Alaska

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iplaydrums

100+ Posts
Anyone have any suggestions for must-do things in Alaska? I'll be in Anchorage with a friend for four days in about 1.5 weeks. We've though about going to Seward, or riding the train up to Denali. We're in our mid-20s and into the outdoors if that helps. Thanks in advance.
 
The train to Denali takes all day and you have to spend the night in Glitter Gulch where a ****** pizza will cost you $40. The only way into Denali is by public shuttle bus and the ability to even see scenery is very hit or miss. So is the wildlife. We drove in 5 hours on a bus that had muddy windows the entire time and saw a grizzly's *** at about 450 yards and 3 caribou. And a Willow Ptarmigan. We didn't even see any ******* rabbits. After having been to Kenya and Tanzania the summer before, it was a TOTAL disappointment in the animal department. If you were to get off the bus and hike and camp your odds would likely increase. That wasn't in the cards for my son and I. The drive from Anchorage to Fairbanks (thru Denali) is likely to be all ****** up that time of year from being frozen for months, heaving and cracking. We went in August so it was in good shape, but it was still a 5 hour drive easy and I was flying. A better bet would be to drive up to Talkeetna, see a dog kennel and take a plane trip aound Denali. BTW, you just don't go to Alaska for good food other than fresh caught seafood. We had a few decent meals at a place outside of Glitter Gulch (Creekside?), but you need to set your sights low.

There are basically 4 roads in AK. The one up to Fairbanks which splits off to the East towards the inside passage (There is a glacier walking spot within a fairly short drive. It might split off South of Fairbanks. I can't remember. Then there is the trip down into the Kenai Peninsula. That road splits and goes down along Cook's Inlet towards Homer (It goes along the western shore down to Seward). That road will take you by spots where you can see the tide bore (look it up) and Alyeska (might very well be decent skiing). There is also an old abandoned mining town around Alyeska. There is some some of Outdoor zoo where you can get out and see some of the famous animals in large enclosures. The first real stop I can remember is Soldotna (actually 10 miles or so off the highway). Not much to see there. We stayed in a cabin out in the woods as our base and had 4 totally kick *** days of fishing from there. We took a float plane one day across the inlet and flew some glaciers along the way. Very cool. The next day we drove to Seward and went deep sea fishing and caught a ton of fish. The deep sea charter is better than the "wildlife viewing" boats because you are more mobile, can make up your own intinerary and get to fish while you see more whales and bald eagles and sea lions, etc. than the big head boats The aquarium in Seward was about as interesting as the one in Corpus. Go to Sea World instead.

Another day we fished the Kenai River and limited out again with no problem. We also had a charter from Ninilchik for Halibut in the Inlet. You have to have a small group because you can't catch enough for a big boat to limit out, but the fish are shallow and that make a HUGE difference in how much work you have to do. Just checking your bait will wear you out and if you have to haul a 5 pound weight up a few hundred feet a few times an hour you will be bored and tired. There are plenty of charters that go out of Homer as well.

Most of the guide services actually offer lot's of different kinds of fishing, but they subcontract almost all of it out. Now, if you are going to go fly out into the bush and flyfish for several days that's another deal, but it didn't sound like that was your intent. Homer had some edible food. Particularly some Italian place on the Northern edge that was called something like The Fat Broad's.

Alaska can't really be seen using a car. You have to fly or float to really get to see the land. You don't really have the time to get out into the woods.

Be REALLY careful on AK highways. VERY VERY dangerous. I can't emphasize that enough. My son and I drove up on 3, and witnessed 3 more rollovers in 4 days. We pulled people out of 2 of the cars. We were almost in a head on collision. AK highways are two lanes with bar ditches on either side. There are numerous turnoffs and no turning lanes which means that people follow too close and can't stop and end up upside down in the bar ditch or take a chance on going into the oncoming lane.

Oh yeah. The best part of Denali was getting off the bus and being told we couldn't fly back, but had to take the bus. Weather. At the last minute one pilot decided to give it a try, but he said he would not try to fly around the mountain so we flew over Alex Supertramp's bus instead. If you have read or seen Into The Wild, you ought to. Alaskans have a completely different perspective of the kid, but it's a good read.

There is a place to rent snowmobiles in Ninlichik. ATV's later on in the year.
 
Moose's Tooth and Bush Co. are pretty solid options, in fact. We also enjoyed old haunts like Simon and Seaforts (touristy now) and Club Paris (not touristy). There's also a brewery restaurant downtown that's good for the usual.

One great thing to do, if the weather works for you, is to get up early and drive to Talkeetna, and take the air tour around Denail. With good weather, its one of the best things ever, and easily doable in a day. Requires advance reservations in the summer.

Another good day trip is the train to Seward combined with a Prince William Sound tour. Can make and should make reservations ahead of time, also. Its a very scenic and relaxing train ride, and glaciers are worth seeng, while they are still around.

You can rent bikes and take some pretty long rides around the airport and back, a good way to be "out in nature" but able to pull in for a cold drink whenever you want. You can also drive up to a parking area in the Chugach and hike up Table Top mountain, or whatever its called.

A car trip to the Kenai probably will take a couple of days and is too much for your scenario. Besides, after you partake of the Bush Co, you'll probably want to be there every night. Ditto for driving to Denail or Fairbanks: too much time.
 
Mac
We didn't go to the Snow Goose last year, and, of course, it wasn't there in the early 80's when we lived there.

But, I generally agree with your other takes on Glacier and Mooses Tooth.
 
Thanks to everyone for the suggestions, I appreciate it. We're going to scratch Denali, I had no idea it was that time consuming. We will stay in Anchorage for a day or two, then go down to Seward for a couple of days and do some hiking and fishing, as well as some sea kayaking. Does anyone have any recs for any sea kayaking companies/guides in Seward?
 
We have lined up a private charter with Aurora Charters in mid-August, and although they do not specifically offer kayaking, the lady who answers the phone is extremely friendly and helpful, and I'll bet she could set you up with someone.
 
Just got back from my trip last night and had an awesome time. Thanks again to everyone for the recommendations. Mooses Tooth was great, we ended up going there on our first and last nights in Anchorage. We went down to Seward for a few days and had a good time as well. The weather wasn't so great, so we did not get to go sea kayaking. However, we did an amazing (and grueling) 8 hour hike up to the Harding Icefield in Kenai Fjords National Park. The view and experience was well worth it....if you're in great shape I highly recommend it.
 
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