Alaska is truly one of the most beautiful places on earth!
Planning for a trip to Alaska is a lot of work. There are so many places to see and a lot of area to cover. My plan was to go on a week long solo trip and visit famous places like Denali National Park and also get well off the beaten path. I set my itinerary to start in Fairbanks, take a trip to the Arctic circle, drive to the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains to camp, head through Anchorage to Homer Alaska, fly to Katmai National Park, north to Denali National Park and back to Fairbanks.
Day 1 - Toronto - Vancouver - Seattle - Fairbanks
The flight or should I say flights to Fairbanks were long and boring. From leaving Toronto at 7am, I wouldn't reach Fairbanks until midnight with connections in Vancouver & Seattle. Upon landing in Fairbanks I picked up my rental car and drove to my hotel with the sun still in the sky. One thing to know about large cities in Alaska is that the residents don't seem to sleep in the summer. Having no sun during the winter would do that to you. So if you're staying in Fairbanks, bring earplugs!
Day 2 - Fairbanks - Wrangell-St. Elias mountains
It was 6am when I had enough of the constant noise in Fairbanks and decided to start my day on only a couple hours of sleep. First stop was Walmart to grab supplies and groceries for the week. It was around 8am that I got the call that my tour to the Arctic circle was cancelled due to lack of passengers. I was disappointed but it cleared up more time for exploring around the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains. I set out on the road and was instantly amazed at the wildlife. I wasn't outside of Fairbanks more than 15 minutes when I came across my first moose of the trip. This would turn out to be the theme of the day as I came across many more over the next couple of hours.
After hours of driving I started to enter the Wrangell-St. Elias mountains. About an hour went by without seeing another vehicle and as I stepped out of the car to snap a couple pictures, I was greeted with pure silence. Not one single sound and probably the most peaceful thing I have ever experienced. I sat down to take in the sights and silence for 30 minutes just staring off into the distance.
Going further down the road I learned what happens in this area during a rainfall. Area's here will have rivers come out of nowhere across the road and trap you. Luckily I stayed on the proper side of these places and didn't get trapped.
I heading to the area I was hoping to camp at and found a good spot. I set up the tent, had a bit of dinner and crawled into the tent at 6pm as rain started to come down. Asleep by 7pm!
Day 3 - Wrangell-St. Elias mountains - Homer
Today was going to be a long day, luckily I was ready to hit the road by 5am. To fit everything into my timeline I had to cover a lot of ground. This area of Alaska doesn't have as many must-see locations so I was able to stay at a steady pace throughout the day. Even without any must-see location, almost every turn in the road brings you to another stunning view!
Mid way through the day I wanted to stretch my legs. I found a trail that was the most beautiful trail I have ever been down. The plants were such a bright green that it almost looked fake.
As I arrived in Homer I got settled into my hotel and looked forward to the next day while staring at the mountains. The stretch from Anchorage to Homer is truly breathtaking!
Day 4 - Homer
Today was the day I was most excited for! I was booked to take a flight to Katmai National Park and Preserve to photograph Brown Bears. My excitement went away at about 8am when I received a phone call stating that it was cancelled due to bad weather. The company said they were able to take me the following day if weather allowed so I decided to change up my schedule and spend another day.
Spending another day in Homer is not a bad thing, I absolutely love that town! I was able to explore the nearby area and do some hiking for the day. It was a nice relaxing day away from the steady driving.
Day 5 - Homer - Denali National Park
Today started with an early morning trip to the local airport. Weather wasn't the greatest and the pilot tried to get me into Katmai but unfortunately it just wasn't able to happen. It was disappointing but I know I'll be back! After a couple shots of Homer from the air is was time to head to Denali.
I backtracked for about half the drive to Denali but once I got close you really got a sense for just how vast Alaska really is. The pictures don't even do it justice!
Once I got into Denali I set up the tent, ate some dinner and got to bed early. There was a lot of exploring to do the next day.
Day 6 - Denali National Park
The day started by boarding one of the many buses that take you deep into Denali. You can hop off at any time and start exploring, just the way I like it. Wildlife was absolutely everywhere! I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Conclusion
Alaska went from being a bucket list trip to a trip that I plan on doing every few years. The crazy thing is, flights to Fairbanks or Anchorage are cheap! If you get the opportunity, pack your bags and go!