September 2021 Alaska Trip
This content was automatically generated by gpt-4o-mini (No human review). The original post is in Chinese.
The Dilemma Before the Trip
The first time I thought about traveling to Alaska was after reading Far Summer on the Road‘s article “Alaska is Calling: Travel Restrictions Lifted, Aurora Returns | 2021 Updated Aurora Guide”, and I thought I should take the opportunity to see the aurora in Alaska. My original goal was to go on two road trips each year, one during the winter holiday of Christmas/New Year and the other during the summer vacation. This year, we went to the Grand Canyon in winter and Yosemite in summer, so we should have stayed home. However, I couldn’t resist the persuasion of a friend who is often on the road, and since we indeed had a week free in mid-September, we decided to plan the trip to Alaska.
The so-called week of free time was the week after we moved from San Diego to Irvine, when Cuihao had just finished his summer internship and the fall semester had not yet started. At the beginning of August, I had just received a job offer and was eager to travel again after being freed from the job search. So, in mid-August, I started planning the Alaska itinerary, reading many articles from Far Summer on the Road, and pre-booking some tickets and accommodations, as well as buying some gear at REI. By early September, I got busy with moving, packing furniture, selling second-hand items, and scheduling U-Haul, leaving me no time to focus on the Alaska trip. On the day of the move, I was overwhelmed with tasks, and the next day I was still unpacking boxes and organizing various things. It wasn’t until 6 PM the following evening that we finally had time to start packing for our departure the next morning and to further arrange our itinerary. At this point, we deeply felt that this trip to Alaska was a complete mistake; why did we think a week after moving would be “free time”? We were clearly exhausted and overwhelmed! By this time, I had been sleeping only 7 hours a day for over 10 days, with no time for naps, and my Garmin watch showed my daily body energy dropping to 5/100, with no time for exercise. The thought of going on a trip made me regret it so much; had I known, I should have canceled the trip 10 days in advance. But now that it had come to this, we could only go through with it, as canceling would incur significant financial losses (cancellation fees).
Speaking of the pre-trip dilemma, we did consider canceling the trip in early September, mainly because the weather forecast for the places we wanted to visit showed rain, and the aurora forecast was only at levels 1-2. The main reasons for going to Alaska in September were to see the aurora and the fall colors; if it rained, we would likely miss the aurora, and the fall colors would be greatly diminished. Additionally, my roommate heard we were going to Alaska and expressed her desire to join, but she was also very conflicted, wavering back and forth on whether to go. Fortunately, in the end, the three of us decided to go.
The night before the trip, Cuihao verified the travel arrangements I had made earlier and discovered that the Denali Eielson Transit Bus had changed its schedule due to a landslide in the park, and a large area of the park was closed to visitors (we couldn’t reach the Eielson Visitor Center). This year’s lottery tickets were all refunded, and starting from 9/17, all visitors could drive their private cars into the park up to 30 miles (previously, we could only drive up to 15 miles). Had we known this earlier, we should have canceled the Denali bus tickets for 9/16, allowing us to spend more time at Kenai Fjords National Park. Unfortunately, we learned this information too late, and Denali National Park no longer allowed us to refund our tickets (the service at Denali NP is really poor, which I will mention later). This shows that planning a trip too early can have downsides, or rather, one should continuously check for the latest updates about the destination before the trip.
Day 0 Car Rental and Flight
This trip is different from the previous two road trips; Alaska is too far away, and we have to fly to get there, so we need to rent a car. Fortunately, we got a discount through the cuihao UCI on-campus car rental platform, and renting a car for 7 days only cost $316, which is quite a bargain. We used Delta miles for the flight, first flying to Anchorage, then traveling from Anchorage to Fairbanks, and finally flying back home from Fairbanks. Speaking of ticket prices, the earlier you buy, the cheaper it is. At first, when we were still hesitating, one-way tickets were only $70 per person. By the time we decided to buy, the price had risen to $133, and later it went over $200.
In Alaska, many places require tickets, such as the Seward cruise, Denali Bus, and Matanuska Glacier, so overall, it’s not cheap. Therefore, we decided to bring our own tent and save on hotel costs by sleeping in the car or in the tent. This was the first time I flew with camping gear, and along with our hiking equipment, we had quite a lot of stuff. The night before, I spent a lot of effort packing everything into our suitcases. Our total luggage consisted of: 1 28-inch suitcase (checked), 1 20-inch suitcase (carry-on), and two hiking backpacks.
