Mt. Rainier and Alaska Adventure Fall 2024 (August 28th-Sept 13th)

To celebrate our 30th wedding anniversary, my husband and I took a bucket list trip to Mt. Rainier National park and then on to explore Alaska. We started our journey at the Paradise Inn Hotel https://mtrainierguestservices.com/book-now-mt-rainier/ which sits directly at the foot of Mount Rainier in Washington state. This national park is one of the oldest in the country and while the hotel accommodations are basic the location makes up for the simplicity. The hotel lobby and dining room construction which dates back to 1916 are also part of the hotel’s old school charm.

There were plenty of hiking trails to explore without ever having to leave the hotel (and our coveted parking space). Our favorite and the most challenging trail was the 5.6 mile Skyline loop. Heading out at 7 am allowed us to have the first part of the trail all to ourselves and the adorable chatty marmots. We couldn’t have asked for better weather with temps in the 40s in the early morning, rising into the 70s by the afternoon. The views were amazing all along the hike, highlighting nearby mountain ranges, wildflowers, streams and Mt. Rainier itself in a clear crisp view.

Other trails we loved included Reflection Lake and the High Lakes Loop trails.

On to Alaska:

From Seattle, we took an early morning flight to Anchorage and rented a car to start exploring this amazing state. We immediately headed south (a 2 hour drive) to the charming coastal town of Seward. I couldn’t stop gaping at the jaw-dropping scenery located all along the highway.

Seward is one of the oldest communities in Alaska and today it is an active hub for cruise ships, Kenai Fjords National park exploration and fishing.

From the town it’s just 12 miles to the Exit Glacier https://www.nps.gov/kefj/index.htm visitor’s center and the start of the easy 2.2 miles Overlook loop or the more challenging 8.6 mile Harding icefield trail. We were feeling a bit tuckered out that day so we took the easier but still beautiful overlook trail.

Shrinking Exit Glacier at Kenai Fjords NP

Sadly, as you are driving into and throughout the park you will notice signs displaying increasing 4 digit numbers. These signs represent year markers for where the glacier previously extended to. It was shocking and a bit depressing to note the many miles that the glacier has receded over the past 100 years. A stark reminder of how global warming is affecting our environment and changing the landscape before our eyes.

The next day afforded good enough weather to take a day cruise out into Resurrection Bay to see more of the fjords and glaciers close up. We also spotted otters, seals and a humpback whale!

Beautiful rock formations in Resurrection Bay

On our last day in town we visited the Sealife Center https://www.alaskasealife.org/ . This is a wonderful educational center that hosts public exhibits, educational programs for students, marine research and runs an extensive wildlife rescue and rehabilitation program for the entire state. You can view and learn about marine life in Alaska through their many exhibits and viewing areas.

Tufted puffin at the Alskan Sealife Center

After 3 wonderful days in Seward we started our 4 hour journey North towards Talkeetna. Along the way we stopped at the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center, https://alaskawildlife.org/visit/, a 200 acre wildlife rescue, rehab and sanctuary. Despite the rain, we enjoyed viewing the Moose, Wood bison and Muskox.

We spent one night in Talkeetna visiting the Alaska Birch Syrup & Wild Harvest store, https://alaskabirchsyrup.com/ and walking about the adorable frontier style town. Birch sap is harvested from White Birch trees and processed just like maple syrup. it has a unique sweet flavor and you can sample several versions of the syrup, candies and ice cream!

The next day it was a 3 hour drive up to Healy, the gateway town to the Northern entrance of Denali National Park. Once again the highway scenery was just stunning and we had to pull off a few times to indulge my urge to snap photos of the majestic mountains and gorgeous fall colors.

Our first full day at the park was clear, crisp and just perfect for our longest day of exploration. We got out on the trails early which afforded us perfect views of Mt. Denali and the surrounding mountains.

Mt. Denali as seen from the Mountain Vista trail - we were lucky enough to view the mountain twice - the majority (70%) of visitors to the park never get to see the mountain in full view secondary to cloud cover.

Getting Sick:

On day two after our arrival to our Airbnb, my husband complained of a headache and congestion worse than his usual allergies. “No worries” I proclaimed as I pulled out the stack of Covid tests, antihistamines, decongestants, Tylenol and Paxlovid. The Covid test turned positive as soon as the reagent hit the sample. Thankfully my zealous “overpacking a pharmacy” (as my family describes it) paid off because there ARE LITERALLY NO PHARMACIES IN HEALY AK. As a physician and possessing the self-proclaimed “anxious mom syndrome”, I typically pack nearly half a suitcase full of medical tests, over the counter and prescription medications as well as herbals for all the “what if” scenarios. This strategy has been a blessing on numerous occasions over the years and it is part of my mission to share these travel prep tips with you. My husband started the Paxlovid as prescribed and within 24 hours he was feeling well enough to do a short hike.

For more info on dealing with Covid and other viruses during travel, see my blog post “Covid, Influenza, RSV…the nasty little viruses that could ruin your trip”

Let me stress here that out of consideration for other people we did not visit any public indoor spaces and wore masks if we were closer than 6 ft to any other humans until my husband tested negative for covid. We also disinfected every touch surface in our Airbnb and let the host know so that the place could get an extra scrub down upon our departure.

Denali National Park https://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm dressed in full fall colors was one of the most stunning parks we have ever visited.

Each day we enjoyed a different hike and just marveled at the beauty of this awe-inspiring national treasure. We didn’t get to see any large wildlike up close but we were able to spot a Grizzly bear, Caribou and Dall sheep grazing on the mountain sides. Ptarmigans were plentiful and when they chatter it sounds just like a bunch of grumpy humans.

Ptarmigans, half molted into white winter plumage

Last stop: Fairbanks.

Just 2 more hours north of Healy is the second largest city in Alaska. Our last Airbnb was a cute little remodeled home directly on the Chena river and just a mile from the airport. From here we visited the Museum of the North https://www.uaf.edu/museum/ located on the University of Alaska campus just north of town. This is a beautiful museum about the history and culture of Alaska and you could easily spend a half day there exploring its exhibits.

We also took a full day and drove just over an hour to Chena Hot Springs resort https://chenahotsprings.com/. The “resort” campus includes a number of activities that we partook in including: an ice museum tour, Geothermal greenhouses and production plant tour, hiking trails and a dip in the famed hot springs themselves.

Ice Museum at Chena Hot Springs - 20 degrees F

It rained quite a bit during our trip (go prepared with decent rain gear) but one of our last nights in Alaska treated us with the perfect conditions to view a spectacular show of the “northern lights” or aurora borealis.

What an amazing way to end a trip of a lifetime with my beloved!

Mt. Rainier and Alaska - Adventure of a Lifetime

Travel in Health

Mt. Rainier and Alaska - Adventure of a Lifetime

Can’t Poop on Vacation? Here are the hard facts.

Covid, Influenza, RSV…the nasty little viruses that could ruin your trip.

Travel in Health