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Vacationing in Alaska in June - paging Roger...
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:44 am
Posted on 4/22/15 at 10:44 am
Alright so my wife and I are seriously considering a trip to Alaska in June as a vacation for us after she graduates med school and before she starts her residency. We would love to see the amazing scenery and experience the unforgettable vastness of Alaska but don't even really know where to start. Any OBers have experience with summertime trips to AK that can offer some advice?
Thanks!
Thanks!
6
Posted on 4/22/15 at 11:01 am to The Last Coco
I can't offer much other than: don't do it by cruise ship. You're gonna want to have more time on land than a cruise will allow.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 11:06 am to The Last Coco
When I was a kid, we flew to AK for a family vacation and rented an RV for what seemed like a whole month (probably only 7-10 days). In hindsight, I probably should have been just a little older to really appreciate it, but I still have some pretty cool memories from glaciers, Denali, king salmon fishing, etc.
It seemed like a cool idea for us to be able to travel a bunch in a short amount of time and keep the kids fairly happy. We weren't staying in cities much of the time anyway, so the RV was a decent option.
It seemed like a cool idea for us to be able to travel a bunch in a short amount of time and keep the kids fairly happy. We weren't staying in cities much of the time anyway, so the RV was a decent option.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 11:18 am to DonChowder
quote:
I can't offer much other than: don't do it by cruise ship. You're gonna want to have more time on land than a cruise will allow.
I agree with you here. Cruise ship is for cruisers, it's not a very good way to experience Alaska.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 11:18 am to The Last Coco
quote:
Alright so my wife and I are seriously considering a trip to Alaska in June as a vacation for us after she graduates med school and before she starts her residency. We would love to see the amazing scenery and experience the unforgettable vastness of Alaska but don't even really know where to start. Any OBers have experience with summertime trips to AK that can offer some advice?
Time and budget?
Posted on 4/22/15 at 11:20 am to RogerTheShrubber
Is there one area I should concentrate on (or avoid) during that time of the year or anything specifically you think we should do? We are both young (mid to late 20s) and in decent shape. We enjoy hiking but probably wouldn't want to do any actually mountain climbing. Also kayaks, fishing and other adventures are welcome.
ETA: Time is 7ish days (June 1 - 8 probably), and budget (excluding airfare) is probably somewhere in the $2500 range.
ETA: Time is 7ish days (June 1 - 8 probably), and budget (excluding airfare) is probably somewhere in the $2500 range.
This post was edited on 4/22/15 at 11:24 am
Posted on 4/22/15 at 11:39 am to The Last Coco
I was stationed in Anchorage for 3 yrs and this is what you want to do.
1 - Fly to Anchorage
2 - Visit the Great Alaskan Bush Co (GREAT strip joint)!! Tell your wife it's state law so you HAVE to go
3 - DRIVE to Valdez, AK and then to Fairbanks.....the scenery is unmatched.....if you have time visit Kenai, AK too
4 - Drive back to Anchorage & visit the Great Alaskan Bush Co one more time (remember the state law thing)
5 - Fly home
1 - Fly to Anchorage
2 - Visit the Great Alaskan Bush Co (GREAT strip joint)!! Tell your wife it's state law so you HAVE to go
3 - DRIVE to Valdez, AK and then to Fairbanks.....the scenery is unmatched.....if you have time visit Kenai, AK too
4 - Drive back to Anchorage & visit the Great Alaskan Bush Co one more time (remember the state law thing)
5 - Fly home
Posted on 4/22/15 at 12:02 pm to The Last Coco
Kenai Fjords would be a good place for Kayaking.
There are several operators and several have cabins, one actually in the National Park.
I'd recommend starting from Anchorage, taking the train to Seward and doing Kenai Fjords. Maybe stay at Fox Island overnight, do some kayaking in Resurrection Bay. If you get a chance hike Mt. Marathon or go to Exit Glacier a few miles out of town and hike up to the Harding Icefield.
If you want to avoid crowds, don't do Denali. Go to Wrangell-St. Elias N.P. Rent a car and drive, or fly into McCarthy. Lots of rafting, hiking, etc. If you have time left, zip down to Valdez.
For a seven day trip, that's pretty much going to cover it, unfortunately.
If you're looking for more, Do the Kenai Fjords tour in one day, take the train to Denail for a couple of days, then up to Fairbanks for a couple of days. Most National Parks such as Lake Clark or Katmai are only fly in, pretty expensive. You could do a flightseeing tour of Katmai though.
