Anchorage - Aug. '09

[MirrOlure]

...........paging Macanudo (or anyone else with first hand experience)

OK....we've booked our trip with a lodge on Lake Iliamna, which will on a Monday - Saturday in mid August.

I expect we will fly in to Anchorage on a Saturday, which will give us 2 nights before heading out to the lodge Monday morning.

I'm looking for a short list of "can't miss" things to do or places to visit in or around Anchorage. No need for any fishing, since we'll be doing that for 5 straight days at the lodge.

One option we are looking at is an overnight excursion to Denali National Park, even though it is quite a haul. Given that we are a party of 6, one of those bus packages looks to be about the best option.

I"m open for any and all suggestions.

 

[1990txgirl]

It's been over a decade since our trip to Anchorage but I really enjoyed the icebergs at Portage Glacier and a wildlife viewing cruise from Seward.

The tram to the top of Alyeska Resort was fun too.

Get ready from some spectacular vistas. Have a great time!

 

[Texas0407]

If you're looking for a place to grab a beer and eat, check out the Moose's Tooth. Good beer, great food, and cool atmosphere.

 

[Macanudo]

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[Murphy'sBoy]

The Alaska State Fair in Palmer starts on Aug 21st. It's kind of cool and only an hour north of Anchorage. If you want to see a 150lb cabbage, that's the place to go.

 

[NBMisha]

State fair in Palmer is ok, just. If you've been there before. Kind of like Wurstfest, but not as good.

You can do Denali in a day. Reserve your air time on the internet, get up real early, and get to Talkeetna in 4 hours or less. Do the flight, eat a great meal, head back. If the weather is with you, it is the experience of a lifetime.

For a meal in Anchorage, I would suggest Club Paris. It looks like a dive bar down on 4th or 5th, but its the best steak place in town. We used to go there courtin' in the early 80's. Went back last August and it was the best meal of the trip. Need a reservation.

Mooses tooth is ok, for a pizza joint. Would not cut it in Chicago, of course.

For a half day thing, rent bikes and ride the trail out and around the airport. Or drive up to the parking lot below Flat Top mountain and hike up as far as the clouds or your knees will let you. Fantastic vistas.

Bring a raincoat.

There was a brew pub on 6th or 7th that was pretty good, for basic drinking and munching.

 

[MirrOlure]

OK......slight change of options.

What if we wanted to get a day of Halibut fishing in before we started our lodge trip?

Our lodge recommended a charter out of Homer, but I notice that Seward is about 2 hours closer drive.

Anyone here been to Seward, for fishing or otherwise?

 

[Texas0407]

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[NBMisha]

Moose's tooth wasn't even there when I lived there, so I guess I look down my nose at it. Such is snobbery. We went last year, and it was pretty good, I admit. Including the atmosphere.

As for Halibut, all the best trips are out of Homer. And its a long, long drive. If it was me, I'd recommend the one day turnaround to Talkeetna and then a half day or so of fun in Anchorage, using options above.

Halibut fishing is ... usually pretty rough sea wise. Too long a day to take the wife, I think. Our last trip there, the wife barfed into a fierce wind and covered up herself and some others, and another friend fell down the cabin stair in the swells and had a compound leg fracture, and had to be air lifted out.

Amusing, diverting, but not so much fun.

 

[Sangre Naranjada]

Homer's better for halibut than Seward, but you won't do poorly at either place.

Second the day trip to the Portage Glacier. Small by glacial standards, but a beautiful drive down the Turnagain Arm. If you do not mind a bit more robust drive to a glacier, go hit Matanuska. You can sign a waiver and walk out on the damned thing. That's truly spectacular.

 

[SDhorn]

I agree with Misha concerning Denali. Take the train from Anchorage to Talkeetna and then rent a small plane on skis to land on one of the glaciers on Denali. Talkeetna is a fun old west tourist town and is the gateway hub for those climbing Denali with lots of activity in August. September is your best chance for clear skies in Denali, but you have a chance in mid August.

If the weather does not look good at Denali, then the trip to Seward is spectacular with the boat trip into Kenai Fiords National Park. You pass Portage Glacier on the way and it is worth a 45 minute stop. We had the perfect day when I did the Seward trip. On the drive down, we saw Dall Sheep, mountain goats, and Beluga whales. On the boat trip into the fiords, we had perfect weather and calm seas. We had 2 very informative naturalists on-board and saw humpback, right, and orca whales, seals, sea lions, eagles, puffins, cormorants, murres, kittiwakes, Dall's porpoises, sea otters, puffins, bear, and deer. We also saw a glacier calve.

On the drive back to Anchorage, I was commenting that about the only thing we had not seen is a moose. It was not a minute later when we rounded a curve and saw a moose. It was a magical day and it is unlikely that you would be nearly so lucky, but even on a bad day, it will be a nice trip.

It would be ambitious to drive to Homer on Saturday afternoon, fish for halibut, and then return for a Monday flight, but it is doable. It is 230 miles or so, but it is a long 230 miles. It will take you at least 5 hours no matter how fast you drive because significant sections are windy 2 lane roads and there are lots of RVs that you get stuck behind. But Homer is a gorgeous town and very worth the trip and certainly has the best halibut fishing in AK. They also have very good salmon and steel head fishing in the Anchor River and in the ocean at the mouth of the Anchor River.