remphish1 Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 I leave for Alaska on saturday and I can't wait! I will be spending a few days in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Denali. I plan on visiting the Artic Circle (Life goal of mine ) , Alaska State Fair, Earthquake Park, Pioneer Town, Portage Glacier, rafting in Denali etc. Anyone have an recommendations? Has anyone driven from Anchorage to Fairbanks (How long did that take)? Any other words of wisdom! Thanks! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted August 20, 2007 Share Posted August 20, 2007 Anyone have an recommendations? Any other words of wisdom! Thanks!I went about ten years ago. Since you're going in the summer, it's gonna be light outside for ~20 hours a day. As I recall, it only really got as dark as dusk during the very brief "night". Given that, I would suggest one of those little eye-masks like they give you on the airplane. It's easy to stay up late, as there isn't a typical day cycle to gauge what time it is. Bring warm clothes too. I went at the end of July and it got pretty cold. I highly suggest rafting, even through a touristy outfit. They're usually safe and you see some really beautiful country. Glaciers are a can't miss. The pale, ghostly blue colors of the ice is something you'll never forget. If you can swing it, going out on a boat and doing some fishing is really cool. When I went, I had the good fortune of my parents picking up the tab, so I can't comment on how much or little this cost. Should you catch anything, you can have it processed, smoked, etc. and sent back to your home. If you can get out on a boat, you really see how different the water looks there. It is a strange opaque blue-grey from all the silt in the glacial run off. Check out Mt. McKinley -- Unfortunately, when I went there was bad weather obscurring it's view. Hope some of that helps and/or gives you some ideas. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted August 20, 2007 Author Share Posted August 20, 2007 I went about ten years ago. Since you're going in the summer, it's gonna be light outside for ~20 hours a day. As I recall, it only really got as dark as dusk during the very brief "night". Given that, I would suggest one of those little eye-masks like they give you on the airplane. It's easy to stay up late, as there isn't a typical day cycle to gauge what time it is. Bring warm clothes too. I went at the end of July and it got pretty cold. I highly suggest rafting, even through a touristy outfit. They're usually safe and you see some really beautiful country. Glaciers are a can't miss. The pale, ghostly blue colors of the ice is something you'll never forget. If you can swing it, going out on a boat and doing some fishing is really cool. When I went, I had the good fortune of my parents picking up the tab, so I can't comment on how much or little this cost. Should you catch anything, you can have it processed, smoked, etc. and sent back to your home. If you can get out on a boat, you really see how different the water looks there. It is a strange opaque blue-grey from all the silt in the glacial run off. Check out Mt. McKinley -- Unfortunately, when I went there was bad weather obscurring it's view. Hope some of that helps and/or gives you some ideas. Thanks for the pointers! I got some rafting in Denali lined up class 4 rapids...excited for that! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MeDave Posted August 21, 2007 Share Posted August 21, 2007 i went back about 15 years ago or so - it was amazing... i did anchorage to denali and back - didn't get to fairbanks, but be sure to get out into denali - the bus tours that take you in and then drop you off at the stations from which you can hike the foothills and smaller mountains. There was just No end to my amazement at the scale of nature there (and i'd already been familiar with the west and southwest) but there were just these huge expanses of space carved by old glaciers - the land was just so 'raw' looking. it was magnificent. i didn't sleep much and there's no feeling quite like leaving a bar drunk at 2am to have the bright 'late afternoon' sun shining in your eyes. you're going to love it - have a blast! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
tugmoose Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Just don't pull a Christopher McCandless. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
owl Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 I hope you're going for more than a few days if you plan to do all that! This time last year, I was just getting back from two weeks in AK. The weather was half rain/60 degrees, half sunny/75 degrees. Overall, it was a great trip. I want to visit Tongass next. I recommend, above all things, having a plan, and don't expect much of the towns. Last year, two friends and I spent one week hiking in Denali, and then drove around the Kenai Peninsula for the second week. Overall, we put almost 3,000 miles on the rental car. The driving wasn't that much fun, because we didn't really know what we were doing. Most of the towns are pretty crappy, Anchorage included. We went to Seward (touristy and fake), Ketchikan Nikiski (middle of nowhere, a little too authentic), Homer (very hippie-infested, but alright), and Whittier (cool stuff to do from there, but a really weird town where everyone lives in one building). On the plus side, all of the residents that we met were really friendly, and hotels were often pretty damn cheap. If you make it to Ketchikan Nikiski, be sure to stop by the What's Cookin' diner. I'm not sure why you'd go all the way out there, though. I'm not sure what else to tell you, but backpacking in Denali was definitely the highlight. There are so many different ecosystems, you could spend weeks in those 6 million acres. Here's my pic of Mt. McKlinley from the morning after we camped at Moose Creek (right along the 80 mi. bus route). After I took this pic, we went back to our campsite and scraped the ice off of our tents: Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted August 22, 2007 Author Share Posted August 22, 2007 Im spending two days in each location..I know it is alot of driving. I am big on hiking but the finance isn't really so we might just do a short hike in Denali. We have a fairly loose schedule and will be going witht he flow! Thanks for the tips! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
a.miller Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 financeFianc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
remphish1 Posted August 22, 2007 Author Share Posted August 22, 2007 Fianc Quote Link to post Share on other sites
owl Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Im spending two days in each location..I know it is alot of driving. I am big on hiking but the finance isn't really so we might just do a short hike in Denali. We have a fairly loose schedule and will be going witht he flow! Thanks for the tips! If that's all you plan to do in Denali, you should take the bus out to Wonder Lake Campground and camp there for a night, and then take the McKinley Bar trail (a quick loop near the campground) if you want something to do. The bus allows you to see a lot of the park, and Wonder Lake is the best campsite, with the ideal view of McKinley if the clouds aren't in the way. Good luck! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caliber66 Posted August 22, 2007 Share Posted August 22, 2007 Just don't pull a Christopher McCandless.He went to my high school, apparently. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
foolnrain97 Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 My freshman/sophomore year roommate was from Ketchikan, AK. His pictures were always beautiful, so I'd recommend that, but it's an island, not part of the mainland, where it looks like you'll be spending a lot of your time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
owl Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 Okay, evidently I don't even know where I went. I was in Nikiski, which is about a million miles away from Ketchikan. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
kikos_ndakwa Posted August 23, 2007 Share Posted August 23, 2007 I live in Juneau (Southeast AK). My advice for anytime up around Anchorage is to spend it OUTSIDE of the city, if possible. If you're going to be around Anchorage, spend some time on the Kenai penninsula. Girdwood, Seward, and Homer are all great places to check out. Fairbanks has some fun hot springs that are fun to check out if you have the time. If you have to be in Anchorage, the Tony Knowles Costal trail is a nice trail. You run a good chance at a moose encounter and also some earthquake info. Also in Anchorage, check out the Alaska Native Heritage Center. It is a very interesting/informative center on all the different native peoples of Alaska, their lifestyles, and also real examples of the homes they'd live in. It's really humbling to see how people were able to survive in places like the North Slope. Denali is a must if you can. Are you planning on roadtripping everywhere? If so, it might be worth it for you to buy a Milepost. It's a really informative book in great detail on every little stretch of the Alaska Highway. I recently used it on my road trip from MN back up to AK. If time allows Kenai Fjords is amazing. And this may be another trip, but Southeast AK is amazing also. Have a great trip. Bring proper clothes- It can be summer-fall temps now, avoid cotton at all costs!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.