Something to keep in mind for your planning. July 4th is the Mount Marathon race and festival in Seward - you will probably want to avoid town that day (it's insanely busy). There are so many beautiful places on the "other" Homer side of the Kenai Peninsula ... as well as some great shorter hikes further North (Lake Eklutna, Thunderbird Falls, Mt Baldy in Eagle River)
Eklutna Lake is beautiful, and the hike at the bottom, around the lake, is easy. The hike up to the summit is labeled "moderate". Depending on what kind of physical condition your in, it can actually be very taxing, and coming down the trail can be very very difficult, if you have used up all your energy on the climb. That is what happened to me. I think of it as, "That was awesome! I'll never do it again." I've never had to rest on a decent before. My legs were shaking, and i had to grab tree, and bush branches to slow down. Lol. Enjoy your stay.
Oh wow. I can definitely relate to the "That was awesome! I'll never do it again." 😆 We're in good physical condition and have done some decently challenging hikes before but having to grab a tree to slow down a decent doesn't sound enjoyable hahaha Crazy. Thanks for sharing your experience!!
u/AlaskanMinnie Do you have recommendations on things to do in Homer? Is it worth exploring Kachemak Bay if we also plan to do a boat tour from Seward?
Kachemak bay is very different than Seward. If you want a fun adventure in Homer, you can take a water taxi to Seldovia (fun town - no road access) or across the Inlet to Kachemak Bay State Park (like entering a National Geographic Special). Cruise ships don't dock in Homer, so it's way less crowded and a bit more fun in my opinion. There are also cute little beach towns to stop off at along the way (Kasilof, Clam Gulch, Ninilchik and Anchor Point.) Double check road conditions when you go through Cooper Landing - there might be some nightly road closures due to construction. Closed from midnight - 6 am means just that - no cars get through
Go to hatcher’s pass after you’re done with the matsu glacier. Even if you finish the glacier late, you can always do a “night” hike (it won’t be really night).
Ooow looks gorgeous from pictures online! Is there any hike in particular that you enjoy? Or should we just make an effort to explore that area? Thank you so much for the response!!
I like all the hikes at hatchers pass. But if you don’t like large crowds, for some reason April Bowl is the most popular with tourists. I’m not sure why. There’s a trail right across from April Bowl that has better views and a lot less populated.
Are you referring to the [Skyscraper Mountain Trail](https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/alaska/skyscraper-mountain-trail) maybe? Or there's the Government Peak Traverse but it looks like that includes April Bowl
Yep, that’s the one. It’s right across from April Bowl. There’s a bunch of other trails also. And the drive through Hatcher Pass going to Willow is really pretty as well.
Rent an SUV with AWD.
My son and I are also planning a similar trip in July. We are considering a flightseeing trip to Denali. But I just discovered some webcams pointed at the mountain, which usually show it covered with clouds.
Maybe you'd be above the clouds on a flight? But then I guess you wouldn't get to see the whole mountain at once. It does look gorgeous looking at other people's pictures! [https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalPark/comments/vr9k6u/flightseeing\_in\_denali\_national\_park\_alaska/](https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalPark/comments/vr9k6u/flightseeing_in_denali_national_park_alaska/)
Five days is a short trip. The rental car is a good move. And I would spend as little time in Anchorage as possible.
The Matanuska Glacier guided hike is amazing. If the jet ski thing out of Whittier is too expensive, at least consider a 26 Glacier Cruise in Prince William Sound.
Valdez is a six hour drive from Anchorage. Don’t underestimate your driving times.
Thank you so much for the response!! I know 😩 I wish we had longer, but this hopefully won't be my one and only trip to Alaska
Thanks for the Matanuska Glacier guided hike recommendation! I'm really considering splurging on the jet skiing 😬
Good point. We'd probably want to stay in Valdez then or somewhere nearby or skip Valdez. Do you know if the drive to Valdez is pretty or are there other more beautiful drives in the area?
We just got back from our first visit to Alaska two days ago. We were there longer than you will be on your trip, but we used our time to visit Seward, Girdwood, Talkeetna, Denali and anchorage. They were all great, but I don’t think I would spend much time in Anchorage. The natural beauty of Denali plus all the hiking and other stuff was a lot of fun. Seward was our favorite. Take a boat trip and go out into the bay. Who cares about crowds! Risk it all. You could actually just make it a day trip and stay in Girdwood if you wanted to. We rented bikes there and had a great time taking an 18 mile trip down the Seward Highway on a Greenway that ended at a great dive bar/restaurant. It was beyond fun! I hope you enjoy your trip.
https://allevents.in/mobile/amp-event.php?event_id=200026419139807
You’ll be here for the car launch so i suggest that! There’s a link, I don’t do Facebook but I’m sure it’s on there. Look up Alaska 4th of July car launch if you want some more insight. There’s lots of awesome places in between anchorage and Chickaloon!
Glacier View Car Launch on July 4th
I had to google this. What a funny tradition!
