Thank you!
I'm wondering if I post a list of some of the activities I specifically want to do, if anyone else that has experience/information/tips on them would be able to share that with me.
Here's the list:
1. Visiting Katmai National Park to see the brown bears fishing
2. Take a day cruise to view glaciers (with seeing as much wildlife as possible)
3. Take flightseeing tour around Denali with a glacier landing (seems to me that from Talkeetna is cheaper than from Denali itself?)
4. Take a guided hike onto a glacier (seems that the closest to Anchorage & easiest is Matanuska Glacier)
5. Dog sledding
6. Some kind of guided fishing (we have no experience but it seems like you almost can't go to Alaska without fishing)
7. Gorgeous hikes that you would recommend
Some other things that would be nice to do too:
1. ATVing
2. Rafting or Jetboat
3. Zipline
4. Kayaking (although my initial research seems to indicate that my youngest (8 year old girl) may be below the age limit allowed..
You're going to have to fly to get to Katmai NP, and it's quite an expensive day trip. Almost impossible to plan an overnight there for this summer at this point. [Cabins I believe are lottery that you need to enter a year or so in advance, campground reservations for the season fill up within minutes of opening at the beginning of January. (Yes, I've tried.)] Lake Clark NP might be another option, but you'd also have to fly there for a[n expensive] day trip.
Best place to see glaciers calving is Glacier Bay NP, but again, you'd need to fly there. Kenai Fjords NP is good, too, but the glaciers are not nearly as spectacular. Loads of wildlife.
You can probably drive toward Wrangell-St. Elias NP and do some of your activities there, if that interests you. [You may not be able to drive inside the park (check your rental agreement), but outfitters may offer transportation.]
If you plan on staying at a campground inside Denali NP, you should probably book as soon as your dates become available. Check out a campground map so you could choose the best spots. I don't think any of the campgrounds there have sewer hookups, but they do have a dump station. (Of the three campgrounds that allow RVs, Teklanika is probably not what you're looking for, Savage River is nice, Riley Creek is more convenient but noisier. Some sites at Savage River and Riley Creek may not fit a large RV.) Remember that to go past Savage River, you need to hike, bike, or take a bus. Book the bus in advance, when you book your campground(s). The tan buses are tour buses that do out and back, green buses will drop off/pick up along the way if you want to hike, provided there is seating available. Going out to Wonder Lake/Kantishna and returning the same day is a LONG day. Staying overnight at Wonder Lake, as
@PBaruch did, allows one to do the full road, while breaking it into two days.
When you say rafting, I think Gates of the Arctic NP, but that's probably not the scale you're thinking of. I believe you can do it at Wrangell, as well as other places.
To round out the national parks, the 8th one in Alaska is Kobuk Valley NP, but not on most people's radar.
To answer all your other questions: check out alaska.org; it's an excellent resource for all things Alaska, and I believe it's run by a member of the Jewish community there.
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