ALASKA trip
Denali National Park
If Alaska isn’t already on your bucket list, go ahead and add it rightttt now.
We went to Alaska in June 2024 and I dream about going back again (or a few more times). One of my bucket list items is to visit all 50 states, so this crossed off a big one. I’ve talked to quite a few people who want to go someday, and I got a ton of recs from other people who have been, so here’s more info on everything we did (it’s a long one)!
Flattop Mountain — Anchorage, AK
We went for two weeks (14 days/13 nights), with two of those being travel days. We went with my parents and chose to go in June because we were celebrating my mom’s birthday, and my husband and I were celebrating our first wedding anniversary. The first half our of trip was spent on land, and the second half was on a cruise. We booked the 10-Day Double Denali tour on the Nieuw Amsterdam with Holland America. A big reason for us choosing HA over some of the other cruise lines is because it was slightly smaller, and I never really found it to be crowded (which was SO nice… call me an old soul). I loved everything we did and wouldn’t have changed a thing, esp. for it being our first time visiting Alaska. Not sure if this is widely known, but we ended up booking the Holland America part through Costco — we got a big gift card for doing so!
As a quick overview, day 1 was our travel day from RDU to Anchorage. We spent days 2-4 driving around in our rental car exploring different towns + places on land, joined our tour through Holland America on days 5-6 to explore Denali, travelled to the cruise ship on day 7, and spent days 8-14 on the ship, exploring Alaska from the coast. We ended the trip in Vancouver (which ended up being a nightmare for us — lol).
Alaska is without a doubt a bucket list trip that everyone should have on their list, and I definitely feel like it needs to be explored from the water, at least once. If and when we go back — because I already can’t wait to go back someday — I’d love to spend the entire time on land, exploring more towns, because there’s just soo much more in Alaska to see (also not a big fan of cruises… been there done that, one & done for me).
Day 1: Monday, June 17 - travel day (our 1st Anniversary!)
Left RDU @ 3pm, had a layover in Minneapolis, landed in Anchorage @ 9:15pm (1:15am EST), then picked up our rental car. It was late when we got there, but I liked not having to rush that morning and not having to “waste” an entire day on the plane. It was CRAZY to see the sun still up that late at night!! Even though I was so tired from only running on 3 hours of sleep & being up for 20 hours, I somehow was still less tired from seeing the sun still out that late at night. This blew my mind the whole trip.
AirBnB (highly recommend!): https://www.airbnb.com/l/bZIGFTdU
Day 2: Tuesday, June 18 - Anchorage
Explored downtown Anchorage, stocked up on souvenirs here (lots of inexpensive stores), grabbed lunch at a food stand called Tia’s, located outside of the federal building. Got the bratwurst + reindeer and it was really good!
Hiked at Flattop Mountain (easy, quick hike with gorgeous views, ~30 min. drive from downtown Anchorage. Parking was $5 when we went).
Dinner: Moose’s Tooth Pizza — I got the margarita pizza with their draft cream soda. My old neighbor who’s from AK recommended this place (it also has over 11,000 reviews on Google and was at the top of many other restaurant recs for the area).
Sunset at Lake Hood (at 10pm!) — soo many sea planes here.
Another rec I had on my list but we didn’t get a chance to go to was Kincaid Park, which is evidently known for its moose population, so check it out if you want to see some moose!
ALSO, fun fact… Anchorage used to be under a glacier tens of thousands of years ago annnnd glaciers are composed of snow that fell *centuries* ago, so kinda crazy to see & think about that in person.
Day 3: Wednesday, June 19 - Anchorage to Seward
We checked out of our AirBnB in the morning and made the drive to Seward, which was just over two hours (longer for us since we stopped multiple times). There was also some traffic we got stuck in for road work — I think summer is the main time for it due to the snow. Along the way, we stopped at Beluga Point (didn’t see any whales) and Turnagain Arm (known for a single wave only twice a day but missed it). We also stopped at Portage Lake, which was one of the prettiest views I’ve ever seen. I found this location just by looking on Apple Maps and seeing where else we could possibly stop, and it turned out great. It was beyond gorgeous, and the only other group of people there who took our picture actually went to UNC… definitely felt like a small world. Kenai Lake was another place we stopped at, which was right before Seward. We found a boat ramp off Quartz Creek Road where we were able to get out and go to the water. We met some guy from Hawaii there who also took our picture for us. This was pretty, but not as pretty as Portage Lake IMO. The last place we stopped at was along the Resurrection River at a viewing point off Herman Leirer Road in Seward, right past the KOA, on our way to the Seavey’s Ididaride dog sled tour. This was another gorgeous spot that’s a must-see that I found just from looking at the maps!
