Plan that Trip North (Part 2)

Planning a trip to Alaska can be akin to making a trip across the country; due to sheer distances, the analogy is true, as you will most likely travel through everything from a rainforest environment to a semi-arid desert.
When people question me about southeast Alaska, I really have to refer them to a more regional (hence more knowledgeable) source. It would be like someone in say, Kansas asking a local about Florida; they are worlds apart. Some good trip planning techniques are to segregate the land portion by flights, or waterways.

Going north on the Parks Highway

Instead of backtracking one can plan their Alaska adventures in circles: Anchorage to Denali Park then Fairbanks, down to Valdez, then the Marine Highway to Whittier, Seward, Kenai, Homer, then return to Anchorage. The type of transportation between Anchorage and Fairbanks will depend upon whether one prefers a nostalgic train ride or 100 mile vistas via the road that rides the ridges for maximum views over valleys and hills.
For those looking to venture even farther north to the Arctic Circle, the car owner needs to be advised that this road is rough with lots of gravel and potholes. This will translate into the very real possibility of dings, dents and cracks in windshields. Looking at a map, it appears that a trip to the Arctic Circle (crossing the 66th degree latitude) should only take a couple of hours. Unfortunately for unsuspecting drivers, this road cannot be traversed at speeds people normally travel in the “lower ’48.” (This is a very colloquial term for the contiguous United States. ) You should plan on at least four hours one way.
Another alternative is to hire this drive. You can find many fine tour bus drivers who will point out the finer details of the terrain as well as landmarks that you might otherwise miss.