Question about Alaska Vacation

[Stoverdog]

i have business in Anchorage and have taken the family several times. we always stayed in Anchorage and did day trips. you might want to check out the Alaska Railroad for day trips. We booked a trip where they dropped us off in some small town and a guide took us on a canoe trip across a glacial lake and we hiked and had lunch on the face of a glacier. one of our best trips ever. The RR ran along the edge of the river and then into the mountains. also booked a guided for salmon fishing in one of the rivers and then halabit in the bays.

[mgrice1981]

My wife and I are flying to Anchorage this Wednesday, the 22nd. We've rented a car for two weeks and in addition to spending a lot of time with relatives on the Kenai peninsula, we'll drive to Valdez and then to Denali. We've seen most of Alaska already since we are both originally from there. It is relatively easy to find accommodations, etc. during late August and early September. If you haven't already, pick up the latest MILEPOST publication which includes tons of info on where to go, etc. It also includes a handy Alaska Travel Planner. Enjoy your trip.

This man knows his stuff, definitely get a copy of MILEPOST. If you would rather rent an RV, there are multiple outfits that rent them. As some places can be quite remote it is important to note that depending on your destination; it is wise to carry a fuel can filled with extra fuel and also an additional spare tire.

[usmc03]

Take some warm clothes, it gets cold at night now.

[Dando]

Some of the deadliest catch boats are there to check out... hell I walked right on the Saga.

And when you did, the boats IQ doubled.

[Bronzebackfive]

Just started checking Google Earth and man that looks like it would be a neat place to go. Especially for a guy who ain't been more than 300 miles from his house in his whole life, except for Florida once but that was pretty lame. Bet Alaska would be a great trip if planned right.

[Tfall]

Worked in Anchorage at the airport for a few years about 10yrs ago. Get a car and drive to Valdez. Leave early because it’s a long drive and you will be stopping to take pics all the time. Once in Valdez you can stay at the best western which has the coast guard ship right behind it. Also drive to Homer and see all the bald eagles on people’s roofs, light poles and the beach...don’t feed them. If your a very physically fit person then find a book on hiking trails. Be prepared if you do though. Also you can hike up Flatop mountain in Anchorage which is fun. There is a 100 mile long dirt road (Hwy 8) that is only open in the summer that is on the way to Mt Mcklinly that runs from Cantwell to Paxton that has lots of wildlife. Make sure you have a spare and the weather is good...if you break down it might be awhile before another person comes along. Also keep in mind that cell service is non existent in many areas. I had a sat phone because I hiked a lot while there. Also carried a BFG for the bears. And don’t try and pet any moose. Always be prepared. Enjoy the eye candy.

[Tfall]

And if you like fresh roasted coffee beans then go to one of the Costco’s in Anchorage and the smell will hit you once you go inside. They roast them right in the middle of the store. Grab a few bags to take home with you.

[jigman51]

I have been to Fairbanks 3 times in the last couple years. Here is my take on things:

Mid August to mid September was, IMO, the best time to go. The day time temps were in the 70s when we got there and the nights were in the 30s by the time we left in Sep.

We were able to see the Northern lights most nights toward the end of the trip. We saw the pretty blue and pink looking ones too, not just the green ones which were more common.

I rented a car from Enterprise for four days and drove to Anchorage. The car/SUV will run you about $100 a day for a small one. The trip was about 350 miles. We did not see one moose going to or from Anchorage. Don't buy the moose insurance they will try to sell you. Check with your credit card company and they will most likely have you covered but check before you go. All kinds of cars run the road between Anchorage and Fairbanks, it is a good road. My Garmin Nuvi worked just fine on the trip.

Denali park entrance is about 110 miles south of Fairbanks. You cannot see Mt. McKinley from the park entrance. You can only drive your car 10-12 miles into the park. They have nice bus tours at the park that will take you about 90 miles through the park and you will see more wild life. As you drive toward Anchorage from the park entrance you will see Mt. McKinley along the way and have many pull over opportunities to take pictures.

