Alaska
November 6, 2022 11:26 AM Subscribe
A friend and I are planning an Alaska trip next fall. Can you help us plan a trip featuring lots of nature, frequent but not super rigorous physical activity, and ideally also history, art, local culture?
Two middle aged queers who like doing weird shit on the cheap. We both like biking and camping but she is much better at that stuff that me. For me, I am happy for example to bike and walk every day, but can't do super hard, hilly, multi-day backpacking stuff. We are both fairly adventurous. We both like books, art, nature. I am especially interested in history. I am interested in ferry rides, cabin rentals, biking, checking out towns. I do get sea sick kind of easily which I can try to address with Dramamine & sea bands but probably a trip that is primarily boat focused will not be idea.
Where should I start looking? Particular Alaska travel guides I should check out? Any recommendations you personally love?
Will be flying from SF Bay Area in fall 2023 and probably will have like 7 to 10 days.
Two middle aged queers who like doing weird shit on the cheap. We both like biking and camping but she is much better at that stuff that me. For me, I am happy for example to bike and walk every day, but can't do super hard, hilly, multi-day backpacking stuff. We are both fairly adventurous. We both like books, art, nature. I am especially interested in history. I am interested in ferry rides, cabin rentals, biking, checking out towns. I do get sea sick kind of easily which I can try to address with Dramamine & sea bands but probably a trip that is primarily boat focused will not be idea.
Where should I start looking? Particular Alaska travel guides I should check out? Any recommendations you personally love?
Will be flying from SF Bay Area in fall 2023 and probably will have like 7 to 10 days.
We visited Seward in mid fall and had a lovely time. It’s close to hiking in Kenai Fjords NP, and on the drive from Anchorage you go by Turnagain Arm, which sometimes features a tidal bore, and learning about those was very cool.
posted by eirias at 2:09 PM on November 6, 2022
posted by eirias at 2:09 PM on November 6, 2022
Actually, it might have been Mt. Marathon we hiked on, can’t tell if that’s part of the park. Regardless!
posted by eirias at 2:12 PM on November 6, 2022
posted by eirias at 2:12 PM on November 6, 2022
If you fly into Juneau do go to the big history museum there. Tons of really interesting artifacts from local cultures, conflicts, events. You can also go out to Mendenhall glacier very easily - it's worth taking one day to do both before moving on I'd say.
The Alaska ferries run all the way out to the Aleutians and can be hopped on and off quite easily, it's the established cheap and authentic (not to mention stable) way to get around the lower part of the state.
It will be cold and wet! Bring real boots!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 4:22 PM on November 6, 2022
The Alaska ferries run all the way out to the Aleutians and can be hopped on and off quite easily, it's the established cheap and authentic (not to mention stable) way to get around the lower part of the state.
It will be cold and wet! Bring real boots!
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 4:22 PM on November 6, 2022
Hi! Alaskan here. What are you thinking, specifically, in terms of “fall” dates? Recommendations for early September will be very different than late October and conditions will be…highly variable regardless.
posted by charmedimsure at 4:35 PM on November 6, 2022
posted by charmedimsure at 4:35 PM on November 6, 2022
Response by poster: Right now I am flexible so seeking advice on best travel time in fall as well!
posted by latkes at 4:58 PM on November 6, 2022
posted by latkes at 4:58 PM on November 6, 2022
Anchorage has a great museum with information about indigenous tribes and also a lot about the 1964 earthquake.
A cruise from Seward to one of the glaciers up a fjord was good with whale sightings etc but we had exceptionally calm weather at sea, your experience may vary
posted by TimHare at 7:16 PM on November 6, 2022
A cruise from Seward to one of the glaciers up a fjord was good with whale sightings etc but we had exceptionally calm weather at sea, your experience may vary
posted by TimHare at 7:16 PM on November 6, 2022
One note: maybe don't plan on relying on the Alaska Marine Highway (read: ferry) system. The current (and unfortunately likely to be re-elected) governor appears to be doing everything in his power to render the system useless
If you want to do outdoors-y things in Alaska, September is better than October. There's usually not enough snow in October to do "winter" things, but it's not really summer or fall, either.
posted by conradjones at 8:20 PM on November 6, 2022
If you want to do outdoors-y things in Alaska, September is better than October. There's usually not enough snow in October to do "winter" things, but it's not really summer or fall, either.
posted by conradjones at 8:20 PM on November 6, 2022
Best answer: Okay. So, not gonna lie: fall in Alaska is my least favorite season. It's short, it's rainy, and and your odds of having truly miserable weather (rainy + windy +40 degrees) are the highest of the year. I would head up here as early as you can to maximize your non-miserable outdoor chances (or: delay until mid-November for winter activities!). Anything you want to do that is tourist-oriented is likely to be shutting down in the week after Labor Day, so in general I would recommend that you center your trip around places that have more year-round opportunities.