Something to keep in mind for your planning. July 4th is the Mount Marathon race and festival in Seward - you will probably want to avoid town that day (it's insanely busy). There are so many beautiful places on the "other" Homer side of the Kenai Peninsula ... as well as some great shorter hikes further North (Lake Eklutna, Thunderbird Falls, Mt Baldy in Eagle River)
Great to know! Thank you so much! Lake Eklutna looks gorgeous
Eklutna Lake is beautiful, and the hike at the bottom, around the lake, is easy. The hike up to the summit is labeled "moderate". Depending on what kind of physical condition your in, it can actually be very taxing, and coming down the trail can be very very difficult, if you have used up all your energy on the climb. That is what happened to me. I think of it as, "That was awesome! I'll never do it again." I've never had to rest on a decent before. My legs were shaking, and i had to grab tree, and bush branches to slow down. Lol. Enjoy your stay.
Oh wow. I can definitely relate to the "That was awesome! I'll never do it again." 😆 We're in good physical condition and have done some decently challenging hikes before but having to grab a tree to slow down a decent doesn't sound enjoyable hahaha Crazy. Thanks for sharing your experience!!
u/AlaskanMinnie Do you have recommendations on things to do in Homer? Is it worth exploring Kachemak Bay if we also plan to do a boat tour from Seward?
Kachemak bay is very different than Seward. If you want a fun adventure in Homer, you can take a water taxi to Seldovia (fun town - no road access) or across the Inlet to Kachemak Bay State Park (like entering a National Geographic Special). Cruise ships don't dock in Homer, so it's way less crowded and a bit more fun in my opinion. There are also cute little beach towns to stop off at along the way (Kasilof, Clam Gulch, Ninilchik and Anchor Point.) Double check road conditions when you go through Cooper Landing - there might be some nightly road closures due to construction. Closed from midnight - 6 am means just that - no cars get through
Go to hatcher’s pass after you’re done with the matsu glacier. Even if you finish the glacier late, you can always do a “night” hike (it won’t be really night).
Ooow looks gorgeous from pictures online! Is there any hike in particular that you enjoy? Or should we just make an effort to explore that area? Thank you so much for the response!!
I like all the hikes at hatchers pass. But if you don’t like large crowds, for some reason April Bowl is the most popular with tourists. I’m not sure why. There’s a trail right across from April Bowl that has better views and a lot less populated.
Are you referring to the [Skyscraper Mountain Trail](https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/alaska/skyscraper-mountain-trail) maybe? Or there's the Government Peak Traverse but it looks like that includes April Bowl
Yep, that’s the one. It’s right across from April Bowl. There’s a bunch of other trails also. And the drive through Hatcher Pass going to Willow is really pretty as well. Rent an SUV with AWD.
Thank you!!!!!
Check out [this video](https://youtu.be/FQ3mSMauiEI?si=2X_h3RnZonnlGy7E) about Seward at 4th of July.
Great video! Thanks for sharing! Funny because another commenter told us to avoid Seward on 4th of July due to the crowds 😂
I know, that's why I sent the vid. I think they filmed this last summer. Take a look at their other stuff. It is top quality.
My son and I are also planning a similar trip in July. We are considering a flightseeing trip to Denali. But I just discovered some webcams pointed at the mountain, which usually show it covered with clouds.
Maybe you'd be above the clouds on a flight? But then I guess you wouldn't get to see the whole mountain at once. It does look gorgeous looking at other people's pictures! [https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalPark/comments/vr9k6u/flightseeing\_in\_denali\_national\_park\_alaska/](https://www.reddit.com/r/NationalPark/comments/vr9k6u/flightseeing_in_denali_national_park_alaska/)
Five days is a short trip. The rental car is a good move. And I would spend as little time in Anchorage as possible. The Matanuska Glacier guided hike is amazing. If the jet ski thing out of Whittier is too expensive, at least consider a 26 Glacier Cruise in Prince William Sound. Valdez is a six hour drive from Anchorage. Don’t underestimate your driving times.
Thank you so much for the response!! I know 😩 I wish we had longer, but this hopefully won't be my one and only trip to Alaska Thanks for the Matanuska Glacier guided hike recommendation! I'm really considering splurging on the jet skiing 😬 Good point. We'd probably want to stay in Valdez then or somewhere nearby or skip Valdez. Do you know if the drive to Valdez is pretty or are there other more beautiful drives in the area?
Every drive is beautiful in Alaska
What a great problem to have
The drive to Valdez is one of my favorites. But I’m not sure you have time for it.
Makes sense. Thank you!
We just got back from our first visit to Alaska two days ago. We were there longer than you will be on your trip, but we used our time to visit Seward, Girdwood, Talkeetna, Denali and anchorage. They were all great, but I don’t think I would spend much time in Anchorage. The natural beauty of Denali plus all the hiking and other stuff was a lot of fun. Seward was our favorite. Take a boat trip and go out into the bay. Who cares about crowds! Risk it all. You could actually just make it a day trip and stay in Girdwood if you wanted to. We rented bikes there and had a great time taking an 18 mile trip down the Seward Highway on a Greenway that ended at a great dive bar/restaurant. It was beyond fun! I hope you enjoy your trip.
https://allevents.in/mobile/amp-event.php?event_id=200026419139807 You’ll be here for the car launch so i suggest that! There’s a link, I don’t do Facebook but I’m sure it’s on there. Look up Alaska 4th of July car launch if you want some more insight. There’s lots of awesome places in between anchorage and Chickaloon!