Seavey’s Ididaride dog sled tour - definitely recommend! Such a cool experience and you could tell the dogs truly love what they do. They could not wait to go out on the trails. They only had one puppy when we went, but usually have more!
Dinner: Salmon Bake Restaurant — this was right across the street from our hotel and was one of the top recommendations - we’d definitely go back! I got the seafood chowder.
other overall food recommendations I heard about before going were salmon, rockfish & halibut! They were all on our list of things to get while in AK.
Stay: Spruce Lodge, Seward, AK (would stay here again… we weren’t there long but it was new & nice!)
Day 4: Thursday, June 20 - Seward to Anchorage
Checked out of hotel and drove to Exit Glacier (15 min. drive). I want to say it was about a two mile hike to the overlook and back. There were lots of people, but it wasn’t too crowded. There were trails, but also some rocks you had to climb up. It took us about 3 hours. On our way back from the overlook, we made our way down to the outwash plain (saw some others walking down there) and walked back that way. Along the way, as well as driving to the parking lot, there’s signs with years on them which represent where the glacier was in that given year. ALSO, I took a small bag of black sand from here, buttttt I left it in my carry-on the whole time, so it got confiscated during our *chaotic* time at the Vancouver airport.
After our hike at Exit Glacier, we drove into Seward. We got a quick lunch at Zudy’s Cafe, drove through Lowell Point (south of Seward), then started the drive back to Anchorage, where we were joining the Holland America part of our trip.
other recs I had on our list for Seward (ran out of time): Waterfront Park and Tonsina Trail (must pay to park)
Once we got back into Anchorage, I really wanted to stop at a Fred Meyers — it’s like an “everything” store. The one we stopped at was a nicer, bigger & better version of Walmart. There truly was everything you could ever need all in one store.
After that, we checked into the Holland American hotel (Westmark Anchorage) & returned the rental car.
Dinner: 49th State Brewing (walking distance, lots of recommendations to go here so it was crowded)
everythinggg we had here was really good… the crispy cauliflower, handmade Bavarian pretzel, buffalo meatloaf, and the world-famous yak burger.
Since we were taking the train to Denali Natl. Park the next morning, all the luggage had to go on trucks since it wouldn’t all fit on the train, so we had to have all luggage outside of our rooms super early in the AM. Some people put them out the night before, but I was not about that. We were able to bring a small bag / carry-on with us on the train.
Day 5: Friday, June 21 - Anchorage to Denali Natl. Park
This was one of my favorite days of the trip, if not my top favorite. We took the McKinley Explorer dome train (exclusive for Holland America) from Anchorage to Denali National Park. There were also a few train cars for the Princess Cruises passengers — their hotel was right near ours in Denali. This was a full day excursion, from around 9am-5pm. Everyone sat upstairs, while the dining/bathrooms/outside areas were downstairs. I LOVED being able to stand outside, esp. at the back of the train! Luckily our train car was closer to the end too, so we didn’t need to cut through so many cars to get to the back. They served breakfast, lunch, snacks, and drinks (all extra $, not included in cost of tickets). For breakfast, I got the fisherman’s spread, which had Alaska smoked salmon, then got the bison chili and chips & salsa for a snack. Later on I also got the spiked hot chocolate. Once we arrived, charter buses took us on a quick ride to the hotel (McKinley Chalet, owned by Holland America).
Dinner: Karsten’s Public House — on-site at the McKinley Chalet (try the asparagus fries!). There was live music outside, and after dinner, we walked to the river and along the short trail next to the river. It reminded me of Yellowstone!
This was during the summer solstice, which is even crazier to be in Alaska for. The sunset was at 12:20AM and the sunrise was at 3:35AM (!!!) I knew it stayed light in AK in the summer, but I didn’t really realize that meant it only set for three hours…
Day 6: Saturday, June 22 - Denali Natl. Park
We started the day with a hike at Horseshoe Lake & took a natl. park bus from the hotel to the trailhead. The trail was steep, but it wasn’t too long and it was mainly gravel. The best part of this hike was seeing a moose in the water. We had an excursion in the park through HA that got canceled, but they gave us a new tour that was shorter (Nature Bus Tour), which gave us more free time in the morning. On the tour, we drove further into the park, had a local guide, saw some mountain goats, and gorgeoussss views.
