Anchorage,+AK


 * Travel Tips for Anchorage:**
 * Anchorage Wikitravel Website:** []
 * Denali National Park Wikitravel Website**: []
 * Denali National Park Wikitravel Website**: []

---

Seasonal Frontier service to Alaska begins in the spring and runs through fall.

Planning on a cesna flight over Denali? Stop at Carr's (Safeway) grocery store and buy a BOGO (buy one get one free) coupon book. It will cost 99.00, but saves you a bundle on the K2 flight, glacier cruise, museums and locations all over Alaska! Our rental car was only 20.00 a day - rentalcars.com, lots of hotels in anc, some...not so nice spots look good on line! We were are boring, stayed at Fairfield Inn Marriot!
 * We stayed at the Talkeetna ALaskan Lodge with views of Denali all night long! Fly over on K2, then have a HUGE berry pancake and reindeer sausage breakfast at the Roadhouse in "town". The flight was fabulous over Denali, even though it was cloudy during the flight, and we couldnt see the top. Dinner at Twisted Creek - GREAT! Lots of hiking everywhere, take your raingear!!! Watch for those baby bears and MOOSE!
 * Stay at Hotel Alyeska south of Anchorage if you are cruising on a glazier cruise, riding the tram (both BOGO) it is an easy morning drive to Seward, Whittier or Homer from Aleska or not too bad from Anchorage. Tons of hiking, biking, lakes, waterfalls, rivers, glaciers, bald eagles, bears, moose, everywhere there! Take your rain gear - feels like Hawaii, but a little cooler! Plenty of time for a cruise before the 10:30 pm flight back. loved hiking around Placer Lake.
 * In Anchorage dont miss the Alaska Native Heritage Center - outside and inside. There are tons of other museums, we went to the Anchorage Museum - interactive kids area, and history of Alaska was great! (all BOGO coupons), Went to the weekend fair with __Made in Alaska__ art, great food, (fat man's chicken fried steak was highly praised ... but it was 10:00am....we passed!) and trails until midnight and beyond! The locals steered us to Glacier Brewhouse (YUM!) Bears Tooth, and Simon and Seafort (great views - more pricey) Plan more time, we weren't there long enough - and bring me back more Syrup from Talkeetna!! Jan

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport **(ANC)** is located 4 miles southwest of downtown Anchorage. Frontier uses the South Terminal, which also serves Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Condor (Departures), Delta Air Lines, JetBlue, Sun Country, United Airlines, and US Airways. All regional intrastate carriers also use the South Terminal. The South Terminal contains 3 concourses: Concourse A, Concourse B, and Concourse C. Here's the airport website: []. We used and were happy with the Anchorage Downtown Shuttle service: []. You can also rent cars at the airport terminal: Alamo, Auto Europe, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, Honk, National, and Thrifty all have cars available. Anchorage's main downtown area is quite small and easily walkable. Most attractions are found between C and L Streets and 3rd and 8th Avenues. You will see some public buses, but they mostly head out to the university and the residential communities and aren't useful for tourists. Given that most goods and foodstuffs are flown or shipped into Alaska from the "Outside," you might be a bit taken aback by the higher-than-average costs of food and other essentials in Alaska. Then again, if you're from Manhattan, you won't bat an eyelash! For breakfast all day or lunch staples like soup and sandwiches, head to the popular Snow City café (1034 W. 4th Ave., 907-272-2489) at the far end of 4th Avenue. The cafe is a firm believer in Alaska-size portions -- the blueberry pancakes are larger than the plate on which they're served and can easily feed two. In the mornings, this place is hopping, and you can easily wait for a table as early as 8:30 am. It's open weekdays, 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., and weekends until 4 p.m. W e found four great places for lunch, dinner, and entertainment, Orso, Glacier Brewhouse, Darwin's Theory, and Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria. Orso (Website: [] ) is adjacent to the Glacier Brewhouse (Website: [], this establishment offers two stories decorated in an elegant lodge-like theme. This huge restaurant and bar holds broad wooden tables, gilded mirrors, dim lighting and an upstairs fireplace. We liked the appetizers served at lunch and shared them as our meal: calamari, smoked salmon, and portabellas on toast points. The entrees looked great. They serve Wild Mushroom Ravioli, Herb Crusted Halibut, or a variety of salmon specials. A nice selection of Italian, French and American wines were available. Darwin's Theory (Website: [] ) is the place to go if you are looking for a fun, laid back atmosphere where the bartenders know how to pour a great drink that does not put a huge dent in your pocket. Be sure to visit the "Heavy Petting Zoo" in the backroom. Moose's Tooth Pub and Pizzeria (Website: [] ) has a wide variety of unique pizzas. We liked the Spinich Garlic Chicken Pizza, and we really liked the Hard Apple Ale. You don't need a car for most out-of-downtown attractions because so many places run (often free) shuttles. The Ulu Factory, Alaska Zoo and Alaska Wild Berry Park all offer free shuttles. Downtown Bike Rentals also runs a for-fee shuttle to Flattop Mountain for hikers and bikers. If the weather's sunny and clear, you can stretch your legs and catch great views (on a clear day you can see Denali) at Flattop Mountain (Website: [] ), part of Chugach State Park. If you're up for a challenge, hike the three-mile roundtrip (elevation gain: 1,252 feet) to the summit; beware, the last uphill section is a scramble. An easier quarter-mile loop with nice views leaves from the other side of the parking lot. To get to the trailhead, you can drive (parking is $5) or pay for a shuttle ride from Downtown Bicycle Rentals (Website: [] ) at 4th Ave. and C-D St. The phone number is 907-279-3334. The best excursion to see sea life is on the all-day Prince William Sound Glacier Cruise, (Websites: [] and [] ) passengers transfer to Whittier along the scenic Turnagain Arm. There, you board a boat for a six-hour cruise along the protected waters of Prince William Sound, narrated by an onboard naturalist. Look out for bald eagles near the salmon hatchery, glaciers and sea otters near Port Wells, and harbor seals dozing on icebergs in the Harriman Fjord. Lunch is served onboard. The best splurge tour would be taking the four-hour Discover McKinley/Denali National Park Flightseeing tour (Website: []), you'll take a three-hour flight with a bush pilot to soar over the Cook Inlet, Alaska Range, Denali National Park, Ruth Glacier and Great Gorge, as well as Mt. McKinley (the highlight). We stayed at the Copper Whale Inn (440 L Street, 866-258-7999), which is a kitschy B&B with 14 guest rooms, set in a house that survived the 1964 earthquake. Breakfast and wireless Internet are included in the price (Website: [] ). We heard from others that they really enjoyed staying at the G Street Bed and Breakfast (Website: [] ). Whatever you do, have fun visiting Anchorage -- we did!


 * ~ **Denver to / from:** ||