Detailed Trip Map
If you would like to see a detailed map with all the spots we visited including the hotels you should check out our Steller travel map using this link (Steller: Plan & Book Trips). Just download the app and create an account (it’s free!), then search for our account “Tworoamtheworld”. The trips name is “Alaska: The Ultimate 10 Day Road Trip”. The link to the app is an affiliate link. That means we get a small commission when you create an account. But for you nothing will change. So thank you for your support! It means a lot to us and lets us continue doing what we love the most. To travel and to share useful tips on the most beautiful destinations in the world.
Introduction
Of all our previous road trips, this one involved the most intensive planning. We actually invested many hours over several days scouring various travel blogs and Alaska travel sites for the perfect route. And I think we have found it. This itinerary offers a complete program and all the must-visits and must-dos that must be done on a first visit to Alaska. If you follow this route, you are already guaranteed a successful Alaska vacation. You can adopt the route 1 to 1 or add or remove stops as you wish, it’s entirely up to you.
Anyone who knows our other blogs knows that we always try to fit as much adventure as possible into the shortest possible time. And we’ve managed to do that here too. However, this itinerary was nowhere near as stressful as the West Coast or Iceland, for example. We always had enough buffer to be able to enjoy everything, despite the 2237 miles or 3600 kilometers covered by car during this time. We hope that this blog post will give you some inspiration for your next Alaska vacation.
Car and accommodation
A few words about cars and accommodation. A rental car is essential in Alaska in order to be able to flexibly explore the beautiful nature. It’s up to you whether you opt for a normal 2WD, 4WD or a camper. This time we had a medium-sized 4WD car. Most of the time you will be traveling on well-maintained asphalt roads, only in certain places (e.g. McCarthy Road) it can get bumpier. However, everything should be manageable with a 2WD car.
Regarding the accommodations we actually booked them spontaneously every day and mostly via AirBnB and Booking.com wherever we happened to be. These were cabins/tiny houses or private rooms with their own bathroom. Hotels are only available in the larger cities, so be prepared to stay either at campsites or in the aforementioned lodges/cabins if you are visiting more remote places. If you are sure where you want to stay, it is of course better to book everything in advance. However, we wanted to remain flexible and that worked out really well.
Other important tips
The best time to visit Alaska is from mid-June to September. During this time, most of the snow has melted, all roads are passable and you can see the most wildlife. The weather is also comparatively good during this time. We were there from mid to late June and we were really incredibly lucky with the weather. We heard the locals talking about how great and sunny the weather was almost every day. Having around 20 degrees Celsius (68 degrees Fahrenheit) and sunshine every day doesn’t always seem to be the case, even in summer, so we were lucky. The good weather also meant that we got to see Mount Denali in all its glory, but more on that in a moment.
Other things you should definitely make sure of when traveling to Alaska are:
- Download offline maps, from Google or other providers, and preferably for the entire route you are traveling, as you may not have cell service in some places.
- Otherwise, make sure you get an eSIM for internet if you are traveling from Canada, South America or overseas. You can then easily use your cell phone as a hotspot for other devices. This is much easier and cheaper than buying physical SIM cards. There are many good providers, but I can recommend RedteaGO. They offer really good and cheap data plans, we booked our own data here and were really happy. You can watch a video about it here. If you enter the code TWOROAMTHEWORLD in your account, you save 5% on every order.
- Make sure that you always have a sufficiently full tank and refuel regularly. It’s better to fill up once too often than once too little. Even if your tank is more than half full and there is a petrol station, be sure to fill up. You may not find a gas station for 80 miles or so. And nobody wants to be stranded in remote places.
- Always have enough water and snacks in the car. This is essential, especially on difficult hikes in the blazing sun.
- Make sure you buy mosquito spray. We have never seen (and felt) as many mosquitoes as in Alaska. It’s particularly bad heading east. So the route Copper Center, Chitina all the way to McCarthy.
