To the Bears !

Thus came to an end our amazing Alaska vacation. This was a life project, which took almost 2 years to plan and prepare. We had very high expectations, but I must say it was all we expected and much, much more. Terrific scenery, unbelievable wildlife, lucky break with the weather – it all came together splendidly. This is a vacation we will cherish for the rest of our life. 

Like many other travelers, we planned it as a 'once in a life time' trip, but we fell in love with Alaska, and we definitely see ourselves coming back again, one day.

While we enjoyed of all our experiences in Alaska, there are few which stood out and can be considered our favorites. Naturally this list is highly subjective, as our experience was impacted by elements such as weather, wildlife activity, our moods and expectations - all of them can't be controlled or reproduced. Still, for what it's worth, here is our 'Alaska Top List':

Wildlife – our time with the bears in Silver Salmon Creek Lodge stands on a level of its own above everything else we saw or did. But other than that, our most magical time was during the Gustavus whale watching tour.
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Tidewater glacier – out of the 4 we saw up close (Leconte. John Hopkins, Reid and Aialik) – Leconte was the most impressive, perhaps because it was our first, but probably also because of the small boat experience, and the sheer sensation of isolation and wilderness.

Land glacier – Exit glacier was beautiful, but our hike on the Matanuska glacier was really out of this world.

Scenic drive – by far the best drive for us was along the Glenn Highway, from Palmer to Glacier View and back. The Denali park road also gets high marks on our list.

Best lodging – we didn't go for exclusivity or extra comfort in this trip, but all the lodging we experienced were adequate and more than that. I think we loved Sheep Mountain Lodge the most because of the beautiful settings. Nord Haven Motel was definitely the best value for us.

Restaurants – again, on this trip we went for the practical and not for the culinary highlights. The best meals we had were definitely those in the lodges in Gustavus in Silver Salmon Creek. From the restaurants we tried, I think we enjoyed the food at Denali Salmon Bake the most, but the 49^th State Brewery had the best atmosphere and overall dining experience.

Our last day in Alaska! We had plenty of time this morning so woke up leisurely and had a nice buffet breakfast in the Nord Haven motel. We checked out and drove to Denali Visitor Center, in time for the 10:00AM Sled Dog demo (you need to arrive 40 minutes earlier and take a shuttle from the visitor center). 

When arriving to the kennel, you get a chance to roam around, watch the dogs and pet few of them. Then there is a demo and a presentation by the rangers, followed by the audience Q&A. We were a bit disappointed that the sled demo itself was very short, and most of the time was spent in hearing the explanations. But overall it was interesting and fun.

Around 11AM we left Denali for the long road back to Anchorage. It was cloudy and rainy again so no more Mountain views. The 1^st half of the trip was event-less; we kept looking for moose on the road side but without luck. 

Since we had time, we decided to stop in Talkeetna for lunch. The streets were drenched from the recent rain and the town was relatively quiet. We strolled in the main street and checked out the local businesses and souvenir shops. We didn't feel like sitting down for a long lunch so ended up ordering sandwiches at the Big Mountain BBQ food truck and eating them on the picnic tables outside the restaurant. It was good and comforting food. 

Overall we spent about an hour in Talkeetna before continuing on our road south. Our next stop was the big Fred Meyer in Wasilla were we stopped for coffee and some last minute shopping (we found some good bargains at the clothing department). 

From Wasilla, without further ado, we continued to our destination for the night – the Lakefront Anchorage hotel, not far from the airport. We had a 6AM flight the next morning so we gave up on a 'night in town' and instead chose this hotel since it was close to the airport and had a restaurant on premises.

We checked in, left our luggage in the room and then drove to the airport to return our rental car. From the airport we called the hotel shuttle to pick us up back to the hotel. The hotel is huge (at least in Alaskan standards) and we got to walk quite a distance to our room. Overall the hotel was OK for one night, though a bit expensive for what we got. 

