONE is worth it. We also stayed at Sea Otter Campground which, though it is just a large gravel parking lot, is right on the water and directly across the bay from the Terminus for the pipeline. You can watch the Alaskan Marine Ferrys come in, and on occasion the huge oil tanker. Our other favorite town was Homer, and because we were there on the July 4 holiday, we had to dry camp at the Elks Lodge. (We are members.) The people in Homer are quirky and wonderful and reminded us of the characters on "Northern Exposure." Have a great time! And someday make it a point to DRIVE up on the Alaska Highway. That is absolutely the best.

We rented an RV in Anchorage for a week in late May 2004. We spent the entire week on the Kenai and are glad we did. The scenery and wildlife we saw right in front of our campsites was in a word unbelievable. Bears and moose in Hope, sea otters and seals in Sewerd and a flock of eagals on the beach in Homer - all just feet from our RV. We spent our nights as follows:

First night at Porcipine State Park just outside of Hope on the bluff overlooking Turn Again Arm. ($10. no hook-ups.)

Second and thrid nights we stayed on the waterfront at the Sewerd City Campground. (Sites south of Van Buren have elctricity, $20. a night, pay showers.) Exit Glacier, Seveay Dog Sled Kennel, 6 hour Kenai Fjords boat trip and Sea Life Center all great things to do in the area.

Fourth and fifth nights we stayed at the end of the spit in Homer. We kayaked with sea otters accross the bay! ($25. old, but clean private park with electricity, water and showers.)

Sixth night we spent in Coopers Landing at one of the state parts right on the river. ($10. no hook-ups.) 7th at Anchorage RV park to return early am.

There is just so much to see for a week. We stayed a week in Kenai at Beluga Look Out RV park. They have a fantastic view over looking the Kenia River where it empties into Cook Inlet And the mountains across the inlet. We stayed at Bear Paw right on the Bay of Valdez for a couple weeks also.
With only aweek to spend, I highly recommend you do a lot of reading so you know exactly what you want to see.Don't try to get to many places or you will spend to much time driving. Pick a couple places and do them well. Try and work in a Glacier Cruise. The most vivid memory I carry of Alaska is of a flight out of Kenai across Cook Inlet to watch Alaskan Brown Bears feed on salmon just a few feet from us. To be there and drive around is cool but the side trips are what memories are made of.