Day 1: Arrival and three beautiful lakes
After arriving, we immediately picked up the rental car and then stocked up on some essentials at Walmart so that we would always have enough food with us on the trip, as we weren’t planning to eat in restaurants every time. This meant we bought lots of protein bars, packet soups, tinned food, crackers, potato chips and other non-perishable items.
After the shopping tour, we headed directly north to gain some time on the way to Denali National Park, which we would be exploring the next day. On the way there, however, you can stop at three really beautiful lakes, Mirror Lake, Lake Eklutna and Reflections Lake.
The first lake (Mirror Lake) doesn’t have as breathtaking a backdrop as the other two, and there are also quite a few families with children here. But it’s a good place to stop for a short break.
My personal favorite was Lake Eklutna. It is really beautifully situated in the middle of the mountains. You have a wonderful panorama here and there are hardly any people around.
I would put Reflections Lake in second place in purely visual terms. It is also much smaller than the other two, so you can walk around it once in a relaxed 1.1-mile walk. There are various viewing areas along the way, but you might also come across wildlife such as moose or beavers. Apart from birds, however, we didn’t see anything. We then continued on to our first accommodation for two nights, a nice spacious cabin in Talkeetna.
Day 2: Denali National Park
As already mentioned in the introduction, we were super lucky with the weather. There were no clouds in the sky today, so we had a perfect view of Mount Denali the whole way to the national park. This is the highest mountain in the USA, which can only be seen by 30% of all visitors. On the days that followed, it was never that clear again, so we were really lucky to be part of the 30% club. On the way to Denali National Park you will pass various viewpoints such as Denali Viewpoint South (my favorite) or Denali Viewpoint North. However, you will definitely stop at the side of the road every now and then to admire and photograph the mountain from different perspectives.
Once you have arrived in Denali National Park, you now have various options. We’ll come to what we did in a moment. However, it should be noted that currently the only road leading into the park, the Denali Park Road, can only be driven up to mile 43. Due to a landslide, the sections up to mile 92 are closed until probably summer 2026. You can still drive your own car up to mile 15. If you want to explore the remaining miles of the road, you have to buy a ticket for the bus tour at Mile 3 (Bus Depot) or online. There are narrated and non-narrated (transit) bus tours. The latter cost USD 33 per person, while the narrated bus tour tickets cost USD 116 or USD 144 for adults. The start and end point is the bus depot at mile three. However, there are various restroom and wildlife-viewing stops along the way. With the non-narrated buses you can also get off at any time and explore the park on your own and then get back on one of the transit buses (if seats are available). These buses run approximately every hour and a complete round trip to mile 43 and back takes about 5 hours. So allow plenty of time if you want to do this. We had originally planned to do this too, but didn’t make it due to time constraints as we were doing three other hikes.
However, the hikes we had chosen are some of the most beautiful and popular hikes and are accessible to everyone, so very easy to do. These are the Horseshoe Lake Trail (2 miles) at mile 1 of the Denali Park Road, then the Mountain Vista Trail (0.6 miles) at mile 13 of the Denali Park Road and finally the Savage River Loop Trail (2 miles) at mile 15 of the road. The bus is free until mile 15, so you can also take it between the stations. However, we recommend taking the car, as there is parking at all these stations, so you are much more flexible. However, the parking spaces directly at Mile 1 and 15 may already be full. In this case, you can also park at the Visitor Center for the Horseshoe Lake Trail and park at mile 13 at the Savage Campground for the Savage River Loop Trail and take the bus.
Now a few words about the hikes. My personal favorite of the three hikes was the 2-mile Horseshoe Lake Trail. You first go downhill through a beautiful dense forest until you reach the lake. You can now walk around the lake, and there are various photo spots along the way that invite you to take pictures. You really do have a wonderful view here and at the same time a peaceful environment in which you can fully enjoy nature. If you’re lucky (or unlucky?) you might also come across various wildlife such as beavers, moose or even bears. However, apart from some fresh bear tracks, birds and squirrels, we didn’t see any other animals here.