We found out that in addition to a restaurant, the hotel also had a lounge bar with a bit lighter (and less expensive) fair. We celebrated the end of our amazing vacation and stepped out to look at the Lake Hood 'airport', though it was already late and the lake had very little plane activity.

We went back to our room for few hours of sleep before taking the shuttle again to the airport for our 6 AM flight to Seattle, and from there back home. 

We had an early rise in Healy in order to be on time for 7:15 Denali shuttle to Wonder Lake. It was too early for breakfast in the hotel (they start at 6:30) so on the evening before we asked for and got a 'breakfast to go' (very simple). We also ordered sack lunches for the bus trip and they waited for us in the morning. The sack lunch was huge and kept us going through all of the day. At 6:30 we left the hotel for Denali.

The evening before the hotel receptionist told us the roadwork between Healy and the park entrance are supposed to be done by 6AM, but apparently, no one told that to the road workers… we were stuck there for over 15 minutes.  

One bonus though, while we were waiting for the road to clear, we saw a large brown bear right on the highway. The poor animal wasn't happy at all to be there and on its first chance it jumped off the road  and disappeared between the trees. But for us this was a pleasant surprise and a nice start for the day!

Eventually we made it just in the time for the Denali WAC, where we picked up our shuttle tickets and boarded the bus, which left promptly on time. Our driver was Barr, at the beginning she seemed a bit rough and focused on warning us on what we should and should not do. But soon she 'softened up' and was very helpful in locating wildlife and in providing interesting background on the park.

We were relatively lucky with our day in Denali. The weather at the park entrance was cloudy and iffy, but as we progressed into the park, it became much nicer and we had some blue skies and sunshine. We enjoyed some amazing vistas on the way !

Denali Panorama

Denali

Early along the road we saw our first Caribou for the day.

First Caribou

We came to Denali in late August hoping to see the fall colors. Well, we saw a lot of yellow and brown, but very little red and orange. We asked Barr about the fall colors, she said 'this is it!'. According to her, colors were off this year due to the heavy summer rains.

Denali Bear

Denali Bear

Dall Sheep

Caribou

We reached Eielson around 11AM and had a stop. We saw incredible views from there, including our best view of the mountain so far.

Eielson Views

Eielson

The Mountain from Eielson

The Mountain

We considered staying at Eielson for the 12PM Ranger stroll, but it was chilly and windy and we didn't feel like hanging there. In addition, Barr said there's a good chance to see moose in the ponds on the road to Wonder Lake, and we were hoping to get an even better view of the Mountain. So we decided to continue with the bus.

As it turned out, we didn't see any moose, and we didn't have much better views of the Mountain, but we are still happy we went the extra distance, since the scenery was beautiful and different than what we saw before. We were especially impressed by the dirt-covered Muldrow Glacier which looked more like a grassy hill, and the huge McKinley River.

In Wonder Lake we had another stop which we used for strolling around and for picking blueberries (they were plentiful!). 

Wonder Lake

Near Wonder Lake

Denali Range from Wonder Lake

We then made our way back to Eielson for another stop. We took a stroll on our own and were able to see another bear on a far slope (it was actually one of the rangers who located it.). 

Eielson Bear

We continued with Barr on the long way back to the entrance. We saw few more bears, including a mamma with 3 cubs, though the cubs were really hard to spot (thank you Barr!).

Mamma Bear with Cubs

Bear Cubs

  We also saw more caribou, dall sheep, and ground squirrels, but no moose L.

Caribou

Dall Sheep

Caribou

We got to the WAC at 18:15, exactly 11 hours after leaving it. We thought of driving back with our car for the first 15 miles of the park road and maybe have better luck with moose, but we were tired from the long day and weren't up to dirt road driving, so we decided to take the rest of the evening easy. 