You have two decent options: a trip centered around the southeast part of the state, and a trip centered around the southcentral part of the state. I will let the southeast people speak to southeast activities...it's awesome, it's green, the hiking is great and it rains more than 2/3 of the days in September and October. Conradjones is right, don't count on the ferry at this point.
Anchorage has the most well-developed trail system of any part of the state and in early to mid-September there won't be snow up in the mountains yet. Seriously: world-class hiking (you also have hiking in Gidwood/Eagle River as options, 30-45 minutes away). You can do day trips or overnight excursions up to the Mat-Su Valley/Talkeetna (90 min-3 2.5 hour drive) or down to Seward (2 hours, rolls up its carpets mid-September), or do a detour down into Homer (5 hour drive) for a stretch of days, since it's much more of a real, livable place than Seward.
Public use cabins are hard to book and there are not enough for the demand, but are pretty great if you can get them. You can book them 7 months in advance. This website can help you find last minute opportunities and see more than one at once.
North of Anchorage
-we like to stay at the cabins at Sheep Creek Lodge when we go to Talkeetna. They are EXTREMELY NOT FANCY NO YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND SO MUCH LESS FANCY THAN THAT but the food/drink at the lodge is better than you'd expect, and you're close to Talkeetna which is a cool little town. We love the Flying Squirrel Bakery there.
-if you have a sunny day flightseeing around Denali from Talkeetna is not cheap but is 100% worth it and you'll remember it forever. I have done this in early September before.
-Curry Ridge is a great hike with amazing views, as is bopping up Kesugi Ridge from Little Coal Creek. If you can't get a sunny day I'm not sure it's worth it.
-Hatcher Pass is gorgeous, might have too much snow by mid-September
-lots of public use cabins, but they're hard to get
Anchorage, Eagle River (30 min north), Girdwood (45 min south)
-best selection of Alaska Native art in the state is at the Alaska Native Medical Center. Has weird hours, is fair to artists.
-the Anchorage Museum is actually quite nice
-the Alaska Native Heritage Center has good cultural stuff, but often closes for the last two weeks in September
-Title Wave Used Books is pretty great, and The Writer's Block Bookstore in Spenard is tiny but awesome (also has pretty good food, and you can get a beer there too)
-great biking all over the place, both paved and non-paved (the Coastal/Campbell/Chester Creek trails are good road biking if it's not too slick/leafy and the mountain bike trails at Kincaid and Hillside are good, too. You can put together a very solid bike pub crawl, too. Mountain biking out at Eklutna is nice in the fall, or up Powerline Pass (again: come early because there will be snow in late September there), or road biking on the Bird to Gird trail or at Portage on the Trail of Blue Ice can be fun. It is possible to rent bikes; you'd have to think about how to transport them to trailheads, though.
-if you come over Labor Day, you can hit the Fungus Festival in Girdwood! Girdwood in general is a fun little town.
-great hiking up in the Chugach Foothills, in Eagle River, in Girdwood, at Portatge Pass, all over the place, no camping required
-if you want a boat trip to see glaciers, you can leave from Whittier, an hour away
-the state fair in Palmer around Labor Day is fun. Who doesn't want to see giant cabbages!
South of Anchorage
-Seward: fun harbor, a few good restaurants (check out The Cookery, Woody's Thai), good hiking, does really shut down after Labor Day. Getting out on the water is great on a day cruise, the boats are pretty big (but will be cold, and run far less frequently in September + shut down in October). The Salted Roots cabins are extremely nice but expensive/hard to get, Miller's Landing can provide you with much more of an adventure but is...pretty downmarket.
We've stayed in some places out Bear Creek as well. Kayaking can be nice but would be cold that time of year.
-Homer: more of a real town, good hiking across the bay in Kachemak Bay State Park (water taxi required, not necessarily cheap), on a nice day you can walk forever on the beach, year-round activities, the Pratt Museum is small fun and there's a real art scene. Get slices at Fat Olive's and pick up pastries and coffee at Two Sisters Bakery. The Spit might be more or less shut down after Labor Day but there are enough other things to do. Kayaking and tidepooling can be great but, again: weather is a real kicker.
