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Registered
Join Date: Nov 2002
Location: Rogue Valley, Oregon
Posts: 1,736
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Mike,
Denali is awesome and pretty back pack friendly except for the bears. They are a problem at times.
Gates of the Arctic will forever warp your sense of beauty and landscape scale. You can raft portions and walk portions of your trip. The light, the stark nature of the landscape, etc. make it a photographers paradise. Access is tough.
Wrangell-St Elias also is grand. Better access than G of A. Great hiking and climbing.
The options are endless so I recommend deciding top priorities like you did and research the various parks.
There are state parks that offer nice short (1-3 day) hikes that are easy access. I recommend the one just outside of Anchorage called Chugach State Park. Beautiful mountains with lots of wildlife. You'll be hiking in great country within an hour of leaving your hotel. You could walk for seventy miles (if you were a mountain goat) and reach Valdez from Eagle River.
Have fun!
Troy
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Troy
Past: 1975 911S Silver Anniversary-rebuilt and sublime.
Past: 1988 Carrera-backdated with a 3.6 and all the goodies.
Present: 2011 GMC 2500HD with the 6.0 & 4x4!, 2004 Toyota Sequoia (wife's)
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