Summer “Greatest Hits” Rewind

🌞 Why Summer Alaska = Life-Sized IMAX July = 18-h daylight, glacier-blue lagoons, bears on live-stream, king-crab legs bigger than forearms. Loop: Anchorage ➜ Denali ➜ Valdez ➜ Seward ➜ Katmai ➜ Anchorage = 10 days, 10,000 photos, $2k well-spent. 📍 MOMENT MAP + HACKS Denali National Park 🏔️ Bus to Mile 43 – tundra + moose bingo. Hack: September return = golden colors + clear mountain; July = 70 % cloudy. Hatcher Pass 🌼 Free scenic drive – alpine meadows + abandoned gold mine. Photo: 09:00-11:00 = side-light on peaks = desktop wallpaper. Valdez 🌊 Ferry from Whittier = Prince William Sound fjords. Hack: skip Valdez – Seward fjords are prettier + easier; save 1 day + $200 ferry. Seward 🚢 Kenai Fjords cruise – 3 glaciers + orca pod. Kayak Bear Glacier lagoon – floating ice sculptures = Instagram gold. Stay: 2 nights = harbour + seafood coma. Katmai National Park 🐻 Float-plane Brooks Camp – 30 bears + salmon waterfall. Hack: group charter King Salmon ➜ Katmai = $400 pp (vs $599 commercial). 💰 MONEY CHEAT-SHEET (per person, 4-share) 1. Early-Bird Hunting Jan 1: campground reservations = $0 (Denali, Kenai). 3 months out: flights + car = cheapest tier. 2. Tour Saver Coupon South-Central card $80 – 3 offers used = saved $300+ (cruise, kayak, float-plane). 3. Buddy Pass Magic Route: Home ➜ ANC ➜ King Salmon ➜ ANC ➜ Home Alaska Airlines Buddy Pass = $200-250 segment vs $500 cash = save $1,000+. 4. Katmai Charter Hack Branch River Air (King Salmon) – group charter = $400 pp return (vs $599 commercial). Book direct – call only, split 4 ways. 5. Freebies = $0 Hatcher Pass = free scenic drive. Earthquake Park = free Anchorage skyline. Clearly Summit aurora = free Fairbanks chase. 🧳 PACK-BY-PICTURE 100-400 mm lens – bear at 50 m = money shot. Micro-spikes – glacier + muddy trails. Red head-lamp – aurora photos = night-vision friendly. Waterproof phone pouch – kayak splash = phone death. ✅ IF I RE-DID… Matanuska → heli-hike (more ice, fewer people). Skip Valdez – Seward does fjords better. Denali → September (colors + clear mountain). 🌈 CLOSING VIBES 10 days = 10,000 photos, 3 bears, 2 glaciers, 1 aurora burst, $2k well-spent. Alaska summer = life-sized IMAX – copy this loop, tweak the hacks, go hug the Last Frontier. #US #Alaska #Talkeetna