Our flight was from SAN to SEA, then SEA to ANC. This was my first flight since the pandemic, and for safety, we wore double masks (an N95 mask with a breathing valve inside and a regular disposable mask outside). On the plane, we mostly slept and rested. After landing and picking up our luggage, the first thing we did was to pick up the rental car, which took quite a while (mainly due to the queue). This was our first time renting a car; we originally booked a Midsize Sedan (Toyota Corolla or similar), but the rental company said they didn’t have our requested model. The only available option was a minivan at the same price, and they asked if we would accept it. We thought a minivan would have more space and be more comfortable for sleeping, so we gladly accepted. It wasn’t until we got in the car that we realized we really hit the jackpot; this 2019 Dodge Grand Caravan was very new and spacious, but it was a bit too advanced, and we had to Google videos to understand how to use many features. In any case, this car would be our companion for the next week of travel.
After picking up the car and familiarizing ourselves with the basic operations, we rushed to REI before it closed to pick up two bear sprays and a can of camping fuel (since we couldn’t bring it on the plane). Then we went to Costco to buy food for the week (bottled water, bread, instant noodles, cookies, apples, soy milk, beef jerky, celery, carrots, etc.), had dinner at McDonald’s, and went to Walmart to buy bananas, wet wipes, tissues, hand sanitizer, and more. By this time, it was around 10 PM. Since we rented a large vehicle, we decided to sleep in the car that night. This car has three rows of seven seats, and the five seats in the back can be laid flat, making it incredibly comfortable to sleep in. So, we freshened up in Walmart’s clean, bright, warm, and comfortable restroom, then planned to drive along Seward Highway and stop to sleep wherever we found a suitable parking spot. In the end, we drove for over 20 minutes in the rain at night and parked overnight at Beluga Point Site, planning to continue our journey to Seward the next day.
Sleeping in the car experience: This vehicle is just fantastic; I want to buy one like it for my next car. With the last two rows of seats folded down, the space is even larger than our tent (REI Passage 2 Tent), fitting two sleeping pads side by side, and we could still store some luggage (like suitcases/food) in the front and back. There’s also some space next to the doors, so this car can clearly accommodate four people for sleeping. This location was very dark at night, with not many cars coming in and out, and once we closed the windows, we could hardly hear any noise from the road.
Note: My phone lost signal after arriving in Anchorage, and my roommate’s phone did too. Luckily, I had another phone with signal, and Cuihao’s Google Fi also had service; otherwise, this trip would have been impossible.
Day 1
Cruise Cancellation
We got up a little after 7 in the morning, just as it was getting light. Seward Highway is a scenic highway with many great viewpoints along the way. Our plan for today was to take a cruise in Seward, which lasts 6 hours and allows us to see wildlife and the tidewater glacier. We needed to check in by 10:30, so we set aside nearly 3 hours for the 2-hour drive. However, we encountered some delays due to construction, and I felt the scenery wasn’t particularly stunning; most of the trees along the road were still green, and the weather was quite overcast, so we only stopped at a few points to take photos.
When we arrived at the cruise company, we were informed that the sea conditions were quite rough today, and we might need to turn back early, which meant we wouldn’t be able to see the tidewater glacier. If we turned back early, we would receive a partial refund (based on a 3-hour cruise charge), and we also had the option to cancel the trip for a full refund. Considering that I am someone who easily gets seasick and learned that September is actually the shoulder season for wildlife (meaning not much activity and fewer sightings), we decided to cancel the cruise tickets, which saved us quite a bit of money (over $300). After canceling the cruise, we decided to move our planned hike from tomorrow to today, with the only downside being that we were starting a bit late!
Harding Icefield Trail Hike
So, we quickly drove to Kenai Fjords National Park, Exit Glacier Trailhead, changed into our hiking clothes and backpacks, and started the Harding Icefield Trail around 12:30 PM. This is a 14.8-kilometer trail with an elevation gain of 1100 meters, expected to take 6-8 hours, and is quite challenging. We brought trekking poles, bear spray, rain gear, the 10 essentials, as well as food and water before hitting the trail. At first, we walked through the woods, with tall trees on both sides, and then the trees gradually turned into shrubs, getting shorter and shorter. The scenery during this stretch was not great; we couldn’t see far and were basically walking in the woods, which made me feel like the chance of encountering a bear was quite high. So, I kept chatting away to make noise (this is my usual outdoor hiking routine). Later, as the plants on both sides got shorter, we could finally see the glaciers on the distant mountains. Until then, the weather had been quite overcast, and unexpectedly, it started to rain suddenly, and the rain got heavier. We quickly pulled out our rain gear from our backpacks: GTX Jacket + Rain Pants + GTX gloves + Rain cover for backpack, and once everything was set, we could continue hiking. Fortunately, when we reached the viewpoint, the rain stopped and the fog cleared, revealing a wide-open view of the beautiful scenery. At this point, the surrounding vegetation was just meadows, and beyond that were rocks and snow, with no plants left. The trail became very unclear, and we basically just followed the footsteps of those who came before us. The sky gradually cleared up, and the temperature was very comfortable. We passed the Emergency Shelter and could see the ice fields and snow-capped mountains in the distance, which was very impressive. Eventually, we could hardly see where the trail was, and since it was getting late (around 4 PM), we chose a scenic spot to rest and eat something, and around 4:20 PM, we started our return journey, hoping to get back to the trailhead before sunset.