The Mountain vista Trail is only 0.6 miles long and offers you wonderful panoramic views over the Savage River Valley, Mount Healy and also Mount Denali, which is only visible on sunny and cloudless days. We also saw a few cute rabbits here.
The Savage River Loop Trail is two miles long and follows both sides of the Savage River as it creates a canyon between Mount Margaret and Healy Ridge. The trail extends for nearly a mile before crossing the river via a bridge and circling back to the original parking area. For most of the route, the trail stays close to the river, only occasionally climbing a few dozen feet above the river level.
We also paid a brief visit to the visitor center. After the three hikes, however, it was time to head back, as we still had around 2 hours of driving ahead of us. We spent the night in the same place as yesterday in Talkeetna.
Day 3: Hatcher Pass & Matanuska Glacier Walk
Today, the Matanuska Glacier Walk was the first booked item on the program. On the way there, however, we made a stop at Hatcher Pass and the Independence Mine, where we also parked. Experience shows that Hatcher Pass always opens towards the end of June, when most of the snow has melted. So we could just drive up. From the Independence Mine, we then walked along the Gold Cord Lake Trail. Or we tried to. However, as there was still quite a lot of snow there, you could hardly see the official trail, which is why we walked across the field up to Gold Cord Lake. It’s about 1.5 miles there and back, but you have to walk steadily uphill to get to the lake. The trail is described as easy, but it wasn’t that easy due to all the snow and the climb, which is why I would classify it as medium. However, the way there was absolutely worth it. Gold Cord Lake was still completely frozen over, which made the view even more breathtaking. The blue reflections on the ice were particularly beautiful.
However, we were a little pressed for time, we still had 1.5 hours to drive and there was a traffic jam on the way due to roadworks, which delayed everything a little. However, we arrived just in time for the three-hour Glacier Walking Tour on the Matanuska Glacier. We booked the tour on getyourguide.com. Most of the tours here are longer, but we deliberately opted for the shortest option. We think it’s quite enough. We can only recommend booking a tour like this, as you will never get this close to the glacier again. The guides will then take you over the glacier and tell you all sorts of interesting facts about it. We even saw a chicken on the ice and had a great time overall.
After the tour, we made a short stop at the official Glacier View vantage point. Here, however, you can only see the glacier from far away. It is much more impressive when you stand directly in front of it or on top of it. On the way to Copper Center, where we were staying for the night, we made another brief stop at the Wrangell St. Elias National Park visitor center. However, it was already closed (it closes at 5pm) and the large number of mosquitoes made it impossible to walk around outside without being surrounded by a swarm of hundreds of animals. We therefore decided to come back here on another day (day 5) for a short planned hike.
Day 4: McCarthy Road & Flightseeing Tour
Today we had another very special item on the agenda, namely a flightseeing tour over the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, starting from McCarthy. So we had to drive there first. And the only way to reach McCarthy is via the infamous McCarthy Road. This road is 60 miles long and you should plan about 2 hours one way. Many horror stories are told about this road, but I can tell you that it is not as it is described in some blogs. For example, it is often said that you can get flat tires here very quickly due to the railroad spikes sticking out of the ground. However, this is not the case. Sure, it’s a bumpy gravel road with a few potholes, but any normal 2wd car can easily get through. If you are able to skillfully avoid the holes and bumps, then the whole road is really easy to drive on. There are also large sections that are really well maintained. I would definitely recommend you to drive here, the views are gorgeous.
But be careful, most car rental companies have a rule that they are not liable for damage caused on McCarthy Road, even if you have full coverage. If you do end up with a flat tire, you will have to take care of it yourself or ask other people for help and pay for the damages yourself. Fortunately, most of the time you have cell service on this road. Only on the last third, i.e. the last 20 miles towards McCarthy, there is a dead spot. However, we didn’t have any problems on the way there or back and we didn’t see anyone else on the way who had a flat tire.
