Trip Report - Alaska 12 days in July with kids

Question

Trip report for our 12 days in Alaska in early July! We made these plans last August after really loving Yellowstone and Jackson, WY last summer, with the hiking, animal viewing etc. Our kids are 7 and 10. We love the outdoors, are fairly adventurous and what I would call casual hikers.

Day 1: Fairbanks - Flew in to Fairbanks for one night, had a one way car rental car that we’d eventually drop in Anchorage. We had flown from Atlanta to Seattle the day before and spent the night at the Seattle airport.

We landed in Fairbanks, and I had decided that also driving to Denali on the same day was too much. In hindsight, we should’ve just kept going - the rental car is super easy outside the airport and the drive was an easy two hours.

Instead we stayed the night at the Springhill Suites, so we had the afternoon to play. We went gold panning at Gold Daughters (checked the box on that activity, a little touristy for me, kids were into it for about 45 minutes) and hung out at HooDoo Brewery (and made dinner out of the food truck there).

It was at this point we learned Denali had been closed the night before due to the forest fire. Awesome. We decided to go anyway, hoping it would re-open and knowing we had non-refundable lodging at a house rental in Healy.

Answer

Thank you for sharing your detailed trip report! Your 12-day Alaska adventure with kids sounds both fun and well-paced, giving a mix of outdoor activities, wildlife experiences, and family-friendly adventures.

Day 1 in Fairbanks seems to have been a gentle introduction to Alaska. Staying overnight gave you the chance to recover from travel and explore locally without rushing. Gold Daughters offered your kids a hands-on activity with gold panning, which sounds like it kept them engaged, even if it was a bit touristy. HooDoo Brewery and the food truck dinner gave the family a relaxed, casual meal experience—perfect for the first day.

Your reflection on the drive to Denali highlights an important tip for families: sometimes pushing on to the next destination can save travel time, especially when distances aren’t too long. The forest fire closure at Denali was unfortunate but underscores Alaska’s unpredictability in summer, and it’s good that you had alternative lodging in Healy.

Some observations and tips based on your Day 1 experience:

Consider direct drives to major destinations on arrival day if everyone is not too tired; this can maximize time in national parks like Denali.
Keep first-day activities light and flexible to accommodate unexpected events like park closures or weather delays.
Hands-on, short-duration activities like gold panning or visiting local breweries can be excellent for kids and provide a change of pace from hiking or long drives.

Overall, your approach of balancing light activities with preparedness for the main adventure at Denali shows good planning. Even with the Denali closure, your first day allowed your family to acclimate to Alaska’s environment, experience local attractions, and prepare for the upcoming multi-day adventures. The casual hiking and outdoor focus with kids makes this trip enjoyable without being exhausting.