On the way back, the weather was great, and we didn’t see any bears. We even finished the hike an hour before sunset, so we decided to hike the Exit Glacier Overlook Trail, shocked by how quickly the glacier was melting. We wrapped up our hiking for the day before sunset. Overall, today’s hike went very smoothly, with a lot of diverse and spectacular scenery. It was indeed not easy; we walked quite slowly and relied heavily on our trekking poles, but it was absolutely worth it. This trail can be said to be in my top three hiking routes (the other two are in the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, and maybe one in Kings Canyon National Park).
That night, we stayed at the relatively inexpensive Marina Motel in Seward. After a day of hiking, being able to take a hot shower felt really nice, especially since it rained today, and my pants were muddy, with a lot of gear needing to dry out. At that moment, I really didn’t want to sleep in the car. So, we returned to the motel at 8:30 PM, rested and organized, and went online to plan tomorrow’s itinerary, finally looking forward to waking up naturally the next day.
Day 2
Whittier Town
In the morning, Seward was experiencing a sun shower, and the mountains behind the hotel were shrouded in mist, with a rainbow visible as well. Seward is really a small town, and since our cruise was canceled, we had an extra day to visit Whittier, which is nearby. The description of Whittier by 远夏在路上 is that the entire town lives in one building, and there’s a tunnel that changes direction every half hour. When we actually went to check it out, we found that this little town is even smaller than Seward, resembling an old village in rural China. The prominent residential building might only have its first floor open to the public due to the pandemic. When we arrived in Whittier, it was raining. After parking, we walked through the underground passage. We initially planned to follow the map provided in the tunnel, but we soon realized it was too small to have much to see. We entered the famous residential building and wandered around the first floor. Altogether, we spent less than 30 minutes exploring Whittier, and I personally feel it’s not worth a special trip.
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
Originally, we had planned to spend two hours sightseeing in Whittier, but we finished in just 30 minutes. In the evening, we needed to pick up a friend at Anchorage airport, leaving us with two hours of free time, so we decided to visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The admission fee was $17 per person. The experience at this wildlife conservation area was truly fantastic. First of all, the area to explore isn’t large; it’s basically a loop, but you can see a lot of wildlife. Some of the animals here are rescues, and the information boards introduce their backgrounds. Most of the animals roam in large, open enclosures, and while there are animal shelters inside, most of the animals were outside grazing and playing. So compared to the San Diego Zoo, you won’t find yourself only seeing enclosures without any animals (wondering where they are). Within two hours, we saw brown bears, black bears, moose, wolves, foxes, porcupines, and more, making for a very efficient visit. Plus, the surrounding scenery is beautiful, with snow-capped mountains all around, making it very pleasant in the sunshine. Highly recommended.
Denali NP Terrible Service
Around 6 PM, I picked up my friend at Anchorage Airport and continued driving north along the Park Highway. The scenery along the way was quite nice, and just after leaving Anchorage, we could see many snow-capped mountains. That night, we planned to camp at Denali National Park’s Riley Creek Campground. I have to complain about the terrible service at Denali National Park. I made a reservation for the campsite over the phone in the afternoon, and the customer service told me that the office would be open for check-in until 11 PM; after that, we could only self check-in, and the staff would leave an envelope with our campsite number. Around 9 PM, it started to get dark, and driving at night was particularly challenging due to heavy fog, making it difficult to use high beams. Fortunately, the road conditions were good, but driving at night was still uncomfortable. We finally arrived at Riley Creek Mercantile for check-in at 10:53, only to find it closed. A notice at the door stated that the Mercantile was closed due to a computer malfunction, and for check-in, we needed to go to the Denali Bus Depot. We drove to the Denali Bus Depot, only to find it closed as well (it closed at 10 PM). We circled around the outside of the Bus Depot building several times, and none of us could find the so-called mailbox and envelope. We returned to the Mercantile and carefully checked outside the building, but we still didn’t see the supposed self check-in mailbox. After struggling for 45 minutes, we had no choice but to give up. Cuihao suggested we spend the night at a rest area on the highway, but I disagreed. I had already paid the camping fee, and our failed check-in was the park’s fault; I needed to find a campsite to spend the night. So the three of us found a camping spot near a restroom with running water and quickly washed up before going to sleep.
