Coming To Alaska

[Details of my Alaskan trip — including a great flight deal, three unexpected curveballs, and plenty of travel advice for hiking, cruising, and eating around Anchorage.]

A Deal I Couldn’t Refuse

Alaska wasn’t in my plans for 2021. Sure, I’ve always wanted to go (as part of my goal to see all 50 states), but considering the distance, I figured far off states like Alaska and Hawaii would have to be done last. However, Delta Airlines made an offer I couldn’t refuse.

SkyMiles are travel award points you can get from Delta related purchases. When you use a Delta AMEX, your every-day purchases build up SkyMiles. So, when I saw the flash sale — 10,500 SkyMiles for a roundtrip ticket to Anchorage, AK — I called my buddy Aaron, talked it through, and we booked same day. We would fly all the way across the country for free! Tickets like that could easily cost between $500 to $1,000.

Unfortunately, ground transportation would be less easy.

Curveball 1 of 3 - Ground Transportation

In 2020, not many people traveled within the United States (or elsewhere) due to COVID-19. To save on money, many car rental locations sold their fleets (what company wants to pay insurance on a car that just sits in a lot?). But, once the vaccine became accessible in 2021, suddenly people were making plans for summer vacation. Car rental locations quickly looked to replenish their fleets, only to find a car microchip shortage.

Despite planning two months in advance, transportation was our curveball. How could Aaron and myself travel to remote hiking spots (no signal for Uber), much less to far off ports for half-day cruises?

Our solution ended up being, (1) trains/buses to get to our cruises, (2) Uber to get to restaurants within Anchorage, and my personal favorite (3) U-Hail to get ourselves to remote hiking spots.

Curveball 2 of 3 - Ground Transportation, Again?

When you live far from an airport, you never know what may happen on the road. That’s why I always leave incredibly early — I’d rather be first at the gate and wait, than running through the terminal. Unfortunately, this was a ‘run-through-the-terminal’ kind of day.

Aaron and I met up, and started our drive to Atlanta. We grew up together and were roommates in college, so we always have in-depth conversations. Fate would have it that we discussed two topics: (1) Leaving Early For Flights and (2) Bad Things Happen to Good and Bad People Alike. That’s when Curveball #2 hit.

The car’s gas petal stopped feeding the engine gas, so we pulled over just past Marietta. Thankfully, the air conditioning was still operational. After some review under the hood, Aaron called AAA, and I got on the phone with Delta. AAA said they couldn’t have a tow-truck to us for another two hours. I was still on hold with Delta to see about moving our flight to the next day (the app said there were no flights available for us to switch to that day).

I’m proud how cool we were under the pressure. I proposed that if we could reschedule the flight, we would do that. If not, we could cancel everything and do our oft discussed Mid-West road-trip with my truck. Then, a tow-truck showed up an hour and a half early! He didn’t waste time getting the car rolled up and locked onto his truck. As we took off, we told him our situation and how we were going to try to reschedule. He looked at the clock and said, “I think you can make it.”

The tow-truck man said he could drop the car off at an AAA location without us (no charge to members). So, we hoped out and got an Uber. Our driver was from NYC and drove accordingly. We hopped out of the car as boarding time began. We found the security line was short. We could make it! Then Curveball #3 hit.

Curveball 3 of 3 - Ground Transportation, Again?!!

Before the trip, I once joked to Aaron that we would need to do more cardio to prepare ourselves for Alaska and all the hiking we would be doing, but I didn’t expect it to come so soon.

As we boarded the plane-train that runs in-between terminals a voice sounded saying there was an issue with the train and it would be a while before the train was up again. Our terminal was F, the very last terminal. We knew what we had to do. We ran.

By Terminal E, as we reached our cardio limitations, the plane-train was fully operational again. We boarded and reached our gate, which was still boarding (despite being at departure time).

Looking back, who knows if running was necessary. We might have made it simply walking. But then again, if the plane departed on-time and if the plane-train stayed out of commission longer, we very well could’ve missed our flight. I would never have forgave myself for walking if we missed the plane by mere minutes.

What You Need To Know About Summertime Alaska

We arrived late, but the sun was still up. During the summertime, Alaska is almost always in daylight (in the winter, its almost always in darkness). Unfortunately, many restaurants tend to close around 8 or 9 p.m. The remaining locations expect a reservation well ahead of time (this may be a locational concept or due to COVID’s impact on shortages of staff and closed businesses). We settled on cheap, not great pizza.

If you visit Anchorage, AK and want to eat at moderate/nice restaurants in the evening, call to make a reservation. Fletcher’s was a fine exception to this rule.

Day #1 - Favorite Hiking and Animal Viewing Spots

We picked up our U-Hail truck (one of the two days we rented it) and drove down the scenic coastal Seward Highway (1), which has plenty of spots to pull over for photos. Our first trail was Virgin Creek Falls. The hike is short and leads to a beautiful river and even more beautiful waterfall. Anyone can do this hike. I also got a great picture of a squirrel with a nut in his mouth.

Next we went to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where you park and can walk around a route of large fenced areas where animals like buffalo, porcupines, black bears, and wolves are kept. There is a driving option as well, but you will not get a great experience. I recommend bringing a camera (I regret not bringing my DSLR).

Nearby there is a beautiful spot you can pull over and take pictures of Portage Lake. We then hiked the Byron Glacier Trail Head, which is a moderate, but flat hike alongside a stream that eventually leads up to mountains and a glacier from which the stream flowed.

We even saw wild cotton plants, with particles of cotton floating across our path.

Day #2 - Moderate to Difficult Hiking

We left early to hike Eagle/Symphony Lake Trail Head, northeast of Anchorage. This trail started fairly maintained, then became rougher the longer we went. Often, the route is steep. We walked about 13 miles there and back, passing by a beautiful forest, a grassy plain, several lakes, a field of rock piles, and a few mud holes. There were campsites available, as some people split the hike into two days. We passed several people with bells attached to their dogs to help bears stay away.

Day #3 - Cruise From Steward

We took a bus to the small town of Steward. The port was the main attraction, with restaurants and shops as the only other options. Our cruise took us to a beautiful glacier, from which the crew collected a piece from the water and served as ice to a few passengers (I did not participate). We also saw plenty of birds, seals, and my favorite — Orcas. We saw four of Orcas all at the same time!

Day #4 - Cruise From Whittier

The next day we traveled via Alaska Railroad to Whittier as part of a train/cruise package. This town is even smaller than Steward with very few residents. The tunnel to town is actually only large enough for one-way-traffic, so car drivers must be sure to know what times the road goes into town and what times the road goes out.

Compared to Steward, this cruise had a fancier, more comfortable interior. While we did see two black bears swimming in the water, this cruise focused on more on the various beautiful glaciers in the area.

Final Recommendations

We traveled in July and consistently encountered a high of 70 degrees. However, cruises can get windy and cold, so be prepared.

If you plan on hiking, bug spray is a must. The flies were extremely aggressive at Eagle/Symphony Lake Trail. Also, talk constantly, play music, or bring bells while hiking so you will not startle bears near a trail.

Bring your best camera. iPhone and Android photos do not fully showcase the beauty of the state. If you do plan on using your phone, bring a portable charger.

The day of our flight back, we tried killing extra time at an AMC theater (to see A Quiet Place II), but the theater policy forbad bags. The staff said since they had an international airport, they found a lot of travelers encountered that problem too.

Good deals on Alaska flights are out there. You just need to keep an eye out for them.

Once you book your flight, be sure to plan ground transpiration as soon as possible. U-Hail was a great solution for us, but renting a car would have been cheaper.

As far as trips go, Alaska is worth it. If you can, go!