We drove out of the park to the Canyon and did some shopping for gifts and souvenirs Then we went for dinner to the Salmon Bake and we liked it a lot. They are under the same ownership as the 49^th State Brewery and share the same beer offering and the same cheerful air of hospitality. Food was very good (the halibut special really excelled). 

After dinner we drove back to the our hotel in Healy for packing towards our trip back and ended our evening.

We woke up for a good breakfast in the lodge restaurant (it was not included in the room price and so cost extra, but was definitely worth it!). We picked up sack lunches which we ordered the day before, and left Sheep Mountain Lodge for the short drive to Mica Guides 'office' location, where we were we had reserved an Ice Fall Trek on the Matanuska Glacier. 

We were welcomed by the Mica Guides team (all-girls crew this morning) which took us efficiently through the paperwork and equipment fitting. We got crampons to attach to our hiking boots and a helmet (if you don't have hiking boots, they will provide that as well).

Matanuska Glacier

We then got into their old van, for the short drive to the glacier access area. This is a private area so you need to pay extra $20 pp and sign their waver. Our guide started us down the path to the glacier until the point where we had to attach our crampons. She then demonstrated how to use them and guided us down the treacherous path across the glacier moraine – parts of it look like dirt but you are actually walking on ice and it's important to know where it is safe to put your foot down.

Near the Glacier

You don't need to be in a group to access the glacier - anyone who pays the fee can do it at their own risk. However we found it much better to be with a group, our guide was competent, friendly and informative and we felt very safe throughout the hike. The guides visit the glacier every morning to check out any changes in the glacier and to clearly prepare and mark a safe path for the hike groups.

Mica Guides in Action

Once on the actual glacier we quickly became immersed in the terrific, out of-this world scenery. We walked up and down ice hills (the guide teaches the technique for that), peeked (safely!) into deep crevasses, and explored amazing ice formations, tunnels and moulins.

On the Glacier Glacier Ponds

Ice Tunnels

Glacial Moulins

It was cloudy but no rain, and the dark skies together with the deep green and yellow fall colors of the mountains, provided a stark contrast to the snow-white features of the glacier itself. Altogether, this was a truly (yet another) awe-inspiring experience. 

Matanuska Panorama

Eventually we got to the 'Ice Fall' – a 'lagoon' on the glacier surrounded by steep ice walls, simply beautiful. We stopped there for about 15 minutes for rest and photos,

Matanuska Ice Fall

Matanuska Ice Fall

Ice Fall Views

Ice Fall Pond

 From the Ice Fall we continued on a loop path out of the glacier and back to the parking lot, with more beautiful view of green and yellow forest, white ice and dark skies.

Matanuska Scenery

On the Glacier

On the Glacier

Matanuska Views

From the parking lot the van took us back to Mica center, where we returned our equipment. They have a tiny coffee booth there, selling espresso drinks and ice cream. We had coffee and ate our lunches. Around 2PM we left Glacier View on our long way to Denali. 

We backtracked down the Glenn Highway but we didn't mind since the scenery was still gorgeous and different in the opposite direction. We stopped at the beautiful Long Lake for stretching our feet and more photos.

Long Lake

We then continued through Palmer and Wasilla to the Parks highway and onward north towards Denali. Once we passed Wasilla it started to rain but again we didn't mind that, being tucked in our car. The clouds prevented any chance to see the Mountain so simply drove all the way to Denali, with only few stretch-up and refreshment stops at the Talkeetna junction and at Alaska Veterans Memorial. 

In the last 1/3 of the road, we drove through the green and yellow taiga forests which were really beautiful. We originally had some concerns about this long and event-less drive, but we ended up enjoying it a lot.

Around 8PM we reached our destination - the Nord Haven Motel in Healy, where we would stay on the next 2 nights. We reserved the room almost a year ahead and got a very good rate. We were positively surprised by how large and comfortable our room was, We liked the hotel a lot and we would definitely recommend it.