Happy to make more specific suggestions if you need (within my Southcentral area of expertise), either here or via MeMail.
posted by charmedimsure at 11:46 PM on November 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
You have two decent options: a trip centered around the southeast part of the state, and a trip centered around the southcentral part of the state. I will let the southeast people speak to southeast activities...it's awesome, it's green, the hiking is great and it rains more than 2/3 of the days in September and October. Conradjones is right, don't count on the ferry at this point.
Anchorage has the most well-developed trail system of any part of the state and in early to mid-September there won't be snow up in the mountains yet. Seriously: world-class hiking (you also have hiking in Gidwood/Eagle River as options, 30-45 minutes away). You can do day trips or overnight excursions up to the Mat-Su Valley/Talkeetna (90 min-3 2.5 hour drive) or down to Seward (2 hours, rolls up its carpets mid-September), or do a detour down into Homer (5 hour drive) for a stretch of days, since it's much more of a real, livable place than Seward.
Public use cabins are hard to book and there are not enough for the demand, but are pretty great if you can get them. You can book them 7 months in advance. This website can help you find last minute opportunities and see more than one at once.
North of Anchorage
-we like to stay at the cabins at Sheep Creek Lodge when we go to Talkeetna. They are EXTREMELY NOT FANCY NO YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND SO MUCH LESS FANCY THAN THAT but the food/drink at the lodge is better than you'd expect, and you're close to Talkeetna which is a cool little town. We love the Flying Squirrel Bakery there.
-if you have a sunny day flightseeing around Denali from Talkeetna is not cheap but is 100% worth it and you'll remember it forever. I have done this in early September before.
-Curry Ridge is a great hike with amazing views, as is bopping up Kesugi Ridge from Little Coal Creek. If you can't get a sunny day I'm not sure it's worth it.
-Hatcher Pass is gorgeous, might have too much snow by mid-September
-lots of public use cabins, but they're hard to get
Anchorage, Eagle River (30 min north), Girdwood (45 min south)
-best selection of Alaska Native art in the state is at the Alaska Native Medical Center. Has weird hours, is fair to artists.
-the Anchorage Museum is actually quite nice
-the Alaska Native Heritage Center has good cultural stuff, but often closes for the last two weeks in September
-Title Wave Used Books is pretty great, and The Writer's Block Bookstore in Spenard is tiny but awesome (also has pretty good food, and you can get a beer there too)
-great biking all over the place, both paved and non-paved (the Coastal/Campbell/Chester Creek trails are good road biking if it's not too slick/leafy and the mountain bike trails at Kincaid and Hillside are good, too. You can put together a very solid bike pub crawl, too. Mountain biking out at Eklutna is nice in the fall, or up Powerline Pass (again: come early because there will be snow in late September there), or road biking on the Bird to Gird trail or at Portage on the Trail of Blue Ice can be fun. It is possible to rent bikes; you'd have to think about how to transport them to trailheads, though.
-if you come over Labor Day, you can hit the Fungus Festival in Girdwood! Girdwood in general is a fun little town.
-great hiking up in the Chugach Foothills, in Eagle River, in Girdwood, at Portatge Pass, all over the place, no camping required
-if you want a boat trip to see glaciers, you can leave from Whittier, an hour away
-the state fair in Palmer around Labor Day is fun. Who doesn't want to see giant cabbages!
South of Anchorage
-Seward: fun harbor, a few good restaurants (check out The Cookery, Woody's Thai), good hiking, does really shut down after Labor Day. Getting out on the water is great on a day cruise, the boats are pretty big (but will be cold, and run far less frequently in September + shut down in October). The Salted Roots cabins are extremely nice but expensive/hard to get, Miller's Landing can provide you with much more of an adventure but is...pretty downmarket.
We've stayed in some places out Bear Creek as well. Kayaking can be nice but would be cold that time of year.
-Homer: more of a real town, good hiking across the bay in Kachemak Bay State Park (water taxi required, not necessarily cheap), on a nice day you can walk forever on the beach, year-round activities, the Pratt Museum is small fun and there's a real art scene. Get slices at Fat Olive's and pick up pastries and coffee at Two Sisters Bakery. The Spit might be more or less shut down after Labor Day but there are enough other things to do. Kayaking and tidepooling can be great but, again: weather is a real kicker.
Happy to make more specific suggestions if you need (within my Southcentral area of expertise), either here or via MeMail.
posted by charmedimsure at 11:46 PM on November 6, 2022 [1 favorite]
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I'd try to visit in late summer/early Fall, regardless of where in Alaska you go. October is often starting to get chilly & you should be prepared for rain or snow, depending on whether you are more north or south in the state.
posted by belladonna at 2:04 PM on November 6, 2022 [4 favorites]