My wife and I are in the initial planning stages mapping out our 08 SMB trip from Seattle to Alaska and back. I have spent a fair amount of time in Southeast Alaska, but have never been any further west than Tok. Other than fun, scenery, wildlife, photo opportunities, etc... the basic guidelines of this trip will be to:
1) See as much of the rest of the state as we can in the time allotted.
2) Keep the day-to-day destinations under 150 miles - for the majority of the AK portion of the trip.
3) Have at least one set of back-to-back days in each region (see graphic) where there are zero required travel miles.
4) Avoid cruise line hot spots where possible.
The areas outlined in the below map are the basic regions we wish to explore. The numbers within each outlined area represent the approximate number of full days we have allocated to each region.

If you have experience traveling/living in Alaska and are willing to share places - accessible by road - that simply should not be missed (scenery, wildlife, remoteness, etc...) we would love to hear your recommendations. The same goes for places to avoid.
Thanks,