Alaska advice

I have been to Alaska a couple times but haven't spent much time in Anchorage.   Denali National Park would be a good way to spend a couple nights.   See some bears.

Check this place out if you have time https://www.alaskawildlife.org/

at the very end of turnagain arm across from portage glacier turnoff. ~90 minutes from anchorage. 
 

moose's tooth has the good pizza

49th state brewing lobster Mac & cheese, halibut cheeks

When in Alaska, always pick up Milepost Magazine, it highlights (and advertises) points of interest along Alaska's highways. Whatever you do in Anchorage or Kenai-do not go onto the tidal flats. you will get stuck and the tide will come in and drown you.

I do recommend the Alaska Railroad. you can take it south to Seward or north to Denali. Talkeetna has a bluegrass fest every year.

There's some good river rafting north of Anchorage on the Matanuska River near Matanuska glacier. Great kayaking in Katchemak Bay near Homer. There's also a nice boat ride in Kenai Fjords National Park out of Seward, i would opt for the half day-lots of wildlife.

Anchorage can be expensive but i do recommend Simon and Sefort's, a great salmon restaurant. If the weather is good (sunshine, in the 60s) there's a beautiful bike path in the center of town.

This is of course prior to Covid. I don't know what havoc the pandemic has wrought on these activities.

Juno, where Alaska is?

I'll ask you again....

Do you?

>>>> Milepost Magazine,

We did a road trip two summers ago from Fairbanks up to Prudhoe Bay and that thing was invaluable.

was there in 87 after the Ventura shows working on a fishing boat in Egegik so can't really help but I hear Homer is an awesome place and was highly recommended.

Watch out where the huskies go, and don't you eat that yellow snow?

Great advice from BSS and DickyB.

The AWCC is worth the visit and I believe on your way to Cooper Landing, which is also a great place to stay. I can't remember where we stayed there, but it was very nice. RR to Denali is a beautiful ride. Saw New Monsoon in Denali on 4th of July in, I think, 2006.

Might checkout Prince William Sound. We took a day cruise called the "21 Glacier Cruise"out of Whitier.  I doubt very much that there are still 21 glaciers, but probably still a nice trip.

Gotta check out Homer itself. What personality that place has. Kayaking in Katchemak was awesome.

Not a fan of Anchorage. Plan on leaving as soon as you get there. Everywhere else in Alaska is better.

I love Alaska. I have been there thrice and can't wait to get back. Once mostly Kenai(fishing of course) w/ the Denali Trip thrown in. Once to Juneau mostly for fishing, but took the flight up to Skagway and took the train up to Whitepass. All about the gold rush days. Wow was that awesome.  Third time was for DNB and we stayed mostly near to Alyeska and Girdwood.  

Lots of good music fests up there too. Check a calendar.

The bus tour into the Park at Denali was also very "worth it".

Double Musky in Girdwood is a classic for dinner. 
 

Also,  I was always a fan of Club Paris in Anchorage. 
 

Seen good music on random business trips at Humpy's Ale House in Anchorage too, always liked that bar. 
 

Darwin's Theory is a good cocktail and beer bar I. anchorage with lots of characters. 
 

bar on top of Captain Cook hotel was fun for more classy, oil baron kind of bar. 
 

I used to travel to Alaska a lot on business trips and miss it, always had fun. 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/how-to-surf-alaskas-bore-tide-1809...

Ride the tidal bore.

Wow, I was just going to start a thread regarding this particular subject.

The now adult "kid" wants to travel Alaska this summer, but my wife notes that it's already too late to get a car/jeep rental up there (she's not going to let us drive our Prius untold miles to get up there, travel around there, and return home).  She recommends that we try next year so that we can plan ahead and drive a rental up to Fairbanks for free or cheap, then fly back to the Bay Area.  She also recommends that we fly to Anchorage and take trains to a few key areas.

Some great Zoner tips being shared.

Thanks!

Might consider the Alaska ferry from Bellingham to Whittier Johnny. Bring the car along and just take in the sights of the inside passage for a couple days. I haven't actually been on it myself, but friends who rave about it and would do it in a heartbeat if I had a reason like yours. No customs or international borders or anything, this is part of AK DOT so it's all very low key. Like mark said, get out of anchorage as quickly as possible. AK is a beautiful and humbling place.