Even if you don’t have any special plans in McCarthy. A drive on this road is always worthwhile. Everything is really beautiful there. You pass beautiful lakes with mountains in the background, you drive over bridges with breathtaking gorges, everywhere you look there is simply silence and untouched nature. That’s what makes Alaska so special in general. You will certainly stop at some places to take pictures. Be sure to do this and take your time. The outward journey will probably take a little longer than 2 hours, but it’s definitely worth it.
An important fact to know when traveling to McCarthy is that you cannot drive into the town itself in your private car. McCarthy Road ends at a pedestrian bridge, which (as the name suggests) can only be crossed on foot. The car must be parked on the other side in one of the (paid) parking lots. There are frequent paid shuttles from the bridge to McCarthy and if you have booked a tour on site, you can also be picked up free of charge. However, we still had a bit of time before the Flightseeing tour, which is why we walked from the bridge to McCarthy. The walk only takes about 15 minutes, so it’s doable. After buying some refreshments at the local supermarket and stocking up on our mosquito spray supply (the mosquitoes here are also very bad), we went to the office of Wrangellmountainair, the provider with whom we had booked the tour.
We chose the most popular tour according to their own information, namely the 90-minute Bailey – University Range Tour over the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park for 410 USD per person. The price-performance ratio is definitely very good here. There are also shorter tours such as 70 minutes (375 USD pp) or 50 minutes (315 USD pp) but also a 120 minute tour (495 USD pp). However, we found the 90-minute tour completely sufficient. Not everyone can last that long in such a small plane (space for 4 people). The tour itself was really my absolute highlight of this vacation, a real once in a lifetime experience. The view from the plane is really out of this world. You fly very close to mountains covered in snow, over glaciers and one of the largest subarctic icefields in the world. This tour is an absolute must if you come to Alaska. There are various flightseeing tours at different locations. However, a flight from McCarthy over the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is definitely the most beautiful place to do this.
Other things you can do in McCarthy if you plan more time and stay overnight is, for example, an independent hike on the Root Glacier. Unlike the Matanuska Glacier, you can explore the Root Glacier without a guide and on your own. However, you first have to walk 2.4 miles from the Root Glacier trailhead to the glacier. Consequently, you will have to walk back the same way after your exploration tour. To get to the trail here first, however, you have to take a shuttle to Kennicott. It would take about 2 hours on foot from McCarthy. So you have to plan quite a bit of time here, which unfortunately we no longer had. As a second alternative, you can also walk along the Bonanza Mine Trail. This is a strenuous 9 mile round trip hike to reach Bonanza Mine. The difficulty here is due to the 3,800 feet elevation gain. So this is more for experienced hikers. However, if you don’t have time for both, I would definitely recommend exploring the Root Glacier.
We didn’t manage to do any of the above-mentioned items on the program, but headed straight back after the flightseeing tour. This time we were driven directly to the pedestrian bridge. The drive back to our AirBnB in Copper Center was also much quicker this time as we didn’t stop at every stop on McCarthy Road.
Day 5: Scenic Drive to Valdez and exploring the city
Before we set off for Valdez, we did the hikes at the Wrangell-St. Elias Visitor Center in the morning, which were actually planned for day 3. There are also a lot of mosquitoes here in the morning, but not as many as in the evening. We did a short hike here, which included the Copper River Bluff Trail (0.5 miles) and the Boreal Forest Trail (0.5 miles). These trails lead through a forest with stops at two viewpoints. You can do them if you’re in the area anyway. There’s not much more you can do at the visitor center. Generally speaking, not many people come here.
