Hello
Hopefully I can help a little as we just drove from Alaska to the southern US (via the ferry).
You can drive from Washington to Alaska, but it's not a very pleasant trip, in fact it's rather dangerous and generally discouraged. If you're going to drive from the lower 48 to Alaska, you really need to head through Canada starting in North Dakota. To drive from Washington up, you'll be going through British Columbia, and that part is pretty darned desolate (trust me--been there, done that, in a blinding snow storm). Also, many of the roads are closed through out the year due to inclimate weather.
The ferry isn't that bad. It's more boring than anything. You pretty much sit in your cabin and wait for time to pass. We had some pretty bad weather on ours, and even though I am Queen Sea Sick I managed to hold it together. Anyway, the ferry is 4.5 days one way, driving from WA to AK is 2 days each way. So if she only has a week, she can't do either (9 days roundtrip by boat, 4 by car, so no time to visit anyway).
Some good western places I've visited is Little Big Horn in Wyoming (We were there in December, there was tons of things there that are only open in the summer) and Mount Rushmore in Rapid City, South Dakota.
Now, Rapid City is a regular town, but there is this really neat western type recreation village between Rapid City and Mount Rushmore, on the way up the mountain, which is only open in the summer and fall. Again, we were there in December so it kind of blew, but in the summer it'd be really cool (we're planning on going back).
The best way to plan this kind of thing is to get a AAA membership. They're expensive, but worth it, especially you know with cars and stuff that can breakdown halfway up the mountain to see Mount Rushmore (no, not us, but we did pass someone broken down up there!)
I wish your friend good luck. Tell her, coming from someone who lived in Fairbanks, Alaska, for three years...visit Anchorage.
