Can you still get "away" close to Anchorage? (Palmer: house, motel)

[blessteve]

My major dissappointment with Colorado is no matter where you go
people are there. LOTS OF THEM. I would like some solitude close by and a town, probably Anc close by. Is it possible to live in Anchorage and with in a two hour drive take a long long walk for a day or two and not see people and lights every where.

My long term plan of moving to Anchorage area is in place so you folks might see me post a lot until the move.

This is a question for Ak people that have been there awhile and seen people come and go. Would you say people that are doer's have a higher rate of
becoming a long term res. in AK. I am the type of guy that does lots of outdoors activities. I have seen many talk about it when they first get to CO
and then never do anything before they move away.

Is it possible to buy a house down the street from Anchorage and be able to dog sled, snow machine and hike the hills starting on my back door.

I have been there twice and that is what it looks like to me but the locals would now for sure.

Thanks in advance for you insight.

[Glitch]

Let's see, a two hour drive averaging 50 mph would put you around 100 miles away from Anchorage. Going up the Parks Highway that would put you at the Talkeetna Junction. Talkeetna has an official population of under 1,000, but I'll bet if you shake the bushes you'll find at least 1,500. A two hour drive along the Glenn Highway would put you at the Matanuska Glacier. The only thing around there is a motel, not even a gas station. A two hour drive down the Seward Highway would put you around Summit Lake. There is another motel there with a resturant, a couple of old cabins, and not much else. Those are your only three choices from Anchorage, because there are only three ways out of town.

As a general rule, if you stick to the roads, you will encounter people. Particularly since we have so few roads in Alaska. To a much lesser extent, if you stick to the rivers, you will also encounter people. So if absolute solitude is your goal, then I would recommend chartering a bush plane for about an hour and fly in just about any direction you want and you will not see anyone, as long as you avoid the rivers and the roads.

Alaska has a population of 653,000 (add another 850,000+ in tourists every summer) and 344 million acres, so it shouldn't be difficult to find someplace where there is absolutely nobody not far from Anchorage.

[blessteve]

Thanks for the reply.

[ysr_racer]

Everything on this website was taken within 3 hours of Anchorage

Alaska 2007 Pictures

[blessteve]

Very nice pictures. Racer you must have loved it. Both of you had a huge smile
in every pic.
I have a question about the roads. Is there lots of private property on the sides.
In colorado sometimes it is hard to get into the forest cause the roads are surronded by private property. Also is there lots of side roads or places we could pull are 22' camper and camp other then camp grounds. Agian I am talking a couple of hours drive from Anchorage.
We plan on taking a couple more trips up there before we move but some info from locals is priceless.

[BudinAk]

Originally Posted by blessteve

Very nice pictures. Racer you must have loved it. Both of you had a huge smile
in every pic.
I have a question about the roads. Is there lots of private property on the sides.
In colorado sometimes it is hard to get into the forest cause the roads are surronded by private property. Also is there lots of side roads or places we could pull are 22' camper and camp other then camp grounds. Agian I am talking a couple of hours drive from Anchorage.
We plan on taking a couple more trips up there before we move but some info from locals is priceless.

Alaska has the LEAST (percentage-wise) private property of any state: somewhere around 5% privately held. The rest of the state is federal, state, and native corporation owned. What this means is there are literally HUNDREDS of pull-offs and side roads along the highway that are NOT private...anybody can camp there, or park there and use as a place to access wilderness. If you like to hike, there are some fairly pristine, wild, and scenic places within just 2 hrs drive of Anchorage...places where you MIGHT see 3 or 4 other people on a days hike of 10 or 12 miles. It is a hiking, camping, fishing, hunting, and snowmachining paradise up here, with few people. For what you are looking for, it just doesn't get any better than this.
(uh....ok....Pluto, Mars, Neptune, and possibly the Moon have us beat, but they're kinda inaccessable....)

Bud

[blessteve]

Thanks for the input.
Hundreds of pull-offs and side roads to access wilderness?
Camping, hunting and snowmachining paradise?
You sure paint a wonderfull image in my head.
I do love Colorado but the lakes are all pay to camp with tons of people.
And gates and fence's all over even in the wilderness area.

I can't wait to get my wife and son up there in the spring.

[Glitch]

Originally Posted by blessteve

Thanks for the input.
Hundreds of pull-offs and side roads to access wilderness?
Camping, hunting and snowmachining paradise?
You sure paint a wonderfull image in my head.
I do love Colorado but the lakes are all pay to camp with tons of people.
And gates and fence's all over even in the wilderness area.

I can't wait to get my wife and son up there in the spring.

Yes, there are lots of places to pull off the road and camp, or just park your RV, within a couple hours drive from Anchorage. You should keep in mind that the state population more than doubles, almost triples, during the summer months and there are a lot of other people doing what you want to do as well.

Also, depending on your location and the kind of summer we're having, an open camp fire (not in a designated camp ground) could be illegal. If it is a particularly dry summer, open burn and even burn barrels will be prohibited. Fires are a serious risk every summer and we get more than our fair share. With an RV that won't be a problem.

As far as hunting is concerned, it can be pretty expensive for a non-resident. That being said, we've got lots of grouse and ptarmigan up near Trapper Creek and along the Petersville Road. Caribou season opens in August. Moose season opens in September. Delta Junction is a great place for ducks and geese, but if you don't want to drive that far then the Palmer Flats isn't too bad either. There are just a lot more people hunting in the Palmer Flats because it is so close to Anchorage.

Most people fish the rivers in Alaska, because that is were you will find the salmon. We do have some lakes with Lake Trout, landlocked Silver salmon and Northern Pike, but not as many as you might think. Northern Pike are not native to Alaska and were introduced illegally decades ago. They don't get very big and they have really hurt our trout population. There are no "pan fish" in Alaska (bluegill, sunfish, crapie, bass, etc.) our waters are too cold for them. We do have Grayling and Dolly Vardon though, and they are quite tasty.