7 days isn't going to get you a lot of time in Ak. There are hundreds of great places to go but they are spread out. A great compact trip would be Southeast Alaska (where I live) from Juneau. You could do Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay N.P., go to Haines and raft the Chilkat River, stay on Chilkat Lake and fish, go to Skagway and take the train to the Candian border.
The Southeast portion would give you far more bang for your buck. It's the size of Florida but only has 70,000 ppl, most around Juneau. There are endless possibilities within 100 miles of Juneau. Glacier Bay National Park, Tracy Arm/Fords Terror Wilderness area, Sitka, Haines, Skagway, The Juneau Ice Field. You could do a compact 7 days without having to rush. You could take the Ferry from JNU to Skagway, drive the golden circle to Haines, then Ferry Back to Juneau. Take a flight to Glacier Bay, Stay overnight and day cruise the park.
If there are certain things you would like to see, it's best to start there and build your trip around it.
There are several operators and several have cabins, one actually in the National Park.
I'd recommend starting from Anchorage, taking the train to Seward and doing Kenai Fjords. Maybe stay at Fox Island overnight, do some kayaking in Resurrection Bay. If you get a chance hike Mt. Marathon or go to Exit Glacier a few miles out of town and hike up to the Harding Icefield.
If you want to avoid crowds, don't do Denali. Go to Wrangell-St. Elias N.P. Rent a car and drive, or fly into McCarthy. Lots of rafting, hiking, etc. If you have time left, zip down to Valdez.
For a seven day trip, that's pretty much going to cover it, unfortunately.
If you're looking for more, Do the Kenai Fjords tour in one day, take the train to Denail for a couple of days, then up to Fairbanks for a couple of days. Most National Parks such as Lake Clark or Katmai are only fly in, pretty expensive. You could do a flightseeing tour of Katmai though.
7 days isn't going to get you a lot of time in Ak. There are hundreds of great places to go but they are spread out. A great compact trip would be Southeast Alaska (where I live) from Juneau. You could do Tracy Arm, Glacier Bay N.P., go to Haines and raft the Chilkat River, stay on Chilkat Lake and fish, go to Skagway and take the train to the Candian border.
The Southeast portion would give you far more bang for your buck. It's the size of Florida but only has 70,000 ppl, most around Juneau. There are endless possibilities within 100 miles of Juneau. Glacier Bay National Park, Tracy Arm/Fords Terror Wilderness area, Sitka, Haines, Skagway, The Juneau Ice Field. You could do a compact 7 days without having to rush. You could take the Ferry from JNU to Skagway, drive the golden circle to Haines, then Ferry Back to Juneau. Take a flight to Glacier Bay, Stay overnight and day cruise the park.
If there are certain things you would like to see, it's best to start there and build your trip around it.
This post was edited on 4/22/15 at 12:07 pm
Posted on 4/22/15 at 12:56 pm to The Last Coco
You can go see the Bus that Christopher McCandless died in.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 1:15 pm to TigerRob82
quote:
You can go see the Bus that Christopher McCandless died in.
Our company does Jeep tours on the road. Don't go as far as the bus though.
Posted on 4/22/15 at 1:44 pm to The Last Coco
BRING MOSQUITO SPRAY!!!!!! They have mosquitos the size of minivans out there 
Posted on 4/22/15 at 1:53 pm to CoachChappy
Not on the coast. We have a few, but mosquitoes are normally found in flat areas with permafrost, where water pools. North of the Alaska Range is where you really have a mosquito problem.
Posted on 5/5/15 at 7:47 am to The Last Coco
Ex's high school grad present was a 10 day fishing trip in Alaska. Flew into anchorage. Her uncle lives up there. He was the guide for the week and change. Launched out of Whittier and sailed a good ways into the Prince William Sound for Andersen Island Lodge. Truly incredible. I highly recommend Andersen lodge. Secluded, generator run island bed and breakfast. We would take of in the mornings and troll for Silver Salmon. Return, and then set back out to fish lean cod and halibut. Stayed out there for 7 days or so. Saw it all, from breaching whales to bears and eagles. Went back inland where we stayed the remaining time in a ledge on the Kenai River. Rafted and Flyfished (just missed the run, but was still worth a shot). Temperature is great during the summer. Start the mornings off in layered clothing and by late noon you would be in shorts and a tshirt. As I am sure you know, the sun doesn't set. Kind of throws ya off at first. If its still up for discussion, definitely go man. Left with some great stories.
This post was edited on 5/5/15 at 7:48 am
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