We were tired and hungry so immediately drove to the 49^th State Brewery which seemed to us the 'safest bet' in Healy. And indeed we enjoyed it a lot! The large space was full with a noisy crowd (in a good way! ). A happy fire was burning in the middle of the restaurant, and the atmosphere was warm and inviting. The menu was huge with many promising choices, and more important - a wide beer selection! Overall the food was good and the beer excellent. After a satisfying meal we drove back to the hotel and crashed there since we had a long day tomorrow.

All good things must pass and it was time for us to leave SSCL.

We woke up for a quick pre-breakfast bear viewing (didn’t see much since tide was high). Then came back for breakfast and last arrangements at the lodge (and for watching the happy family reunion I mentioned earlier!). 

Then last ATV ride to the beach to wait for the Natron Air plane that will take us back to Soldotna. Despite cloudy weather the plane came just in time, we said our farewells to Dave our guide and departed from the magical place which will remain a lifetime memory for us.

The flight back was smooth once again and we reached Soldotna around 11AM. We picked our car and drove to the huge Fred Meyer in town where we had coffee (there is a Starbucks inside), and replenished our stock of snacks for the road. We also picked up sandwiches and salad for lunch from their deli, Then around 12 we started back north, towards the Matanuska Glacier and the last part of our land journey.

Our trip back along the Sterling and Seward highways was mostly uneventful. We started to see the tree leaves along the road already turning to yellow with fall colors. My wife spotted two moose cows near the road but I didn’t see them.

Around 2PM we reached the Portage-Girdwood area and were looking for a break from the driving. We considered Byron glacier trail but it was too chilly and damp outside so we didn’t feel like hiking. 

On our visit in Girdwood on the way to Seward, we noticed signs about a Blueberry Festival in the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood over the weekend, so we decided to check it out. We reached the town and were directed to a big parking lot from where we had to take a shuttle organized especially for the event.

The festival was on the hotel grounds and had everything that can be expected – live music, food stands, art and craft sales, and more. The blueberry theme was really light, but it was all good fun. We sat on the grass and ate the lunch we brought with us, then bought some blueberry treats for desert. Overall we were in Girdwood for 2 hours, most of them on or waiting for the shuttle. It was a nice break from the road.

From Girdwood we continued to Anchorage but were delayed on the Turnagain Arm by heavy traffic of people coming back from weekend in the Kenai. This was probably our worst road delay in Alaska. Finally we broke free, passed through Anchorage and continued on the Glenn highway northbound. 

At Palmer we continued with the Glenn highway east. We saw a moose cow by the road side (my only wild moose sighting in the trip!) The road started to climb through the mountain along the Matanuska River and gorge, and we drove on the narrow and often bending road, through magnificent sweeping vistas of huge mountains, the wide braided river, and the forests gleaming with yellow fall colors against the cloudy skies.

Suddenly behind one of the bends, the huge white mass of the Matanuska glacier appeared in the valley in from of us. A truly breath-taking view! 

Overall I can say that the Glenn highway was definitely our #1 scenic drive of the trip.

Towards 7:30PM we reached our destination – Sheep Mountain Lodge, right on Mile 113 of the Glenn Highway. This was perhaps our favorite lodging in the entire trip. The setting is just beautiful – the wood cabins tucked against the striking background of Sheep Mountain and with a great mountain vistas all around. 

The air was cool and extremely fresh. We reserved a 'Classic' cabin – it was small and basic, and was built a bit funny (floor was somewhat lopsided). But we didn't mind that at all, it was warm and cozy and perfectly suitable for one night. 

The reception staff were extremely helpful and friendly, they showed us the Dall Sheep on the mountain (there's a reason it's called that). There are binoculars in every room for getting a better look – a very nice touch ! 

We had a very nice dinner at the lodge restaurant (the reception staff double as restaurant waiters). We were a bit concerned since they serve to a 'captive audience', but food was good and prices reasonable. We went to sleep very satisfied!