PS: Previously, the BUS schedule changed without any email notification; they just placed a new shuttle bus order with a different price, citing COVID as the reason. There wasn’t a single email clearly explaining what happened, yet they wouldn’t allow visitors to cancel their tickets. I called customer service several times, and the attitude was terrible. At first, when I asked about the campsite facilities, the customer service representative said that whatever I saw on the website was all there was to know, and that the website was comprehensive, so I shouldn’t ask her. I thought if I could find it on the website, I wouldn’t be calling. Later, several customer service representatives provided conflicting information; one said I could get a refund as long as I did it 48 hours in advance and gave me a refund phone number. I called that number, but they wouldn’t allow a refund. I am very disappointed with the service at Denali NP.
Day 3
Last night we failed to check in, and this morning we were worried about being discovered for occupying a campsite without checking in. We got up around 7 and went to the Denali Bus Depot to explain the situation to the staff. To our surprise, they showed no remorse and said that in our case, it was fine to find a campsite and settle in without any worries. Thankfully, we didn’t listen to Cuihao and drive to the highway rest area to sleep; camping in the same spot for two nights meant we didn’t have to pack up the tent in the morning.
Denali National Park Shuttle Bus
The Denali shuttle bus originally cost $60 per person, but since the route was shortened, the price dropped to $38.5 per person. The website stated that we needed to check in an hour in advance, but in reality, we only needed to arrive at the Denali Bus Depot 10 minutes early to pick up our tickets and queue for the bus. It was just a big bus, and the driver also acted as a tour guide, explaining things to us on the way there (the driver hardly spoke on the return trip). If we encountered wildlife, the bus would stop (or even back up) for us to watch. However, we didn’t see much wildlife this time; we only spotted a few moose and some birds. We also stopped at a viewpoint to see Denali Mountain, but we could only see a tiny bit of it, far less impressive than what we saw at the Denali Viewpoints North/South. The driver stopped at all the places with restrooms and recommended some hiking trails. If you plan to hike, just tell the driver where you want to get off, and they will stop at the right place. After hiking, you can wait by the roadside for any shuttle bus going in the same direction, wave it down, and the driver will stop to take you back to the Bus Depot. We rode all the way to the end and then hiked on the way back; we were actually the first passengers to get off the bus to hike.
Savage Alpine Trail Hiking
The Savage Alpine Trail is a 4-mile one-way hike, with different starting and ending points. We chose to start from the Savage River Trail Parking and end at the Savage River Campground. This meant we had to climb a steep hill right at the beginning, followed by a long stretch along the ridge where the wind was extremely strong, making my hat flap loudly and walking quite difficult. During one part of the hike, we saw 13 dall sheep and were even surrounded by six big horn sheep at one point; I started shouting for help. It was quite an awkward situation, as the big horn sheep were moving along the edge of the trail, which was exactly where we needed to go. As they got closer, one of the big horn sheep walked onto the trail and approached us, getting as close as about 3 meters. I felt like it was even pointing its horns at us. The correct action at that moment would have been to reroute and take a different path off the trail to avoid the sheep. Fortunately, after I panicked and shouted for help, the sheep moved away.
The second half of the hike was downhill, with much less wind and more vegetation, showcasing beautiful autumn colors. As we continued, we entered the woods and unexpectedly encountered a moose in the final stretch. At that moment, we were only a few hundred meters away from completing the trail, with the road just ahead. In the woods, I suddenly heard a low sound and saw a brown figure moving behind a tree, about three or four meters away. I couldn’t see its whole body, but it looked like the backside of a hoofed animal. I took off running, while Cuihao slowly followed behind, only running about 10 meters. I asked him what it was, wondering if it was a moose and not a brown bear. Later, when we returned to the sightseeing bus, we saw three moose in that area, two of which were young, likely the ones we encountered on the trail, which was quite dangerous.
