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Last deals of summer
Scott McMurren photo
Summer is over. The kids are back in school. Most travel venues still are open for a couple of weeks -- and that means deals, deals, deals. Let's start with some of the basics. Headed to Denali? Yes. Fall is here, and the colors of Denali are changing right now.
Don't go to Denali without taking the long bus tour into the park. It's the best way to see wildlife, unless you want to spend some time camping! Make time to go rafting on the Nenana River, too. The folks at Denali Park Resorts also offer some guided hikes and shorter bus tour options, as well as the popular "Alaska Cabin Nite" dinner theater. Everyone has a good time at the dinner theater! The Princess Lodge at Denali National Park offers rates as low as $99 per night (on Sept. 3, 10 and 14). Other dates are available for as low as $149 per night. Princess offers private rail cars from Anchorage each day on the Alaska Railroad. Why not ride the rails up to Denali? The late-season rates from Anchorage are as little as $284 per person, double, including roundtrip rail and three days/two nights accommodations. Call (800)426-0500. If you don't want to make the long trip all the way to Denali National Park, you can opt for a quick getaway up to the McKinley Princess. The lodge is past the Talkeetna cutoff on the Parks Highway, right at Milepost 133, overlooking the Chulitna River. Even though the resort itself is 105 miles from the park entrance, the McKinley Princess is the closes hotel to the mountain, and the views from the deck are fantastic. Rates are available now for as little as $99 per night through mid-September. Use the money you save on lodging to take a jetboat ride with Steve Mahay or a flightseeing trip! If you want to see some dramatic fall colors, head out to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. It's an eight-hour drive from Anchorage to McCarthy, including the three-hour leg between Chitina and McCarthy on the unpaved Edgarton Highway (McCarthy Road) -- just go slow on this road. Or you can drive five hours to Chitina and fly with Kelly and Natalie Bay of Wrangell Mountain Air. The flight is fantastic! Stay at Kennicott Glacier Lodge for as little as $99 per night through Sept. 9. While you're there, go hike on the glacier with St. Elias Alpine Guides and take a mill tour through the impressive 14-story building that was the heart of the world's richest copper mine! If you want to get out and explore Alaska, take a flight with Era Aviation. We're used to seeing great rates to Kodiak and Fairbanks, and this week, there are specials to places like Unalakleet and Aniak. These new destinations now are available because of Era's link-up with Frontier Flying Service and Hageland Aviation. All three air carriers are flying under the "Frontier Alaska" banner, which enables them to offer service to about 100 Alaskan communities. The latest round of specials are valid through Sept. 8 and require a three-day advance purchase. Here are some highlights: Anchorage-Kodiak $169 each way Anchorage-Cordova $149 each way Anchorage-Fairbanks $109 each way
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