We then continued on a beautiful scenic drive to the town of Valdez. In Alaska, it is often the case that the journey is the destination. Just like in this case. Valdez is located in an area surrounded by snow-capped mountains, which makes the drive really wonderful. The first stop is Worthington Glacier. A glacier that you can see very well from the road. Then it’s over the Thompson Pass, a 2,600-foot-high mountain pass in the Chugach Mountains, northeast of Valdez, which really offers incredibly beautiful scenery. Shortly before Valdez you drive through the 3-mile-long Keystone canyon, which is home to three really wonderful waterfalls. Rudlestone Falls, Bridal Veil Falls and Horsetail Falls. All really impressive and large waterfalls, which are located directly on the road and do not require any hikes. Just like all the other attractions on the way to Valdez.
In Valdez itself, we first treated ourselves to a pizza at “The Fat Mermaid” before exploring the city further. While we waited for the pizza, we took a short walk along the harbor. Then we went to Solomon Gulch Hatchery, the largest pink salmon hatchery in North America. From July through October you can view the returning salmon at the hatchery. Then its also possible to See bears, eagles, seagulls, sea lions and sea otters feeding on the returning salmon. Unfortunately, apart from the seagulls, we didn’t see any other animals or fish. It was probably still a bit too early for that. Maybe you have more luck. Then we went to Glacier Lake in Valdez. An idyllic lake at the foot of several mountains, with lots of large pieces of ice floating in it. You can also go kayaking on this lake. The view of this lake is particularly beautiful from the air, so come and have a look.
After that, there were three smaller easy hikes in Valdez. The Dock Point Trail (0.8 miles), the Civic Center Hill Overlook Trail (0.5 miles) and the Homestead Trail (1.2 miles).
The Dock Point Trail has some of the best views of Harbor Cove, the Duck Flats wetlands, and lots of wildlife in a cool, rainy forest. This trail runs along a peninsula and features overlook platforms for safe viewing. You can get to the beach near the start of the trail and It’s a great place for families and pets. Civic Center Hill offers a picturesque 360-degree view of the town, the bay, and the Church Mountains. The nicely kept Homestead Trail winds through a beautiful cottonwood forest before arriving at breathtaking ocean views.
The last act of the day was a short stop at the Whispering Giant statue. We spent the night in Valdez.
Day 6: Lions Head Hike & Summit Lake
We headed back the same way we had come yesterday, with the aim of getting close to Anchorage. It was really great to see the whole beautiful landscape again. On the way back, we stopped again in the Matanuska Glacier area to do the Lions Head Hike. For once, a difficult 2.1 mile out-and-back hike with a very steep ascent. We even saw a mother moose with her calf on the way. But the way to the top of Lion Head is definitely worth it. Here you really have a perfect view of the Matanuska Glacier and can observe it in all its grandeur.
Next, we drove up Hatcher Pass again. This time, however, we went a little further than just Independence Mine. Namely to Summit Lake. You can also drive directly to this lake without having to hike. Nevertheless, we still wanted to do a bit of walking, which is why we walked the moderately challenging April Bowl Trail (2.2 miles). This trail maintains a consistent steepness and offers picturesque views as it ascends to a group of glacial lakes. The path becomes rocky as you climb along the ridge to the first peak, which provides stunning views of the lakes below, Willow on one side, and the Mat-Su Valley on the other. The trail continues to follow the ridge until you reach the summit, which is about 1,000 feet higher than the starting point at Hatcher Pass. We then drove along the scenic Hatcher Pass Road for a while, but didn’t discover anything special along the way. After we had finished exploring Hatcher Pass, we drove to our accommodation for the night. A tiny house in Wasilla.
Day 7: Scenic Drive to Homer
Day 7 was another scenic drive, this time from north to south to Homer for our program on day 8. This drive also included various stops. First, we stopped at the McHugh Creek Day Use Area. A short walk from the parking lot leads to a breathtaking 20-foot waterfall. The trail initially follows the Turnagain Arm, with several smaller trails branching off to various viewpoints. Follow the trail a short distance to the left to join the McHugh Trail, which branches off to the right. This moderate hike would take 6.4 miles. But we didn’t have time for that. After checking out the creek with the small waterfall, we continued on to the next spot, Beluga Point. Beluga Point is a rocky headland that juts out into the waters of Turnagain Arm and is located south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway. It is named after the beluga whales that can often be seen from here on their way through the arm. Unsurprisingly, however, we didn’t see any. We continued over the really impressive Turnagain Pass to Summit Lake on Canyon Creek.