Ranger Program
We planned to watch the aurora tonight because the aurora forecast indicated a level 3 at 11 PM and a level 4 in the early morning. So we returned to the campsite early to have dinner and wash up. Unexpectedly, a ranger passed by our campsite and informed us that there was a Ranger program at 7:30 PM that we were welcome to join. After dinner, we took a walk over, and about 15 people joined us in total. The ranger was a young, tall woman with excellent speaking skills. She introduced us to an animal I had never heard of before, the wolverine, and then transitioned to discussing global warming and its impact on wildlife, urging us to voice our concerns on government websites. Overall, the Ranger Program was quite interesting, like attending a stand-up comedy show, with many pictures displayed and various animal furs and bones to look at and touch.
Waiting for the Aurora on the First Night
At 10 PM, we arrived at a spot near the campsite that we had scouted to watch the aurora. The sky wasn’t completely dark yet, and we sat in the car waiting until 11 PM but saw nothing. So we decided to go back to the campsite to sleep, planning to wake up around 3-4 AM to check again. Unexpectedly, around 3 AM, Cuihao really woke me from my sleep, saying that the Fairbanks aurora webcam showed the aurora. So we sat up from our warm sleeping bags, opened a small hole in the tent, and poked our heads out to look at the sky. We saw some white, streaky clouds and weren’t sure if it was the aurora. After taking a long exposure shot with my phone, we discovered it was green, confirming that it was indeed the aurora. I was still half-asleep, and the sleeping bag was just too warm; I didn’t have the courage to get out, put on clothes, and walk out of the tent to drive to a more open area to see the aurora. So we set up the GoPro for time-lapse photography, tossed it outside the tent to capture the aurora, and went back to sleep. The next morning, when we woke up and saw the photos the GoPro had captured, we were very surprised because they were much richer and clearer than what we saw with our naked eyes. We could only see a faint green shape, but the camera captured many pink parts, and I regretted not getting up to see the aurora last night.
Day 4
Horseshoe Lake Trail Hiking in Autumn Colors
In the morning, we hiked the Horseshoe Lake Trail near Riley Creek Campground. This trail is relatively easy, and the autumn colors along the way are beautiful, with many trees resembling ginkgo trees, their leaves a very pure and bright yellow. After the hike, we drove the first 30 miles of Park Road, essentially retracing the route we took yesterday on the shuttle bus, hoping to see more wildlife (bears). It turned out to be quite unnecessary; the 30-mile round trip took about an hour, and we didn’t see any wildlife (mainly because we were driving fast, no one was seriously looking, and our eyesight/luck wasn’t great).
Due to our busy schedule with moving, many of our plans for this trip were not well arranged. We couldn’t confirm our itinerary for that afternoon and the following days, leaving us with two options: head south on Park Highway to see the autumn colors/hike at Matanuska Glacier, or head north on Dalton Highway and spend two and a half days driving on Dalton. In the end, we chose the former because we heard that Dalton Highway is very dangerous, the road conditions are not great, and the rental car company prohibits us from driving there. Cui Hao felt we shouldn’t take the risk, so we’ll have to save that for a future trip to Alaska.
Park Highway
After a simple lunch (snacks), we left Denali National Park. Overall, the autumn colors near Riley Creek Campground were beautiful, but the scenery seen from the bus in the park was average, and there weren’t many wildlife sightings; more wildlife could be seen by hiking. Denali National Park doesn’t rank very high in my opinion, and I felt a bit disappointed.
Leaving Denali, we drove south along Park Highway, taking the opportunity to enjoy the scenery we missed two days ago while driving at night. The views along the way were fantastic, mainly featuring the continuous snow-capped mountains and autumn colors.
Denali Viewpoint North/South
These two spots are absolutely not to be missed. In fact, you can often see Denali while driving on Park Highway, but it’s at the viewpoints that you can better confirm whether the peak you think is Denali really is the true Denali peak. We were quite lucky; it was a sunny day, with clouds in the sky, but the Denali peak was unobscured. Due to the distance, Denali appeared to be just the highest among the distant snow-capped mountains.
Speaking of Denali Viewpoints North, you can step out of the parking lot directly onto the viewing platform, but at Denali Viewpoints South, you need to walk a bit further after parking to reach the open viewing area. So if you want to see the Northern Lights at these two locations, the North Viewpoint is a better choice.
McKinley View Lodge
This lodge is located just south of Denali Viewpoint South, only a 2-minute drive away. As soon as you get on the highway, you can see the hotel sign. A night costs only $115 (1 queen bed, 1 twin bed). The most important thing is that you can see the peak of Denali through the window in your room, which is truly luxurious. The only downside is that the internet in the room is poor; the Wi-Fi barely connects, and the mobile signal is also very weak, requiring you to go to the check-in lobby to access the internet. My initial expectations for the hotel were: warm and comfortable, hot showers, and the ability to chat online and plan my itinerary. Aside from the poor internet, everything else was great. The aurora forecast for tonight is level 4 at 11 PM, dropping to level 3 after midnight, and then only 1-2 for the next few days. After failing to see the aurora last night, tonight will be our last chance to see it on this trip to Alaska. Therefore, we checked into the hotel early at 4 PM. After two days in a tent, we finally got to take a hot shower. After dinner, Cuihao and I even took a nap to prepare for a night of aurora watching.
