If you have a leak coming from one of the gaskets, you can try tightening the bolts first to see if that stops it. The valve covers are definetly buried under a bunch of stuff. From my best recollection, it would make it easier to get to the bolts on the drivers side if you remove the SC top and upper IC tube, but it's still a PITA to get to all of the bolts with the plug wires, and lower IC tube in the way. To take OFF the drivers side valve cover, you need to remove the lower IC tube as well which means you are now going in a lot deeper.
For the passenger side valve cover I would think you could get to the bolts easier just by removing the intake tube. To remove it, you may have to take off the TB, too but I dont know for sure.
Mind you that I havent been under the hood in a while and there may be more or less that you need to do, but I'm sure someone else with more experience could better explain.
Tom