Have you ever thought of traveling to Alaska??

Have you ever thought of traveling to Alaska? You should!! A cruise would be great but adding the land part to it would be amazing!!

-Traveling to Alaska became so much more than I imagined!!! From the time we started landing until the time we took off to come home beauty was all around us. You could not miss the mountains that surrounded Anchorage and all the places I traveled to. Most of my time was spent based out of Anchorage. We traveled out to Telkeetna and so many other beautiful towns.

Seward was an amazing fishing town and small town feel to it. I imagine when the cruise ships are coming in and out it is much busier. I truly enjoyed the quietness of the town. The people were very friendly. We spent 3 nights here to enjoy the fishing, hiking and glaciers that are all around this quiet town. You can’t go to Seward without going fishing, IMO. But, more on that later.

After arrival night in Anchorage we were off to Seward for a few days.

Seward is a beautiful fishing town surrounded by glorious mountains. On the drive from Anchorage to Seward we stopped along the way to check out trails and beautiful overlooks. Also, keeping our eyes out for wildlife-you never know what you will see. We saw Dall Sheep, Bald Eagles and Brown Eagles along the way. We were hoping for moose and whales but no success, sadly.

Be warned that when Alaska says it is an easy hike it not what I would consider an easy hike. I use my hikes in the Adirondack Mountains as a guide. Be prepared to seriously hike or walk on many of the trails. Do your research and know what to truly expect. Also, if you are in most areas walking/hiking please make sure to have bells to ring as you walk along to alert bears and keep them away-you don’t want to surprise a bear. Also, for hiking where bears are more prominent you want to make sure you have bear spray. You can purchase this at many stores in town. It is very important to have it with you and make sure to read the directions when you purchase it.

On arrival day we explored the town, did some grocery shopping and checked into our home for the time in Seward. We even had time for ice cream-check out the creamery. We had an early day the next day for fishing.

When I say early, I mean early. We had to be at the docks by 545 AM and the boat left at 6 AM not to return until 6 PM. It is a full day of fishing. I want to highly recommend booking through Millers Landing https://www.millerslandingak.com/. I would also recommend that you request Chance Miller as your captain-he was phenomenal!! They also offer whale watching, kayaking and so much more!!

Pack a lunch, snack and beverages for you and your party. No bananas allowed, goes back to it being considered bad luck. I learned this on this trip. Yes, their is a “bathroom” , actually a “head” on the boat. Be prepared for it to be cool out there on the ocean because it will be. Think layers, dress in layers, carry layers. Secondly, sunscreen. You are close to the sun , especially during the summer months, and you will need lots of sunscreen-apply often.

Once you get back to the dock with all your incredible fish, they will filet and bag your fish for you group and give it to you. Here you have some choices. We chose to use J Dock, their is also Captain Jack’s. This is not inexpensive but you will have incredible fresh fish to enjoy once you get home. Also, if you are able you can cook and enjoy that night or the next, yummy!!

Glaciers are easy to get to for exploring or hiking.

Be prepared if you are thinking of going onto the glaciers. By this I mean boots, long pants maybe even hiking poles. Have food, beverages and other hiking needs with you.

Being able to go see Exit Glacier in Seward but did not hike to top was incredible. It was beautiful!! It was also sad to see how much of it has melted over the last 30 years. Actually, able to hold a piece of the glacier in my hand that had melted and came down the mountain. A terrible beauty. This was an easy walk and can be handed by most people.

Do your research in advance to find out what National Parks, state Parks, Glaciers and trails you want to explore. The choices are many and amazing! You want to know level of hiking, length, hours of operation and so much more. Explore and enjoy the beautiful state of Alaska and the town of Seward!!

So much to see and do in Anchorage or by using Anchorage as your hub.

Anchorage is an easy city to navigate, it runs on a grid system and street numbers run one direction, east to west while the letter streets run north to south. Easy to know how to find what you re looking for and how to get there.

In Anchorage we chose to take the Anchorage Trolley tours-you will have 2 choices take the longer one to have a better experience (Only 2 hours). You will learn so much about Anchorage and how it came to be. I loved learning about Earthquake Park (from big earthquake of 1964) and so much more!!

We also enjoyed the Alaska Museum and all that it has to offer. I enjoyed the Alaska Zoo. The best part of that was watching the bear cubs play together and the mooselings. The mooselings were about 4 feet high at the shoulder, 3 feet of that was legs. Very cool!!

One day we traveled to Telkeetna and enjoy the tiny town. It is a definite to see and enjoy. Be warned the main coffee shop opens at 7 AM and gets busy Very quickly. From there you can take a small plane up to a glacier on Denali. If you can handle the small plane then do it!! It is beyond words.

It is STRONGLY ADVISE to book these in advance of your travel. This is for the plane rides, the fishing excursions and any other excursions you want to enjoy. They fill quickly and you do not want to miss out on these incredible experiences!!

So many things to do and only a few of the many things you can do while in Alaska have been listed. Whale watches and boat trips are also available out of Anchorage or Seward. What do you want to see??? This was sunset on 7/4/21 at 1130 PM, yes PM.