Other recs I had on my list that we didn’t get to: husky homestead & the Savage River in the park.
the one road that goes even further into the park has been closed the past few years due to a landslide (Pretty Rocks Landslide @ MM 43) and is expected to stay closed through 2026.
Dinner: Canyon Steakhouse (I recommend the fish & chips and their root beer/cream soda!)
one week after we left Denali, the Riley Fire started & shut down the train, the park entrance, the HA hotel & more, so we lucked out on our timing!
Day 7: Sunday, June 23 - Denali to Whittier (board cruise)
This entire day was spent on the road from Denali Natl. Park to Whittier, where the cruise was. We had about an 8 hour charter bus ride (8am-4pm), with a hour-long stop for lunch (sandwich buffet) at Settlers Bay Lodge in Wasilla. There were a handful of other HA charter buses of everyone else going to the ship, so it was a little crowded at lunch. Overall, it wasn’t a bad trip and the day passed by pretty quickly. Once we got closer to Whittier, we had to wait at the super long (2.5 miles) one-lane tunnel (with train tracks running through it) to actually get into Whittier. Once the bus got to the port, it only took us about 15-20 minutes to get through security and to our room. We stayed on the 5th floor, mid-ship, with a balcony (10000% worth it). Again, since this was our first cruise, we were prepared for seasickness with those patches, wristbands, medicine, etc. but thankfully didn’t really experience anything, and I think the location of our room helped with this.
I had flowers delivered to my parent’s room for my mom’s birthday & they turned out so pretty!
Day 8: Monday, June 24 - cruised Hubbard Glacier
This entire day was spent cruising to Hubbard Glacier, which we were stopped at from 3-6pm. It was cold and kinda cloudy, so we sat outside with blankets that they provided. They always kept the blankets stocked outside.
As for food on the ship, we had most meals at the Lido Market. They had a mix of everything at different food stations. Service was fast and you could sit wherever. It occasionally got pretty crowded and was hard to find a table, but that was usually when we went during the busier times for dinner (like right at 6pm).
Some food recs I had on my list that were specific to HA was the banana pudding and MTO crepes, but I never ended up getting either of these while we were on the ship.
Dinner: Dining Room (this was fancier and was at the back of the ship so we had a good view, but it was a lil wavy, so I was starting to struggle)
Day 9: Tuesday, June 25 - Glacier Bay
This day was spent cruising to Glacier Bay, which we were at from around 11:30am-2pm, then onto Skagway. It was sunny and warmer, but still cold by the glacier. They opened the front deck which gave us a great view, but it did get crowded, so we went back to our balconies after about an hour and were able to see the glacier from there since they turn the ship 360. Also saw a bunch of sea otters & were able hear ice falling off (~ calving ~) from the glacier.
This was also my mom’s birthday! On top of the flowers I had delivered, I also decorated her room the night before, and had chocolate covered strawberries delivered that day.
Dinner: Pinnacle Grill (the candied bacon is a must. I also got the baked Alaska bc it’s a must in Alaska, but I didn’t really like it). After dinner, we walked around the ship and watched the sunset.
Day 10: Wednesday, June 26 - Skagway
We were in Skagway from 7am-8pm. For breakfast, we did room service since we were tight on time and had to make it to our 10:15am excursion. We also had to take the tenders to & from the ship bc there was a rockslide, so we didn’t have dock access. There were 5 ships in port this day, so it was crowded.
10:15am White Pass Summit Railroad - this was about 2.5/3 hours total. We sat on the left side & were able to see everything going up. You’re able to walk outside on the train cars, but it was much different (smaller, tighter, sketchier) from the McKinley Explorer going to Denali.
Food: Skagway Brewing Company (recommend: halibut fish & chips, gold rush Alaskan root beer, soft pretzel)
Skagway IMO is an extremely touristy town (reasonably so), but still cute like a hallmark movie. We saw some eagles here in the trees once we were back on the ship… their heads look like big golf balls.
Dinner: Lido Market
Day 11: Thursday, June 27 - Juneau
We were in Juneau (Alaska’s capital) from around 8am-5pm. We didn’t have anything booked this day, but we knew we wanted to go to the Mendenhall Glacier & Nugget Falls. When we got off the ship, we stopped at the “tour stations” by the port that all sell tickets to everything you can do there. My mom was able to negotiate between a few companies (it helped that we were like the first people there, so they were willing to work with us). We ended up getting trolly tickets for $55/person (+ a $20 tip for the driver) to the glacier and back. It was about a 20-minute drive.
