Alaska has been a place I have wanted to visit since high school. So when one of my business school friends Monchen (!!) started interning at the National Park Service this summer, I knew I had to make it a goal to go see him. I flew into Anchorage and stayed there for a day, and then took a water plane to Katmai Falls for two days, and then a train to Seward and Fjord as my last day.

My thoughts on Anchorage— not much to see here, think you can spend a day or two max. Katmai Falls is not to be missed. The one thing I would have liked to do is go to Denali, but alas next time!

ITINERARY

  • August 2022 -

    • 1 Day Anchorage

    • 2 Days at Katmai National Park

    • 1 Day at Seward Train Ride

  • Friday - Anchorage

    • 49th State Brewing for rooftop views and some nice halibut cheeks.

    • Flat head trail. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/alaska/flattop-mountain 8/10 beautiful views but be careful! last 10 minutes are super rocky. do NOT go if rainy or wet. you will fall

    • Moose Tooth, highest grossing pizza hub in the US https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moose%27s_Tooth_Pub_%26_Pizzeria#History

    • Spent Friday morning catching up on work and then doing some light shopping.

    • Heard Anchorage Musuem is pretty good tho.

  • Saturday - Bear Creek Lodge / Karnak Mountain

    • Flight from Katmai Air to King Salmon, and taking a float plane (first time!!!) from King Salmon to Brooks

    • Highest # of coastal brown bears in the US

    • So many beautiful bears! I’ve never been so close in my life. You’d see them on trails / on the beach, and they have a. viewing platform that allows you to really observe the bears up close in the waterfall eating salmon. Check out the videos below and also bring binoculars! It was pretty fun looking through them tho tbh my eyes get strained from it.

    • Camping overnight is worth it! It’s an extra $18 but salmon feeding is usually in the evening and you will have more space bc some people go home from the day trip. There were a total of 5 of us on the platform and I just sat and watched the bears for hours. I think 6:30-8:00p is a great time to go.

    • Dumpling Trail (roughly 1h40m, 3 miles round trip)— push past the first overlook on the right and go an extra .25 for the overlook! Can see the whole lake and Brooks Creek

    • Monchen and I had SO much leftover pizza from Moose’s Tooth that in the morning I packed us a bunch of pizza sandwiches (lol) and it paid off! Delicious brekkie + lunch. Recommend packing your own lunch because lunch is $20 and dinner is $40 so save that dough!

    • Dinner was delicious! Salmon, asparagus, cherry creme brûlée, and salmon chowder. YUM, except came at a steep $40 meal ticket and small portions. Pro tip: pack your own lunch & brekkie. Splurge on dinner.

    • In hindsight, I think the Lake (even tho we serendipitously ran into a bear on the beach) + Hike were each 6/10. I would have rather used that time to go fishing if possible.

    • Free note cards at the visitor center! Something fun to have

  • Sunday - Valley Tour

    • Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes," the sight of one of the most violent eruptions in modern history and looks just like outer space. Astronauts from NASA were sent here to train

    • Sock eye Saloon! Amazing fish and chips (halibut!) and delicious clam chowder, confusing calamari

    • “I’m ready for some wifi!” & Ravn Air calling us while we were eating to come board. That’s some service!

  • Monday - Railroad to Seward, AK & Half Day Wild Life Cruise in Kenai Fjords w Major Marine https://yelp.to/lMuQ7bJrHib

    • Get Goldstar class! If you’re can land in Train A, you will be at the front and there will be nothing obscuring your view. The views are AMAZING & even tho the seats are a little smaller you get such an expansive view of Alaska. I felt like si was I’m this huge kaleidoscope.

HIGHLIGHTS

  • So much light! Going to Alaska in August meant we had light until 10p! It made it great for hiking and seeing nature. If you go before the summer solstice (in July) you’ll get close to 24 hours of sunlight. Afterwards, Alaska loses around 5 minutes of sunlight a day. 

  • Seeing Monchen in his element! When he got assigned his station in Alaska, we KNEW I had to make a visit. We spent the summer messaging and stalking the Bear Cam, and I’m so glad I got to go! It was also so awesome seeing him thrive in his environment. 

  • Learning about salmon! Every salmon is a step of 10. Every salmon lays 10,000 eggs, 1,000 hatch, 100 make it upstream. so much respect for my fav fish :’)

 

lowlights

  • Mosquito season! Bring lots of bug spray if escaping outside of Anchorage. Remember if it’s not 99% deet it’s just water. 

  • Anchorage is just meh. Spend < 1 day there IMO. Use your time in day trips or time out! There’s really not much to do there even though Alaska is very tourism driven. 

  • No wifi! Be prepared for no wifi at Katmai National Park. If you’re looking to unplug this is great! I didn’t realize I’d be out of service and never got to play my tax free Boston weekend.