[Seward, AK, Jul 26, 2025]

Last year’s Alaska cruise did its intended job – it inspired me to plan my own trip! I felt intimidated by it due to the costs and logistics involved, but with some Alaska experience under my belt, I was ready to strike out on a self-planned trip.

Kenai Fjords and Denali are the most accessible. Planning Kenai was easy – the nearest town, Seward, is only a couple of hours drive south of Anchorage. Denali is also accessible by road, but the Denali Park Road has been partially closed after mile marker 45 since August 2021 due to the Petty Rocks Landslide. The park is building a bridge to bypass the landslide entirely and the road is expected to fully open in 2027. Although you can see a fair bit of Denali even with this closure, I’d rather wait. So I set my sights on Wrangell-St Elias instead to pair with Kenai Fjords.

I used my Alaska Airlines companion pass to book Olivia and myself direct flights to Anchorage from Portland. Olivia drove down from her new home in Seattle the day before. Everything was going well on her drive until an accident on I-5 closed the interstate for about 30 minutes just as she was approaching Portland. Ugh! But she made it!

If you’re an isle person, make an exception and book yourself a window seat when flying to Alaska. I have made the mistake of sticking with isle seats twice now and I am hoping I remember next time. Olivia got some fabulous views of the glaciers as we came into Anchorage.

The line at Enterprise Rent-a-Car was long and slow. Only one guy was working, and this branch does not allow online check-ins, which would have allowed us to go straight to the car. To pass the time, we talked to the person in line in front of us, an avid fisherman. Alaska is a huge destination for people who like to fish, and it was fun to chat with him about this completely foreign to us hobby.

The drive south from Anchorage to Seward began with two hours of spectacular views as we passed between the dramatic shorelines of Turnagain Arm on our right and the jutting peaks of the Chugach Mountains on our left. The route continued through the Kenai Peninsula to Seward, which is nestled between Resurrection Bay and the Kenai Mountains. The flight had already taken up most of our day, so we didn’t have time to stop, but the views from the car were incredible.

We were getting hungry and detoured looking for food in Girdwood, in the southwest corner of the Chugach Mountains. But it was dead – it seems to be more popular in winter for skiing. We kept going to Seward.

Our B&B surpassed my expectations. The price for 3 nights was extremely reasonable, which made me a little suspicious! Alas, I had nothing to worry about! There are only 3 rooms in the house and we had the best one! It was on the second floor, which was also where the kitchen/living/dining room and huge balcony are. We had direct access to the huge balcony as well as the outside stairs. This allowed us to come and go without going through the house. We had a king bed and double sinks in the huge bathroom. The kitchen, living and dining room were also quite spacious, with huge windows overlooking the mountains.

Olivia, being a foodie, was in charge of restaurants, as usual. She picked The Salmon Bake for dinner, which was delicious!

We also stopped by Safeway to get some snacks and wine. I picked a bottle with my name on it (different spelling but close enough)! It was the most scenic grocery run I’ve ever been on!