Planning Family Alaska Trip

[richyrich408]

I will be planning a Family Alaska Trip this summer to celebrate my stepsons high school graduation. I would like to incorporate a fishing trip or two while we are there as that is my sons main passion besides duck hunting. The only problem is we will also have his 3 1/2 and a 1 year old siblings tagging along. I am trying to plan so neither my wife or I is not stuck with the little kiddos all the time while the other is doing more grown up activities. I think if I take my son on a charter or 2 then ill trade off with my wife while she takes him Ziplining and other similar activities it might even out. I am not sure how well the little ones would do on a extended boat trip so will probably plan other activities for them. We reside in California and will plan on traveling to Washington first to see family then on to Alaska via either cruise or plane. Overall Trip length will be around 2 weeks. Definitely want to hit Anchorage, Denali and possibly fish the Kenai. Any tips would be appreciated as there are so many options and stuff to see its pretty overwhelming.

 

[grossklw]

Last summer we traveled with a 3 year old and an 8 week old to Homer, so it can be done. I'd recommend you "switch off" with your wife doing fun things. We were up there to get some work done on our Airbnb's so it was basically the older one running rampant around the house while my wife kept the baby occupied.

2 weeks is a good length, Alaska is huge. I'd probably spend some time at Denali and then head south on the Kenai. I'm obviously more familiar with Homer than I am the rest of the Kenai, but I'd spend a day or two in Cooper Landing and then do some ocean fishing on a charter in either Homer, Seward, or Whittier. If you end up in Homer you could fish a day or two and then take a water taxi for a day-trip to Kachemak Bay State Park and do some hiking. You could likely bring backpack's for the kids to haul around on the hike or if you end up in Homer I got some buddies there that could get you a couple to use.

I own a couple Airbnb's and can give you some help in Homer with Charter recommendations, but I'm not much help for the rest of the state as we generally spend most of our time there when we go up. There was another thread that I posted the places I own, but if you decide on Homer for a few days don't hesitate to reach me directly and I can save you quite a bit of money on Airbnb fees if you want to stay at one of my places.

 

[kwackkillncrew]

is that 2 weeks in ak or is the 2 weeks split between washington and ak? if you are only in ak for a week i would just hang out on the kenai peninsula Plenty of mountains and volcanos to look at down there. If you go to the denali park you wont see the mountain unless you go on one of the buses that head into the park, which i am not even sure if they are running all the way back any more because of erosion. on clear days you can see denali from anchorage. If you want to get a little closer with out dealing with the park you could go hang out in talkeetna for a few days, lots of good views of the mountain from there.

 

[mtnbiker208]

Some perspective

It is a very big state.

 

[william schmaltz]

Unless Denai is some big bucket list thing, I typically talk people out of Denali. If it is a bucket list, do the lottery in September. The road is closed at mile 43 for the second year in a row to fix the road lost in a landslide a couple years ago. Rains typically move in mid July and hang around until mid-September so your odds of seeing the mountain during tourist season are slim. If flying into Anchorage, it's at least a half day in opposite directions to both Homer and Denali. So two full days of just driving if you want to go to both places. Probably more like 3.

We're in the same boat with young kids. It stinks being in this part of life where someone always misses out, but we always plan a fishing charter when a grandparent is in town so we can fish together at least once a year. Something you can all do is one of the wildlife/glacier cruises out of Seward or Whittier. Or take the ferry to Seldovia or Halibut Cove for an afternoon if basing mostly out of Homer.

 

[Raghornkiller]

I wouldn't go into Denali again,an 8 hour bus ride with out of touch city people stopping to take pictures of every bird just wasn't my thing.On a clear day Denali is visible from the highway.Some great fishing just south of Denali along the Parks highway though. I wouldn't mind fishing the kenai again at the confluence of the Russian although it was pretty crowded during the daytime.Valdez is beautiful and fishing for pinks at the hatchery was epic.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I would leave the 2 little ones in Washington with family and make the alaska trip more about your son and celebrating his big accomplishment. Just my 0.02. An alaskan fishing trip with mom and dad would probably be a dream trip. I am sure the little ones gets lots of attention all the time.

 

[Agross]

I was gonna suggest leaving the little ones with family as well but didnt want to sound like a dick. They aren’t going to remember it, and be a lot more freedom for the rest of you.

 

[PredatorSlayer]

I was gonna suggest leaving the little ones with family as well but didnt want to sound like a dick. They aren’t going to remember it, and be a lot more freedom for the rest of you.

I guess I am that guy….

 

[LoggerDan]

theres bunches of inviting lakes to camp and fish down Swanson river rd in the refuge. And you could also do skilak,then fish the kenai in soldotna or further down towards cooper

 

[Werty]

Rent an rv and have some fun!

 

[richyrich408]

is that 2 weeks in ak or is the 2 weeks split between washington and ak? if you are only in ak for a week i would just hang out on the kenai peninsula Plenty of mountains and volcanos to look at down there. If you go to the denali park you wont see the mountain unless you go on one of the buses that head into the park, which i am not even sure if they are running all the way back any more because of erosion. on clear days you can see denali from anchorage. If you want to get a little closer with out dealing with the park you could go hang out in talkeetna for a few days, lots of good views of the mountain from there.

I’m taking a total of 4 weeks off work so I’ll be probably dedicating the whole 2 weeks to Alaska.


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[richyrich408]

I would leave the 2 little ones in Washington with family and make the alaska trip more about your son and celebrating his big accomplishment. Just my 0.02. An alaskan fishing trip with mom and dad would probably be a dream trip. I am sure the little ones gets lots of attention all the time.

