There are easy hikes from the Alyeska Lodge property and do plan to take the tram up the mountain, if the weather is clear. Spectacular views and in the gift shop there are some historic photos of the area under development as well as famous skiers who have raced there over the years.

Driving all the way to Valdez just to hike seems like a poor plan to me. Consider kayaking Valdez Glacier lake: https://anadyradventures.com/day-trips/ As for hiking: https://www.valdezalaska.org/discover/hiking-trails/

For Wrangell-St. Elias NP, you can't drive there unless you have a car permitted on the gravel McCarthy Rd. One company that allows that (if you decide you'd like to go there) is Midnight Sun, though you need written permission to take their cars on that road plus on the ferry. Though you could consider flightseeing Wrangell-St. E from Glennallen.

Speaking of the ferry: a Tuesday is *probably* okay for booking Valdez to Whittier, but no way of knowing for sure until the 2025 schedule comes out. That can happen anywhere from late 2024 to March 2025. So have back up plans in mind just in case.

I suggest you consider 2 nights in KF Glacier Lodge instead of 3. Not much hiking available. Add that extra day to Homer instead. And no, don't drive to Homer the night you get back from the Lodge. Even though you'll have lots of daylight, why knock yourselves out with a late arrival? And what if there is a construction delay (common near Seward the past couple of years)? Drive to maybe Cooper Landing. Or, consider a lakefront cabin at Renfro's on Kenai Lake. I think they still offer pedal-boats to their guests, but find out, if that is of interest. And of course there is hiking and beautiful views of that lovely lake. Read some reviews to help you decide.

For Seldovia you can either take the day ferry over, or Rainbow Tours Wildlife Tour. A very popular hike is a water taxi across the bay to hike to Grewingk Glacier. Also lots of kayaking options out of Homer, including at Grewingk Lake--though since you'll have already kayaked near a glacier while at KF Glacier Lodge (and maybe out of Valdez too), you might enjoy just the hike. But there are companies that do that tour--if of interest, Google "Grewingk Glacier kayaking".

I assume you're having your fish shipped home?

I like the Best Western in Valdez. I prefer the 2nd floor with harbor view and appreciate the small laundry on the first floor.

Thanks for the additional recommendations Coalminer. We’ll definitely look into these.

since you will be so close to Kennicott/McCarthy, I would hate for you to miss that. I would go there in a heartbeat over Valdez. Two nights, 2 days in Kennicott is great. Kennicott Glacier Lodge is my favorite place to stay but you can also stay in the town of McCarthy. Lots of history there plus the scenery is spectacular. Great hiking for short and long hikes. Kayaking too. The road back into McCarthy is better than in the past. There are car rentals that let you take the car on that road. However, if you can swing it, the flight from Chitina to McCarthy is breathtaking. Even though it's a scheduled flight and not flight seeing, it's really flight seeing and the pilots usually fly up the glacier so you can see when the copper mines were. One mine building is dangerously close to falling off the mountain. I think your idea of taking the ferry to Valdez is a good one. Just spend the night in Valdez in order to catch the ferry. I don't know when it departs. Good choice of Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge. and yes, the boat ride to the lodge is the same as the other tours. There actually is hiking at that lodge. You can hike up a small mountain close to the lodge for spectacular views of Aialik Glacier. and we went on a canoe and hike to a lake nearby where there were bears. Really cool. Agree about not driving from Seward to Homer late in the day.. You could make it to Cooper Landing, spend the night and make it to Homer early in the day.

Your suggestion of 2 nights instead of 3 nights at Kenai Fjords Glacier Lodge makes perfect sense and we love the idea of adding the additional day to Homer. We’ll also take your advice and not drive to Homer the evening we get back from KFGL.

Thanks for the heads up on shipping fish home as we will likely go this route rather than transporting ourselves. Looks like we better add processing and shipping fish to our budget!

ChristyM

Love the idea of visiting Kennicott/Mccarthy.

The flight from Chitina sounds amazing and would best fit into our schedule. If we did end up doing this we would need to skip the Matanuska glacier hike and catch the 9:05 AM flight from Chitina with Wrangell Mountain Air. We would also likely want to book lodging closer to Chitina on night one. Kennicott Glacier Lodge looks great and we’d like to do 2 nights there with a return flight to Chitina on day 4 (Tuesday). If we stayed in Valdez that night we’re concerned that the ferry from Valdez to Whittier wouldn’t be running the next morning (Wednesday). Alternatives would be: only spending one night in Kennicott (not sure if that gives us enough time for glacier hike, Mill tour and exploring Kennicott and McCarthy?) or we could spend two nights, catch the 8:30AM flight from McCarthy to Chitina and make the drive that day from Chitina to Seward. This would be a long travel day and we would miss out on Valdez. We love exploring National Parks. This makes the decision even more difficult. Ultimately, we have to decide what makes the most sense for us but I’d appreciate any advice.