More Questions!
Thanks to all those of you who answered my last question. The answers gave me a completely new set of things to research. So now I'm back with a follow up question.Background. I'm spending about 6 weeks travelling from San Francisco to Anchorage. The first 2.5 weeks will be taken up in SF, Portland and Vancouver. I'm then thinking of heading over to Victoria (A friend will be studying there and I'd like to see her). From there I'm considering 2 options (which are different to my previous options).
1. Bus to Port Hardy. Ferry to Prince Rupert. Then ferry to Juneau.
2. Head back to Bellingham then get on the ferry there. Take ferry to Juneau.
Of course I've still got my original option of taking a few days by train to get to Prince Rupert too. If I go with that option then I'll probably have to skip Vancouver Island and not see my friend.
Would I miss loads of gorgeous stuff if I didn't take the ferry from Bellingham? The first option seems more interesting to me because it is more varied but I'm not really sure if it would be a good choice or not. And the replies to my last post have also got me thinking maybe I should spend the extra time and money to go via Jasper.
Decisions, decisions. Anyone like to weigh in with an opinion. The trouble is everything sounds great to me!
3
From your response to 1 I am guessing you are not travellng with a vehicle. Are you flying between Juneau and Anchorage? Sounds like this may be the case.However, if you intend to depart the ferry at Haines or Skagway, do thorough research because it is nearly impossible to travel by public transport between Whitehorse, YT and Alaska to the west (there are transport services between Haines/Skagway and Whitehorse). Greyhound routes include the Yukon but not Alaska. There used to be a few options for travel by bus or shuttle van between YT and AK but they all seem to have disappeared in recent years. You may be able to rent a car in Skagway from Avis and drop it in Anchorage - you'd need to verify that. It may be possible to get a seat on Grayline tour bus but I imagine it would be very expensive.
There are once or twice a month ferries that connect the southeast Alaska ferry route with Whittier, from which you can reach Anchorage by bus or train. You'd have to check to dates that route runs to see if they work with your plans. I believe that ferry, called the Cross Gulf route, departs from Juneau.
4
Thanks for the tips.You are correct, I'm not travelling with a vehicle. I initially planned to take the ferry to Skagway but through research I learned that then I'd be basically screwed (it took me ages to figure that out, I should have just asked here and you could have told me straight away!).
So now my plan is to fly from Juneau to Anchorage. Hence leaving the ferry in Juneau. I'm thinking of trying to get to Glacier Bay for a few days while I'm in Juneau.
5
From Juneau I've done the day cruise in to (I think they are called) Tracy Arm Fjords. It was really great. Also, I would recommend going to Mendenhall Glacier, which must have tour busses out to it and is a really pretty area. Depending on where the glacier is these days... you may be able to walk right up to it. It's been a few years and glaciers tend to move a lot, so I have no idea what it is up to these days.There is lots to do around Anchorage as well (and some decent places to eat). I'm excited for you!!
6
Thank n_g. I'm excited for me too! Mendenhall Glacier is definitely on my list. I'll check out the Tracy Ann Fjords as well.7
Go see your friend. The scenery which is grand whichever route you choose will be a lot more likely to be there than a neglected friend.8
F Street Station is my favourite pub to eat in when in Anchorage. Great halibut burger and I also love their calamari, which has a super dip that comes with it. The fish and chips is also very good.10
Are you familiar with Section8 who posts on TTYC? He lives in Anchorage and can probably give you lots of great advice if you have questions.