Anchorage is a great place to visit. We stayed on the Air Force base and the rooms cost me $60 a night. There are many high dollar breweries in town. We ate at a couple nice restaurants and the meals were over $200 for four of us. Anchorage has a nice farmers market down town on the weekends with plenty of good eats and we had breakfast there. There are surprisingly plenty of homeless folks in Anchorage but it wasn't a problem for us. We drove south out of Anchorage to Alyeska, about 35 beautiful miles along the coast. We took an incline to the top of a mountain about 4000 feet high. We got out at the top and explored a bit. It was a fun stop.

Fairbanks has a good farmers market on the weekends as well and I highly recommend it. There are a lot of standard places to eat like KFC, McDonald's etc. The local places ran us at least $80 for lunch for four. My daughter surprised us with a guided fishing trip at Fairbanks that turned out to be a disaster. Check the reviews on your guide before you book a trip. You need to drive about 135 miles north of Fairbanks to be in the Arctic Circle. Beware of tourist traps just short of the Arctic Circle who will tell you that you are there when in reality you will be 5-10 miles short lol. Sometimes in Fairbanks, if the air is clear, you cab see Mt. McKinley. I was also able to see it from Anchorage.

Call your bank and credit card companies before you leave and let them know where you are going and how long you will be gone.

I love the vastness of the place. If I had gone there in my younger days, I would have never left.

[kailor]

RR, I went to Alaska in early July. We took a guided 11-day tour which was awesome beyond words. Let Anchorage be your starting point. From there, we went south to Seward for 2 days and enjoyed a day-cruise of the Kenai Fjord. Seward is just beautiful! Then we traveled to Homer and stayed on the spit for 3 days. There, I went halibut fishing and also did some beverages at the famous Salty Dawg Saloon. Then to Willow and Talkeetna where we toured an Iditarod facility and got to have dogs pull us around. We flew up and landed on a glacier at the bases of Denali. Then it was on to Denali Park for three days...just wow! Rode the Alaska railroad, too.

To answer your question, you can rent a car, or a class "C" RV (saw thousands of them), or do a guided tour depending on your budget. As I stated previously though, let Anchorage be your starting point. Please PM me if you have any questions.

[Olebiker]

We took a Royal Caribbean cruise in June along with 3,900 other folks. Half of them were raised by wolves.

We got to see very little of Alaska and what we did see was very touristy.

[fishon396]

Yes fly into Anchorage and rent a car or something you can sleep in, no 4 wheel drive is needed and people boondocking everywhere or paying very little to sleep in a campground. Seward is fun, the Homer spit we liked better and caught some Halibut on a charter. Lodging can be hard to find and will be mostly 3 star with a 5 star price and should be reserved far ahead of time. We took 2 spinning rods and caught fish everywhere we wet a line, caught about 20 salmon and some artic char.. In Homer we drove up to the Kilchers home the ones that have the Alaska show on tv, the live about 5 miles from McDonalds and Safeway.

[Brady bass]

And when you did, the boats IQ doubled.

Lmao.... I just had to pee...

[NitroZ7]

Went on our honeymoon there. We stayed a week at a fly out lodge that was right near Mt. McKinley. We also stayed at the Princess Lodge on the Kenai River. The lodge was a good place since we could visit Homer and Whittier. We also did a hike up to a Portage Pass and it was an incredible view. Have fun on your trip. Also bring mosquito repellant

[usmc03]

If you fly into Anchorage, get a pic of you with the Polar Bear at the airport. Probably the most photographed bear in the world. lol

[Jarhead2]

If you fly into Anchorage, get a pic of you with the Polar Bear at the airport. Probably the most photographed bear in the world. lol

Yup!! You will never forget that bear!!!! Amazing!!!

[LashCat]

Been there twice. We flew into Anchorage both times. Rented a car once and rented an RV the other time. Both trips were in August. Lodging was pretty limited once we got out of Anchorage. It was nice having the RV as campgrounds were easier to find. To answer your question, yes, you can fly in, rent a car and see a ton of cool stuff. Their "season" pretty much ends by the end of September when winter starts to set in.