All-Night Aurora Watching
Around 10 PM, we were fully geared up, wearing our thickest clothes (even though it was only September), but it can drop to around 0 degrees at night in Alaska. I wore three pairs of pants (Decathlon fleece-lined running leggings + winter hiking pants + rain pants), 4.5 layers of clothing (Uniqlo heattech long-sleeve shirt + Decathlon fleece-lined running sweatshirt + Uniqlo down vest + Uniqlo wool jacket + REI rain jacket), plus a neck gaiter, hat, gloves, and boots. Most of my newly bought outdoor clothes are from REI, and some are Decathlon running gear I brought from home as a base layer. I went through my Uniqlo clothes one by one, excluding cotton items, and categorized them as outdoor clothing.
We first went to Denali Viewpoint South. It was quite dark around us at night, which was a bit scary, so we brought headlamps. After getting used to the darkness, we could see a row of snow-capped mountains in the distance, and Denali Peak was faintly visible. At this time, there were still quite a few thin clouds in the sky, covering about half of it, and the weather forecast was mostly cloudy. The moon was slowly rising, still a full moon. We waited in the car for over half an hour but didn’t see the aurora. Our roommate decided to go back to the hotel to sleep, so we dropped her off.
Then, Cuihao suggested going to Denali Viewpoint North to see the aurora, saying it would take another 30 minutes to drive there, which would help pass the time. So we drove over, and on the way, we briefly saw green in the sky, confirming it was the aurora. However, when we arrived at the viewpoint, it disappeared again. We began another long wait, but fortunately, we were dressed warmly, sitting in the car with the engine off (otherwise the headlights would be on, which I think is light pollution) and didn’t feel cold. The North Point was much better than the South; from the car, we had a wide view and could easily see if the aurora was present. I set up my GoPro outside the car for time-lapse photography, but unfortunately, I didn’t capture the aurora. So, I played on my phone, planning where to go after finishing the Matanuska Glacier Tour the next afternoon. I was considering kayaking in Valdez, but it was quite expensive, and most trips lasted over 6 hours. Cuihao leaned back in the driver’s seat to sleep while I continued to plan on my phone (thankfully, I had a signal) and occasionally looked up to see if there was any aurora. We waited like this from around 12:30 AM until after 2 AM.
Suddenly, a bright aurora appeared in the sky, moving from north to south. We were so excited that we rushed out of the car to take pictures with the GoPro, but unfortunately, this aurora band dimmed shortly after. It stayed visible but not very bright, so we returned to the car to continue waiting. The real highlight came around 3 AM when the aurora became more abundant and varied in shape. We stepped outside, wrapped ourselves in sleeping bags, and quietly watched the aurora display. The wind was strong, and the aurora danced like ribbons in the breeze, changing rapidly. It was exhilarating; the late night, cold, and hunger felt particularly worthwhile at that moment. This spectacular show lasted for about ten minutes before it gradually dimmed. At 3:30 AM, there was still aurora in the sky, but compared to before, it looked more like a thin layer of cloud, dispersed. The aurora from half an hour earlier had satisfied us, so we decided to go back to sleep and wake our roommate to take a look. We returned to the hotel around 4 AM and found that the aurora was visible from the parking lot, although there was some light pollution. We quickly washed up and went to sleep, as we needed to hit the road to Matanuska Glacier in the morning.
Speaking of which, watching the aurora is even more challenging than watching meteor showers in winter. Both require very low temperatures and clear night skies, but the aurora forecast is highly uncertain, while meteor showers have specific peak days. So if you have limited time in Alaska, it takes a bit more luck to see the aurora.
Note: In Alaska, the moon stays near the horizon from rise to set and doesn’t get very high. Since there is a small hill blocking the moonlight from the direction of North Viewpoint, we were mostly unaffected by the moonlight. Moreover, the moon set quickly.
