Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Alaska vacation via RV rental

So, if a family of 4 would fly into Anchorage and rent up to a 30' RV for a 2ish week vacation, where do I start?

I bought the Milepost book and that has been a great starting point. We are into National Parks, wildlife and fishing. Whales would be cool as would Halibut fishing. We enjoy meeting and getting to know locals. Great Alaskan Holidays seems to have a big selection of RV's

We don't mind touristy attractions when we visit a place for the first time. We are thinking Kenai Penninsula and Denali to concentrate our effots.

don't miss Denali, as you are leaning... you can halibut fish out of Homer, but I would lean more to Seward. Don't forget to sleep at night, your body will want to stay awake due to so much daylight.

Wow sounds epic!

I would also work in a "glacier tour" out of Whittier, though I never took one. I had my own sport boat in Kodiak for several years to keep me busy fishing and gawking. I really miss it!

Sounds like a great time. The first time we did that I was not prepared for the crowded RV parks. LOTS of RV's. Whale watching out of Seward is a lot of fun.

When you get to ANC, check the weather forecast and turn away from bad weather.......seek Denali if a chance of seeing the mountain.....avoid KP if rainy etc.....I'd take the Kenai Fjords tour out of Seward or halibut fish [pro-fish-n-sea charters] if the seas are forecast to be kindly.

+1

If Denali weather is good, dash up there as it likely won't last very long.

Bring good rain gear so weather does not keep you in the hard-shell tent.

Plan enough time and have reasonable expectations of what you can accomplish. Crashes occur in the summer because people feel they need to get somewhere after a long day, and drive tired.

Have fun.

Do the loop in your RV....parks-rich....lots to see...all different. 800 miles ...like driving from newyork city to Atlanta....only , no people !

I realize this isn’t necessarily applicable to what you’re asking and for that I apologize. If it’s in your budget, I always encourage folks coming up to visit to try and go somewhere off the road system for at least a couple days. This state is completely different when you get away from the crowds on the hot top.

The smaller the motor home the easier it will be to get in and out of campgrounds. See if you can rent one that they will let you take on the Denali highway.

And whatever you do, pull over frequently to let faster vehicles by. It is supposed to be illegal to hold up more than 5 vehicles. They cause a lot of the grief because there will always be someone too impatient to wait for a safe spot to pass. You may or may not be involved in the accident they cause.

It may not fit into your budget or time allotment but the Kantishna Roadhouse (private lodge just on the west side of the Mt. McKinley main road) is a wonderful place to spend a couple of days and truly see McKinley.

Vern's recommendation for the Kenai Fjords tour is spot on. Watch the weather and be flexible around it if possible. Homer, although frequently crowded during tourist season, is a very nice place to visit. Depending on the time of the summer you might want to treat the family to a float trip on the upper Kenai or upper Kasilof when down on the Kenai Peninsula.

There used to be a pretty nice wildlife museum in Anchor Point, not sure it is still there, but worth a stop if you are heading to Homer.

Have done it twice with young kids... Kenia to Denali a great experience. Milepost was pretty accurate for good info/tips. It is a great experience, weather can change on a dime (July both trips) but that's part of Alaska. Fishing was great and the scenery is amazing. Most campgrounds with recent heavy bear activity are posted. Enjoy the journey and bring your camera.

Seward is as beautiful as anywhere in Alaska. The Glacier tours and Halibut are a great time.
I'm thinking try to develop a plan based on what you want to do. Denali is it's own direction and you need a reservation to take the trip, and I think for the campground. Then on the way back down hit the Denali highway. Wonderful trip. We loved to camp there. There's some nice fishing as you go along as well. Keep an eye out for Caribou. Then come back around and stay in Glen Allen and then come through Palmer and check out the Caribou and the Musk ox. (Musk ox Farm) and finally on to Anc. See what you want to see there, then on to Seward and hit the The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center it's on the right about an hour south of Anchorage. Keep an eye out for sheep on the side of the road. On to Seward. Glacier tours, Halibut, Salmon, depending on when you are there. You can fish from the beach in areas. Make a plan, decide what you want to do. Good rain gear is really important. Everyone has their favorite. Nothing keeps you totally dry, but it can sure help keep the fish slime off. Plan on wearing good footwear. Binoculars, camera. Make some memories.

Any issues carrying concealed? We do not plan on being in Canada at all.

Thanks for all the suggestions! It is a trip that I wanted to do since I was a teen!

One thing you might try is looking in Craigslist for an individual who is looking to rent out their motorhome.
We did this in 2010 for 3 weeks. It was waaay cheaper than renting from ABC or CruiseAmerica.

the 2 times we went and rented an rv.….it was through abc….rent it well in advance and you can get it for about half price.....bob

Open or concealed carry is legal. Flying in and out is no issue with the Anchorage airport.

Exit Glacier just outside Seward is a real hands-on glacier experience for free. The glacier tours are pricey.