Hiking in Alaska

[scottishclover]

Family of 4 with two teens who love to hike when in port. Looking for suggestions for hikes around 4-6 hours in all 3 ports which still leave us time for a look around the towns afterwards. Not frightened of big elevation gain as we are used to hiking in the Alps. Would prefer to hike independently v DCL tours as we did that on the Norway cruise and saved a ton of money. Thanks.

 

[dcassetta]

This might help - http://www.alaska.org/things-to-do/parks-and-trails

There is a search feature that allows you to focus on the areas around the ports.

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

We hiked the Deer Mountain Trail in Ketchikan on our own. It takes you up into the Rainforest. It was awesome. But a warning Alaskan trails can be rough. Trail is a loose term. No pavement here. Lots of mud/dirt and logs as steps. And we walked straight up switch backs for a mile. We planned to walk to the summit but it was just to exhausting. And we are used to a lot of walking. If your used to the Alps the inclines may not be to bad for you!

Here was our experience with Deer Mountain Trail http://frequentlyaskeddisneyblog.com/disney-cruise-alaska-part-26/

 

[GPaLarry]

We took a DCL Alaska cruise last June. All of our excursions were through the mouse. However, we did a three-week hiking tour of most of AK some years ago that we planned ourselves. Juneau is the only city in common with both trips. We spent four days there earlier and did two hikes. The first was about four miles next to the Mendenhall Glacier. The visitors center has a brochure that shows the current trails...many options. The second hike was at the edge of town, the Perseverance Trail, I believe it is 2 1\2 miles each way to a dead end and back. We saw a grizzly across a ravine on the way, so those guys are often near any trail in Alaska, be very aware!!! Bells are a joke, bear spray (like mace) is a must. Talk to a ranger about current conditions and dangers before any hike. You can find maps and data on these trails on the internet. We hiked in Denali, Gustavus, Fairbanks and Seward (Exit Glacier) and stayed in Homer and Anchorage, in case you are extending your visit to this awesome state...not like any other. Remember, the ship will leave without you if you are late from an adventure on your own. Also, Mendenhall Glacier is about 12 miles from downtown Juneau, so plan your time in port accordingly.

 

[scottishclover]

We hiked the Deer Mountain Trail in Ketchikan on our own. It takes you up into the Rainforest. It was awesome. But a warning Alaskan trails can be rough. Trail is a loose term. No pavement here. Lots of mud/dirt and logs as steps. And we walked straight up switch backs for a mile. We planned to walk to the summit but it was just to exhausting. And we are used to a lot of walking. If your used to the Alps the inclines may not be to bad for you!

Here was our experience with Deer Mountain Trail http://frequentlyaskeddisneyblog.com/disney-cruise-alaska-part-26/

Thanks so much for the link to your blog. Lots of great information to help plan our cruise. Had looked at Deer Mountain as a possibility so your experiences were really useful.

 

[scottishclover]

We took a DCL Alaska cruise last June. All of our excursions were through the mouse. However, we did a three-week hiking tour of most of AK some years ago that we planned ourselves. Juneau is the only city in common with both trips. We spent four days there earlier and did two hikes. The first was about four miles next to the Mendenhall Glacier. The visitors center has a brochure that shows the current trails...many options. The second hike was at the edge of town, the Perseverance Trail, I believe it is 2 1\2 miles each way to a dead end and back. We saw a grizzly across a ravine on the way, so those guys are often near any trail in Alaska, be very aware!!! Bells are a joke, bear spray (like mace) is a must. Talk to a ranger about current conditions and dangers before any hike. You can find maps and data on these trails on the internet. We hiked in Denali, Gustavus, Fairbanks and Seward (Exit Glacier) and stayed in Homer and Anchorage, in case you are extending your visit to this awesome state...not like any other. Remember, the ship will leave without you if you are late from an adventure on your own. Also, Mendenhall Glacier is about 12 miles from downtown Juneau, so plan your time in port accordingly.

Thanks for the info on hiking in Juneau. Will look into the Perseverance Trail as haven’t investigated that yet.