Day 5
Matanuska-Susitna Valley Autumn Colors
Continue driving south along Park Highway from Denali Viewpoints South, then turn onto Glenn Highway. The autumn colors on Glenn Highway are probably the most beautiful of this trip. The autumn colors at the entrance of Denali Park are bright yellow leaves that immerse you in their beauty. The autumn colors along Park Highway feature rolling snow-capped mountains and plenty of green. On Glenn Highway, you can overlook the entire canyon below, with all the trees along the roadside turning yellow. There are several viewpoints with really great scenery, but unfortunately, we were a bit rushed and didn’t stop to take photos in many places.
Matanuska Glacier Tour Hiking
This Glacier Tour is also a highlight of this trip. At first, we didn’t want to book a tour because we had our own microspikes, but this year the park requires a Guided Tour to hike, so we had no choice but to pay. The tour prices listed on the website were all $100, but unexpectedly, my friend texted and found out the price was $65 (including entrance fee, equipment, and guide), plus a $15 tip, totaling $80 per person. We first drove to the meeting point, paid, and filled out a waiver, then had to drive further in to the Trailhead. The park staff provided us with microspikes and helmets, helped us choose sizes, and taught us how to put them on. There were nearly 20 people in our group, with two guides—one leading the way and one bringing up the rear, along with a dog to help guide us.
The initial path was very muddy, and if you weren’t careful, you could sink in quite a bit (your shoes would get all muddy), so it was best to follow the guide’s pace. The guide started by explaining many safety precautions; all the small puddles on the glacier could be very deep, so don’t underestimate them—falling in could be fatal. You also need to be cautious of streams and crevices on the glacier. In short, this is a very beautiful yet very dangerous place. At that moment, we all felt how dangerous it would be without a guide.
Because there were so many people and we kept stopping to take photos, our group moved very slowly, ultimately only covering 3.6 kilometers in two and a half hours. We didn’t feel tired at all, but the scenery was truly breathtaking. It felt very worthwhile to drive south from Denali to enjoy the autumn colors and hike on the glacier.
Richardson Highway
I asked the guide for suggestions on our itinerary for the last day, and he recommended that we skip Valdez and head straight north to see Castner Glacier Cave. Considering the time constraints for going to Valdez and the high cost of the kayaking tour, we decided to save kayaking for another trip to Alaska (with our own gear). So after hiking the glacier, we continued east along the Glenn Highway and then headed north on the Richardson Highway, planning to sleep in the car at night.
The scenery along the Glenn Highway is beautiful, but there aren’t many towns along the way, and we couldn’t find a McDonald’s to eat at, so we had to buy some food at the gas station. By this time, our snacks were running low, we needed to conserve water, and the vegetables were no longer fresh; we were getting tired of our own food, so we found ourselves stopping at gas stations more frequently to buy food. I have to say, gas prices in Alaska are no cheaper than in California, and grocery prices (especially at remote gas station stores) are sky-high. The situation got worse on the Richardson Highway, where there were hardly any people around, and the road conditions weren’t great. There were several sections under construction that were dirt roads, and we encountered three moose crossing the road twice, so we had to be very careful while driving; hitting one would be a serious traffic accident.
That night, we planned to find a parking spot by the roadside to sleep in the car, and we arranged to meet a friend from Minnesota at a specific location. They originally planned to see the Northern Lights that night, but unfortunately, the aurora was weak and not visible. There weren’t many decent parking spots along the way, and we eventually found a campground, but it turned out we had to drive quite a long way down a dirt road to get there. The campground looked very desolate and a bit scary. We decided not to set up a tent, and the three of us squeezed into the minivan, which thankfully had enough space. After a quick wash-up, we went to sleep. The next morning, we woke up around 8 or 9 AM, and the sun was already high in the sky. The surrounding snow-capped mountains, which had seemed eerie and frightening the night before, now looked perfectly normal.
Day 6
Castner Glacier Trail Hike
This is our last day in Alaska, and in the morning we are hiking along the Castner Glacier Trail, which ends at an ice cave that is said to be quite beautiful. This trail is quite wild, as it runs alongside a stream, but the exact path is not very clear. At first, we didn’t see many people; we brought Bear Spray, and the three of us kept talking, very afraid of encountering a bear. Later on, we had to cross a few small streams, which were not the main route, so the water wasn’t too swift or deep, and my shoes didn’t get wet. In the end, we saw a dirt slope with a hole at the bottom that looked from a distance like a construction tunnel—really plain and even quite ugly. But as we got closer, especially when we entered the cave, we began to appreciate the magic of this place. The walls of the entire cave are made of ice, and the bottom of the cave is half ice and half a stream about 3-4 meters wide, with water flowing out from the ice cave. We put on headlamps and carefully walked a few steps inside with microspikes; the cave was quite deep, and some light was coming through the ice at the end, suggesting that the ice there must be very thin. We didn’t dare to stay inside for too long, and when we went out, a wave of tourists arrived at the cave entrance.