We didn’t stay here for long, but just got out for a few pictures. The next lake was much more impressive. Tern Lake, in the middle of a beautiful mountain backdrop with lots of grass fields on top, makes a really great motif, especially from above. Cooper Landing and the wonderfully blue Kenai River flowing along it are also worth a visit. Here, too, I can only recommend the view from above. The next stop was very close to Homer and was the Anchor River State Recreation Area. A place where Bald Eagles are guaranteed. Here you have the opportunity to observe and photograph Bald Eagles at close range. You can even stand face to face with them, as in my example picture here. A truly incredible feeling. Our last stop was at Homer Spit, a seven-kilometer-long spit of land in Alaska that extends into Kachemak Bay near Homer on the Kenai Peninsula. In addition to the Homer boat harbor and the landing stage of the Alaska Marine Highway, it is home to many facilities such as hotels, restaurants, fishing tackle stores, gift stores and so on. Here you can stroll around, look at the colorful stores and enjoy the wonderful view from the water. We spent the night in a very nice AirBnB in Homer.
Day 8: Lake Clark National Park Bear Watching Tour & Exit Glacier
On day 8, we did something we had been looking forward to since day 1. A bear watching tour to Lake Clark National Park, where you can watch the bears up close as they collect clams. We booked through Bear Viewing in Alaska. Unlike other providers who offer fly-ins to the park, we traveled 1.5 hours by boat. Accordingly, this tour was also significantly cheaper than it would have been with a fly-in. As it was still June and flights to the famous Katmai Falls don’t depart until the beginning of July and because we didn’t want to spend so much but still wanted to see bears, we opted for this tour. The bears are active here from May to August, so you’ll always come across some. Sometimes there are more, sometimes fewer. We were lucky here too, as the tour was canceled the day before due to high waves. When we arrived at the park, we got out of the boat and waded ashore through the water. Unfortunately, it was very foggy that day, even on the ground, which is why we were initially worried that we wouldn’t see any bears here. However, we did come across some. Three in total. They even came within a few meters of us on their own. But they didn’t let us bother them at all, they only had eyes for their clams. The fog also helped to make the pictures look really mysterious and the image of the bear was beautifully reflected on the ground. A really great effect. It was worth it in the end. We spent about 3 hours with the bears before heading back to the anchor river state recreation area for another 1.5 hours. The same place where we had watched the Bald Eagles the day before.
After the tour, we made our way to Seward, where the next attraction awaited us the following day. On the way there, however, we still had time to stop in Kenai Fjords National Park and take a look at the Exit Glacier. Here we did two short, easy hikes again. One was the Exit Glacier View Loop Trail (1 mile) and the Exit Glacier Overlook Trail (1.2), but both trails merge into one another, which is why you can actually consider it one big trail. Here you set off from the trailhead, where there is also a free parking lot, and keep moving in the direction of the Exit Glacier. On the way there, you will see signs showing where the glacier was in a particular year. It’s really impressive and frightening at the same time when you realize how quickly this glacier is retreating. Once you reach the end, you have a really beautiful view of the glacier. If you want to get even closer to the glacier, you should plan a little more time and walk the Harding Icefield Trail. This is a strenuous hike that covers a total of 8 miles. But in return you get a really great view over the Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield. After exploring the Exit Glacier, we continued on to Seward, where we spent the night in an AirBnB.