Mendenhall Glacier + Nugget Falls (highly recommend) - this is an easy, flat trail that’s about two miles r/t. The bus picked us up from the port at 9:15am and dropped us back off at 12:15pm, so we had three hours there. Two months later in August, it flooded really bad, similar to the big flood in 2023, so we again lucked out on our timing.
Lunch: Tracy’s King Crab Shack; an absolute must but get ready to spend a lottt. The crab legs in the pics below (+ a drink) were like $70 (but so worth it).
other top recs I had for food that we didn’t try: Alaska Brewhouse (fish & chips) & the Red Dog Saloon
After lunch, we walked around town, watched a bunch of seaplanes / floatplanes, then went back to the ship to sit out on the deck. It was super warm and really nice out!
fun fact: we heard the most haunted buildings in town are the Alaskan Hotel & the Juneau Drugstore. also Juneau is only accessible by plane or boat!
other recs that we didn’t do: Mount Robert’s Tramway & the Gold Creek Flume Trail
Day 12: Friday, June 28 - Ketchikan
Our last stop was in Ketchikan, from around 11:00am to 7:00pm. It was cloudy and cold, and we didn’t have any excursions planned. We walked to Creek Street, walked in the stores (Sam McGee’s has a lot of locally made things), and saw bears over there too (another trip highlight)! After that, we walked downtown, went into a few more stores, and got some chocolate covered Oreos at Ketchicandies (had lots of recs to go here). For lunch, we stopped at the Alaska Fish House, then went back to the ship and played pickleball + basketball.
other recs that we didn’t do: Misty Fjords (cruise or boat only), Rainbird Trail (hike), Settlers Cove Rec Area (to see bear)
more fun facts: Ketchikan is Alaska’s first city, has the highest numbered zip code in the US (99901), and has the only pink US federal building, which represents Ketchikan being the salmon capital of the world.
Day 13: Saturday, June 29 - cruised the inside passage
Our last full day was spent cruising the inside passage on our way to Vancouver. It was a cloudy & cold day, so we didn’t do much, but we did see some whales at the end of the day (yet *another* trip highlight). Later this night when we were packing, we got a notification that our flight the next night had been canceled due to the WestJet strikes at the time (my rec = stick to Air Canada)
Day 14: Sunday, June 30 - Vancouver
gonna preface this that this day could’ve been much worse, but having been gone for two weeks & feeling like we were STUCK in another country, it felt like a nightmare & I have no desire to go back to Vancouver because of it :)
7:00am - ship arrived & we got off ourselves with our luggage. I haven’t done it the other way (have HA get luggage, wait for group to get called off), but this seemed sooo much easier just to have all of our stuff with us, rather than having to wait. We got off, went through customs, then stored our luggage with Grayline. Holland America also offers airport transfer / luggage holding as an “excursion” you can book. We went through Grayline because our flight wasn’t supposed to leave until later, so we wanted to explore the city.
Vancouver tour - we took a guided bus tour, as it was the best way to see the city on a tight timeline. This included Stanley Park and a few other places. We honestly couldn’t even focus though because we were so busy trying to find new flights home.
Flights back to RDU were either early in the morning or late at night. We chose to do a red eye and have the day in Vancouver rather than rushing off the cruise to get to the airport. Either way, we were screwed because our flight was with West Jet, which conveniently went on strike, canceling basically all flights. We even tried booking a rental car to Seattle, but there were either no cars available, or ones that were $800+ for a one-way trip. It was a looong battle with WestJet at the airport, but after a few hours, Tristan and I were able to run & make it onto one plane and landed in RDU Monday morning, while my parents got on a later flight, had a layover in LAX where they spent the night, then landed in RDU Monday night.
other recs that we clearly didn’t get to: Capilano Bridge & the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
If you got this far, THANK YOU! It only took me a whole year to put together, but I hope it’s helpful to others who might be planning a trip to Alaska!!
BANNER ELK, NC
I could write multiple posts about things to do in Banner Elk, with a different one for each season of the year, and one solely for food recs (which I will probably end up doing at some point). It’s the mountain version of my “home away from home”. I’ve been visiting Banner Elk for as long as I can remember. I grew up going out there with my parents when I was a kid, including multiple camping trips, and eventually going to college at Appalachian State University my freshman year. Now, my husband’s family has a place out there, so we take a weekend trip whenever we can. While I wouldn’t necessarily say these are the top things to do or places to eat at (to each their own), they’re certainly my top favorites!