This thread has me yearning.

BSS, looks like you can take your dog with you on that ferry ride. 38 hrs to Ketchikan.  Good fishing there. 750.00 each for 2 people and their dogs w/ car. Sleep in the car.   hmmmmm....  

....

Oh wow! I just remembered the best thing I ever did in Alaska.  From someplace just north of Homer, maybe Anchor Point, we took a float plane over to Brooks falls.  Holy shit the flight there and back was worth the money. Most beautiful views I have ever seen. But Brooks falls is where the Grizzlies hang out.  If you have seen the iconic pic of a Grizzly snatching a salmon as the salmon tries to jump up over the short falls and go get laid, this is that place.

https://katmailand.com/

Here are a couple pics I took at and on the pathway to the falls.   Uhh, is the photo add feature down? All I get is a blank page. Over 6 minutes now and still blank.

Oh well, I guess I will post them later when the software doesn't suck.

Between the flight over and back(different paths) and being at the falls, we counted almost 90 Grizzlies that day. 

Problem with firefox. Utility never did load.  I had to sign in with Chrome. Still took a very long time, but eventually loaded.

I might start a new thread with a bunch of pics from that trip. Was amazing. 

I love the bear photos. Remember that there's a Travel Folder. I like when people use it because the threads don't drop into oblivion. Same with sports - The Folder is there.

The regular pilot was sick that day and the sub guy was very cool. Took us up one way and back  another. 

You got it Judit. If I post more they will be in travel folder. 

But one more Bear pic.

Sorry to hijack your thread Joe. 

Tater Tots at the Spenard Roadhouse

Dress warm

Yamaya Seafood dowtown is awesome

VIP on W. Northern Lights for great Korean food

Nice thread. Here's the live cam.  https://explore.org/livecams/brown-bears/brown-bear-salmon-cam-brooks-falls

JohnnyD-i spent a week on the alaska ferry (alaska marine highway) camped out on deck with about a hundred other folks on the way home from summer in Alaska. That was the first time i saw Barry Sless. He was in a band called Cowboy Jazz that had just played the Alaska State Fair. They impromptu set up on deck (the entire week was sunny) and played. the sun went down about 2 AM.

They have lounge chairs and heaters(suspended from a roof) you can sleep on. anyhow, you can take your car to Haines from Seattle. There are limited state rooms but the real adventure is camping on deck. pack a cooler with food. They also had a snack bar on the boat. made stops in ketchikan, wrangell, petersburg, sitka and Juneau. I got on in Juneau. This was in 1988, i had worked at Arco for a summer on the offshore platform in Cook Inlet, off the coast of Kenai. The night I disembarked in Seattle, i went to Tacoma and saw GD w Santana. Of course this is many years ago but i'm pretty sure the ferry still runs.

^Sweet!  Thanks dickyb.  Hope to see you sometime soon.

Mark, I LOVE your photos!  As my son would say: EPIC!!!

> Alaska advice <

Don't eat the yellow snow

Slick, that is a cool link, but I wonder why they call it live.  Clearly on a loop. 

Yeah, the NPS used to do it, now they "partner" with Explore. No idea. You'll have to take it up with them.

I'm still  a bit buzzed after watching my Islanders win their first-round series. Playoff hockey is 'da shit. 

Oh cool I couldn't see the pics on my phone. Looks good mark!

The most badass state. I've been a couple of times. Spent a week climbing on Denali. Something I'll never forget. This is a picture of base camp.

Did you make it to the top?

Awesome thread. My wanderlust is tingling.

never been yet. i should change that this year.

kennicott is awesome but a bit out of the way

Good rafting up there too, some of the best. Chitina River out of McCarthy, Nizina. The Wrangells just totally dominate the landscape in a way only a few North American ranges really can.

at the time it was running, Kennicott was the biggest copper mine in the world, and they successfully wiped out the whole the lode. Like a billion something pounds.

Joe:

When you get back, post some pics, stories, and recommendations here in "Other Stuff" and also post a link to the thread over in the "Travel" folder for posterity and easy reference.   There is already a "North to Alaska" thread that you can contribute to.   Looking forward to seeing pics from your trip.

. 

Mark D., save some of those crazy bear pics over there too.