Day 9: Kenai Fjords Glacier & Wildlife Cruise from Seward
Day 9 started quite early with a 7.5 hour Glacier and Wildlife tour with Major Marine Tours. An absolute must-visit tour when you are in Alaska. The tour included lunch and cost only 20 USD more per person than the 6 hour tour without lunch. And you get to see a lot more, such as the incredibly impressive Aialik Glacier, which is not included in the shorter tour. In addition to Holgate und Aialik Glacier, which you will drive very close to, you will also see a lot of wildlife. We saw humpback whales, „dolphins“ (Dall’s porpoise), sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, horned and tufted puffins and a whole host of other birds. We can only recommend booking with Major Marine Tours. Captain Tanner, who provided us with very interesting information throughout the trip, and the entire crew made our stay an unforgettable experience.
We still had some time after the Glacier and Wildlife cruise, so we walked the nearby Two Lakes Trail. The Two Lakes Trail is a relaxing, one-mile loop in downtown Seward, suitable for all levels of hikers. Short and sweet, this trail winds you around an upper and lower lake and a beautiful waterfall to the south of the first lake. After the trail we walked along the waterfront to downtown Seward and tried Sweet Darlings. A shop that offers delicious and comparatively cheap ice cream. Otherwise, downtown Seward unfortunately doesn’t have much to offer. We also spent the night in our AirBnb in Seward.
Day 10: Palmer Creek Lakes Trail & Portage Pass Trail
Day 10 was also our last day with a planned program. On the way back to Anchorage we did two really great hikes. One was the Palmer Creek Lakes Trail in Hope (2.7 miles) and the other was the Portage Pass Trail in Whittier (4 miles). The Palmer Cree Lakes Trail is a somewhat remote, moderately challenging but beautiful hike in the mountains up to two beautiful mountain lakes. You also have a really great view from up here.
But the Portage Pass Trail in Whittier was definitely even more impressive. I would also consider this to be moderately challenging, as it is quite steep at the start. But first you have to get there. The only way to reach this trail is via the Whittier Tunnel. The special feature here is that it is only passable on one side. So while the cars come from one side, the other side has to wait. Each side is allowed through every half hour, so you may have to wait a little. At the entrance you will also get a map with the schedule. Be sure to follow this, as the tunnel is closed between 11:15 pm and 5:30 am. There is no way through during this time.
However, the hike itself is really worthwhile. The first stop in particular, which you reach after just one mile, gives you a breathtaking view of the Portage Glacier. One of the best views we had during our vacation. After a 750 feet elevation gain at this first point, the trail decends down past divide lake and ends at Portage lake after another mile. Once you reach Portage Lake, you are much closer to the glacier, but the view was much better at the first point. If you have time, I would still recommend visiting both points. We even saw black bears here. They were scared and ran away straight away. But watch out anyway, especially if you have small children with you or are traveling alone. You have to go back two miles the same way you came. But that was the last hike of the vacation. We spent the last two nights in a hotel in Anchorage.
Day 11: Relaxing, shopping, eating and car wash
Our vacation was actually 12 days long in total, whereby day 1 and day 12 were only half days and also included the arrival and departure. But even on day 11 we no longer had a real program. We just relaxed, went shopping, ate and washed the car, which was really, really dirty. We didn’t want to give it back in that condition. I called this blog 10 Day Road Trip because we only had a program for 10 days. For example, today we ate at Olive Garden and Auntie Anne’s and shopped at the 5th avenue mall in Anchorage.
Day 12: Denali Mac & Departure
We didn’t really do anything on day 12 either. We packed our things, went out for a bite to eat, returned the car and flew home. But something I had to try before leaving was the Denali Mac from McDonald’s. Named after the highest mountain in the USA and available as a regular menu item only in Alaska. Its actually a Big Mac, but with thicker (Quarter Pounder) patties and a little more sauce. Accordingly, it also tastes a little better than the normal version.
So that’s it from our Alaska road trip. We hope we were able to inspire you to take a trip like this. This is definitely a bucket list destination for all nature and wildlife lovers. If you love hiking in untouched nature, snow-capped mountains, glaciers, lakes and absolute tranquillity, this is definitely something for you. Feel free to write to us if you would like to find out more or give us feedback on the blog post. We would be very happy. Thank you very much!