FOOD
Banner Elk Cafe
2025 update: okay service has gone down significantlyyy & highly reconsidering this no longer being my favorite… not sure if it’s because Town Tavern moved in (quickly becoming a favorite), but our last time here had me convinced I’d never go back - it was that bad.
By far my favorite restaurant, ever. I said it. Again, to each their own, but my husband and I eat here multiple times per trip. My family and I have also been coming here for as long as I can remember. Breakfast, lunch and dinner - you can’t go wrong. My go-to’s are the margherita flat bread or the small cheese pizza. Definitely get the fried green beans!
Bella’s Breakfast
Good breakfast spot, but just a heads up, they’re usually pretty busy! My favorite is the biscuits & gravy.
Puerto Nuevo
My second favorite mexican restaurant (with my top favorite being in Youngsville). Unfortunately, they lost their old location to a fire back in early 2022 and were closed for a while, but as of February 2024, they finally opened their new location by the base of Sugar Mountain.
Artisanal
A gourmet farm-to-table restaurant that took my husband and I two years to get a reservation to (due to covid and then coordinating our schedules with their availability). This is one of the fanciest (if not the fanciest) restaurants I’ve been to, and it’s one with a dress code. With a prix fixe menu, it isn’t too kid friendly in my opinion, though they certainly still welcome kids. They’re only open for a few months throughout the year (May-October). We first went in May 2022 and have agreed we want to go back every few years to try the different menus. It’s a gorgeous restaurant, and next time we go I would love to sit outside.
Stonewalls
Three words: fried deviled eggs. SO good, and it’s making my stomach growl while typing this just thinking about it. Also, if you’re a bread lover like me, their bread is the best.
Crestwood
A really pretty restaurant that is located at The Inn at Crestwood. This is another one that’s not actually located in Banner Elk, but it recently became a top favorite of mine, simply because of the views and atmosphere! My husband and I went here at the end of August and the weather was nice enough for us to sit outside. Great food and service with a great view of the sunset. They also host weddings here!
THINGS TO DO
Hiking
My favorites: Roan Mountain (top two + bottom two pictures; on the NC/TN line, but hands down the best hike with the best views in all of NC) and Rough Ridge (middle two pictures; located off the parkway and easy to get to from Boone).
Beech Moutain
In the summer, take the lift up to 5506’ and grab a drink for some of the best views. Before you drive back down the mountain back to Banner Elk, stop by Fred’s Mercantile. Make sure to check out the entire place, including upstairs, and the basement where they have the Backside Deli - if it’s warm out, sit outside!
Woolly Worm Festival
Aside from going to the mountains in the fall to see the leaves peak, the Woolly Worm Festival always takes places during the third weekend of October in downtown Banner Elk. I attended this as a kid, and more recently have been a vendor multiple times with my small business, Downing Designs. Around 20,000 people come to the festival each year and it’s a great one to start your Christmas shopping at, while also supporting small businesses.
Valle Crucis
This is one that I feel like I could write a whole separate post about, but I’ll sum it up. Valle Crucis is about 15 minutes from Banner Elk and Boone. In the fall, be sure to visit both Mast General Stores (one was the original, the other is the annex) and Harvest Farm. Going to mast general when I was a kid and being able to pick out candy from the barrels was a core memory of my childhood. Harvest Farm is also a gem. I first went here in 2017 and look forward to going back every fall. They have so many pumpkins, and you can even go cut your own from the pumpkin patch. If you visit in the spring or summer, check out the Valle Crucis park, especially if it’s a Friday during the summer for Music in the Valle. For food, I recommend eating at the restaurant Over Yonder.
Sugar Mountain
Full disclosure, I really don’t ski. Reason being? My husband - lol. He’s skied his entire life and quite frankly (understandably so) doesn’t have the patience for me to take two days just to warm up on the bunny slopes because he’s too eager to go to the top. I first learned to ski at Sugar when I was really young. I even went skiing in Colorado with my dad when I was in high school, and conquered bigger slopes out there than NC even has. So, I CAN ski… just not if I go with my husband, haha! Sugar also has snow tubing though, which is just as fun in my opinion!
Wilderness Run Alpine Coaster
A newer attraction to Banner Elk that I recommend doing at least once in your lifetime! It’s the first alpine coaster in North Carolina and can reach speeds up to 27 mph.
Hopefully these recommendations inspired you to plan a trip to Banner Elk and to check out some of my favorite restaurants and favorite things to do! No matter the season, it’s a great small town in the high country to visit, though it’s definitely becoming more crowded as it’s gaining more visitors year after year.