 

[OKW Lover]

I don't really have any helpful links but I would say be sure to think about bears when you hike in Alaska. I'm not a hiker but have overheard several that are and they are always careful to be prepared in case of a bear encounter. I'd suggest googling that specifically.

 

[scottishclover]

I don't really have any helpful links but I would say be sure to think about bears when you hike in Alaska. I'm not a hiker but have overheard several that are and they are always careful to be prepared in case of a bear encounter. I'd suggest googling that specifically.

Thanks for the advice. We will be staying in Vancouver for a week before our cruise so will look into buying some bear spray as a precaution.

 

[HarborBlvd]

Skagway has tons of great day hikes. The Dewey Lakes trail system is accessible from right downtown and offers a range of short and full-day hikes. You can go to the vistor center’s website at www.skagway.com and look under Things To Do and download a PDF trail map.

Our favorite is the Laughton Glacier hike. You have to take the train to the trailhead, and then it’s a couple miles to a scenic viewpoint, or you can go a couple more miles and walk on the glacier itself. Great option for going to a glacier without taking a helicopter. Pack a daybag, and plan on the full day. It’s an amazing adventure.

 

[cruisehopeful]

In Juneau, we went to Mendenhall Glacier to hike around there. We also took the tram up (at the port) and hiked up at the top. We wanted to hike all the way down, but nobody who worked there seemed to know where we would land at the bottom of the mountain and it was lightly raining and we didn't want to be late getting back to the ship. Next time, I would do that first to make sure I had enough time for that.

We did a guided hike in Ketchikan. We used Wild Wolf Tours. You have to book and pay ahead of time as they only take about 6 people at a time. When we went, it was only the 2 of us.

 

[ironz]

Thanks for the advice. We will be staying in Vancouver for a week before our cruise so will look into buying some bear spray as a precaution.

However, bear spray is not allowed on the ship, nor on airlines, so... do your research on how/where to best obtain it. This came up on another discussion group last summer.

 

[ironz]

We hiked the Deer Mountain Trail in Ketchikan on our own. It takes you up into the Rainforest. It was awesome. But a warning Alaskan trails can be rough. Trail is a loose term. No pavement here. Lots of mud/dirt and logs as steps. And we walked straight up switch backs for a mile. We planned to walk to the summit but it was just to exhausting. And we are used to a lot of walking. If your used to the Alps the inclines may not be to bad for you!

Here was our experience with Deer Mountain Trail http://frequentlyaskeddisneyblog.com/disney-cruise-alaska-part-26/

Great write up! I hiked about that far up Deer Mountain once (drove to the trailhead), not from the cruise, but on another visit to Ketchikan. It's like a giant StairMaster, but it sounds good for the OP's trip.

ETA: and now I'm down the rabbit hole of reading your whole trip report! Awesome! Can you go on a Panama Canal cruise real quick so I can read about it before we go on one?


P.S. There is a mailbox right by the pink federal building in Ketchikan, right on the main street that runs through town, if anyone is looking for one. (on the way to the bridge where people look for salmon near Creek St.)

 

[TikiThunderPirates]

Great write up! I hiked about that far up Deer Mountain once (drove to the trailhead), not from the cruise, but on another visit to Ketchikan. It's like a giant StairMaster, but it sounds good for the OP's trip.

ETA: and now I'm down the rabbit hole of reading your whole trip report! Awesome! Can you go on a Panama Canal cruise real quick so I can read about it before we go on one?


P.S. There is a mailbox right by the pink federal building in Ketchikan, right on the main street that runs through town, if anyone is looking for one. (on the way to the bridge where people look for salmon near Creek St.)

Thanks. Good to know about the mailbox. They seemed more rare than bears in Alaska! A StairMaster is a great description! It was still an awesome hike and I'd do it again. Probably..... You never know where we are headed next but it's always an adventure.

 

[ironz]

Thanks. Good to know about the mailbox. They seemed more rare than bears in Alaska! A StairMaster is a great description! It was still an awesome hike and I'd do it again. Probably..... You never know where we are headed next but it's always an adventure.

Didn't you hint in your trip report about the next cruise? Left me hanging!!

And, yes, it's all about the adventure!