That would solve some problems but it’s not really a possibility.


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[FranklinBluth]

There's an outfitter in Talkeetna that does float fishing trips on Clear Creek using a helicopter drop-off. My wife and I did it a few years back and it was a really cool experience. You and the older kid could do some fishing while the wife does some shopping/touristy stuff in Talkeetna. You could also squeeze in a half day float trip on the Willow or Little Willow too - a number of outfitters offer this type of outing.

There are a lot of roadside DIY fishing opportunities to be had in south central AK. When my dad and I had to sneak in fishing outings during family trips, we'd just go early in the morning and be back by 9 or 10am. Very doable in Alaska with the long day light hours in the summer. Depending on the time of year and where you go, a little bit of searching online will turn up the community holes where people will be congregated catching fish.

Agree with previous posters re: Denali - Last year when my in-laws came up I think we had one clear day out of ten total (end of July-first part of August). They did a flight seeing tour out of Talkeetna on the one clear day and loved it, but it may not be for you as you've got younger kids. If you've got clear weather, you can see Denali clearly from Willow and Talkeetna anyhow.

 

[richyrich408]

There's an outfitter in Talkeetna that does float fishing trips on Clear Creek using a helicopter drop-off. My wife and I did it a few years back and it was a really cool experience. You and the older kid could do some fishing while the wife does some shopping/touristy stuff in Talkeetna. You could also squeeze in a half day float trip on the Willow or Little Willow too - a number of outfitters offer this type of outing.

There are a lot of roadside DIY fishing opportunities to be had in south central AK. When my dad and I had to sneak in fishing outings during family trips, we'd just go early in the morning and be back by 9 or 10am. Very doable in Alaska with the long day light hours in the summer. Depending on the time of year and where you go, a little bit of searching online will turn up the community holes where people will be congregated catching fish.

Agree with previous posters re: Denali - Last year when my in-laws came up I think we had one clear day out of ten total (end of July-first part of August). They did a flight seeing tour out of Talkeetna on the one clear day and loved it, but it may not be for you as you've got younger kids. If you've got clear weather, you can see Denali clearly from Willow and Talkeetna anyhow.

The helicopter drop off sounds pretty epic, and yes we will definitely take advantage of the roadside opportunities to fish. I am actually looking into buying some travel rods to bring with us. Just trying to decide if we should bring a trout travel rod or something more substantial for bigger fish like. 7.5’-8.5’ medium heavy.


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[FranklinBluth]

The helicopter drop off sounds pretty epic, and yes we will definitely take advantage of the roadside opportunities to fish. I am actually looking into buying some travel rods to bring with us. Just trying to decide if we should bring a trout travel rod or something more substantial for bigger fish like. 7.5’-8.5’ medium heavy.


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A medium action rod that's rated somewhere between 8-30lb test is pretty ideal for the pinks and silvers. You may be outgunned slightly if you hook a big chum, but that covers the spectrum pretty well for the Parks streams. Honestly an Ugly Stik is a budget friendly rod that gets the job done just fine. I prefer 20lb test suffix 832 braid - it has a thin diameter and casts well and also holds up well fighting fish or getting free from snags. Trout/dollies/grayling are a whole separate set of considerations.

Others may chime in on what would be best for the Kenai.

 

[dutch_henry]

I found a few books helpful in getting my footing and have enjoyed all my trips there.
Highway Angler, Fishing Alaska's Road System
Fishing Alaska's Kenai Peninsula
Alaska Fishing: The Ultimate Angler's Guide

I'd also recommend signing up for the reports emailed out by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport fish.

Adding in a light action rod would be super fun on grayling streams and some trout water. If packing space is really limited though, I personally got the most use my 7wt fly rod and a med action spinning rod. Alaska also has a rod loaner program, if some in your family want to dabble:

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

www.adfg.alaska.gov

 

[SaltySailor]

You cannot take the bus in Denali down the road very far now, the road has a landslide at Polychrome and I think the buses only go to Teklanika, which isn't very conducive to seeing much wildlife or country. You would be disappointed IMO. I used to work in the park, the beginning of the park where the visitors center is, is a tourist trap. A lot of money and time to get there, to get through a visitors center in 30 mins, and then stand in crowds to eat or on the bus for the rest of the day.

 

[richyrich408]

I found a few books helpful in getting my footing and have enjoyed all my trips there.
Highway Angler, Fishing Alaska's Road System
Fishing Alaska's Kenai Peninsula
Alaska Fishing: The Ultimate Angler's Guide

I'd also recommend signing up for the reports emailed out by the Alaska Department of Fish and Game Division of Sport fish.

Adding in a light action rod would be super fun on grayling streams and some trout water. If packing space is really limited though, I personally got the most use my 7wt fly rod and a med action spinning rod. Alaska also has a rod loaner program, if some in your family want to dabble:

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

Alaska Department of Fish and Game

www.adfg.alaska.gov

Thanks that is super helpful!!


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[richyrich408]

You cannot take the bus in Denali down the road very far now, the road has a landslide at Polychrome and I think the buses only go to Teklanika, which isn't very conducive to seeing much wildlife or country. You would be disappointed IMO. I used to work in the park, the beginning of the park where the visitors center is, is a tourist trap. A lot of money and time to get there, to get through a visitors center in 30 mins, and then stand in crowds to eat or on the bus for the rest of the day.

Sounding like we will pass on Denali!


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