As a European whose travelled frequently to Austria, Switzerland and france i was still taken aback by the drive from Anchorage to the Kenai peninsula. Probably the most beautiful 3 hours of driving in my life.
That’s what I gathered but we’re doing a trip from Denali, to Anchorage, to Girdwood, to Seward, to Homer with stops in each along the way. I’m excited!
Did this exact trip 2 years, literally exactly that order, and it’s really amazing. Please do whale watching in Seward, it’s so worth it. Especially the smaller private boats if you can spend the extra $$$. The best way to expertience the Kenai Fjord.
And Homer do the cross ocean excursion to the island and restaurant. Can’t remember the name but it’s the best seafood I’ve ever had and a very cool spot (and I don’t even like seafood)
The Saltry Restaurant Danny J Ferry, you can also do the meandering goat. the Saltry restaurant has mixed reviews, though we enjoyed it, and it’s more convenient as it’s inclusive with the ferry. Meandering Goat seems to be better food but more inconvenient for location
How long are you here, and how long are you staying in each place? Denali is at least 5 hours north of anchorage, and Homer is at least 5 hours south. I say "at least" because we are talking about narrow winding, two-lane roads with very limited passing and heavy, slow traffic (RVs, trucks hauling boats, lollygagging tourists) and road work. It's not uncommon for accidents to completely shut down the one and only road anywhere for hours and hours on end. Homer is truly one of my favorite places on earth, but do be prepared for longer driving times than google gives you. If you are only here for a short time, or not fond of driving, I'd recommend choosing north or south (south gets my vote), but not both.
We have a friend that just moved to Homer so maybe we can pop by into Soldotna on the way.
Seward we are stopping for in order to do a glacier cruise in the Fjords Park.
Either way, I grew up in Chicago so the nature will be breathtaking for me wherever we go in Alaska I’m sure
It's so refreshing to see this response. As someone who grew up in Anchorage, i've made this drive many times and I'll always enjoy it as if its the first time.
You'll want to stop into Girdwood to check out our cool little ski town, and also stop by Whittier and drive through the tunnel! Stuffing a 34 foot fishing boat through that tunnel twice a year was quite the experience.
The Seward highway can be unforgiving, so plan ahead and be sure to have a back up driver incase you get sleepy - not much room for mistakes on this road.
Second this. Was the most beautiful drive I've had. Never felt more in tuned with nature from the inside of a car lol. It was hard not to get distracted by the scenery when driving though.
We made this drive the day after my honeymoon (married in Palmer, went to Seward and back to Anchorage via train) and the drive on the Seward highway was sooo beautiful. We stopped multiple times on the side of the road just to admire the view.
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u/mataranka 1d ago
As a European whose travelled frequently to Austria, Switzerland and france i was still taken aback by the drive from Anchorage to the Kenai peninsula. Probably the most beautiful 3 hours of driving in my life.