Overall, this hike was quite interesting; the distance was not long—5 km—and we completed it in under 2 hours. It required water crossings, and the final cave was very beautiful and definitely worth it. On the way back, we encountered more tourists, indicating that this is indeed a heavy traffic trail.
Mailing Bear Spray
After our hike, we had no more plans for our trip in Alaska. The next thing we were concerned about was how to mail these two bottles of Bear Spray back home. We continued driving north along the Richardson Highway. It was Sunday, and many shipping services were closed. We arrived at a FedEx in North Pole that said it was still open. When we went in and asked, they said we could drop off the package, but we needed to pack it ourselves and place an order (but they couldn’t help us print the order). We didn’t have a box to pack it in, and we couldn’t print the shipping label either. After thinking for a long time, we still couldn’t figure out a solution. Just then, a customer service staff member said she could help us mail it on Monday. It wasn’t part of her job, but she could help us privately, hoping that the bear spray wouldn’t delay our vacation. It was really touching, so we handed the bear spray over to her, gave her our name, address, and phone number, and said we would contact her after it was sent out to transfer the money. We carelessly forgot to ask for this kind lady’s name and contact information. After our trip ended, more than a week passed without any news, and we regretted not asking for her name and phone number. We tried calling the supermarket’s customer service line and surprisingly reached the same person. After another week of waiting, she finally helped us send it out, and the shipping cost was only $15.2. It arrived home two weeks later.
Chena Hot Spring
Earlier, our glacier hiking guide highly recommended this hot spring resort to us, telling us that if we had time in Fairbanks, we should definitely check it out. We arrived in Fairbanks around 6 PM, and our return flight was around 1 AM, so we clearly had time and drove there. However, on the way, we realized we hadn’t brought our swimsuits. We weren’t sure if this natural hot spring had separate areas for men and women like some hot springs in Japan, where you go in naked, or if it was like the hot spring outside UCSD student apartments where everyone wears swimsuits. Whatever, we were already on our way, so we decided to see what it was like.
When we arrived, we found that the hot spring resort was quite lively, with various activities and camping spots. Unfortunately, the hot spring required swimsuits for entry. The staff said we could also wear short sleeves and shorts as long as we covered the important parts. The resort sold very limited swimsuits and swim trunks, but they didn’t have sizes for curvy figures. We didn’t want to wear our expensive hiking clothes into the hot spring, as it might damage them, so we decided against it. Next time we travel, no matter where it is, we need to bring swimsuits and swim trunks since they don’t take up much space. (Last time we went to Yosemite, it was very hot in the summer, and many people were playing in the Merced River to cool off. We also didn’t bring swimsuits then, so we didn’t go in.)
Returning the Car + Flight
It’s a bit disappointing that I didn’t get to soak in the hot springs, so I headed back to the airport early to pack my bags and return the car. Arriving in Fairbanks, I hadn’t seen a big city in many days; with all the lights and the hustle and bustle, I suddenly felt a bit out of place. After returning the car, I still needed to check in my luggage, but we arrived too early, and the counter wasn’t open yet. Finally, we made it to the boarding gate, and I had internet access again, so I could properly look at the photos from the past few days and update my Facebook status! On the red-eye flight, I spent most of the time sleeping, and the next day I returned to my new home in Irvine, feeling as if I had traveled to another world.
Travel Summary
This trip lasted 7 days and 7 nights, with 2 days in a tent, 2 days in a car, 2 days in a hotel, and 1 day on a plane. We visited 2 national parks, hiked 5 trails, and drove over 1300 miles. We saw glaciers, snow-capped mountains, the Northern Lights, autumn colors, and wildlife. The only regret is that we once again did not encounter any bears on the road (I’m not sure if I really wanted to see one or not). Cuihao and I spent nearly $1200 in total, with about $200 each for food, gas, accommodation, tickets, and around $200 for other expenses (the plane tickets were redeemed with points). Compared to our previous trips to the Grand Canyon and Yosemite, the main expense was the entrance fees, as many activities in Alaska can be quite expensive if you want to enjoy them fully, along with food and gas costs. Thankfully, our car was upgraded for free, which saved us quite a bit on accommodation.
Every trip always leaves behind more unfinished projects that I want to complete in the future, and the Alaska trip is no exception. We still haven’t traveled the Dalton Highway or kayaked in Valdez, and I definitely want to make up for those opportunities in the future! Alaska truly does not disappoint, and I highly recommend it.
The specific driving route is as follows: google map link
