Anchorage / eagle river cabin (Seward, Metlakatla: rental, how much, house)

[AK76]

Girdwood is a VERY small ski resort town and tourist trap, typically receives a lot of rain and snow. Beautiful little place separated from Anchorage by the most dangerous piece of road in the state. If you enjoy walking/hiking, skiing, as those are basically the only activities outside of alcohol and drugs common to the area, then you would enjoy Girdwood.

You would be required to travel to Anchorage for most of your purchased needs, Girdwood has a small convenience store and post office, a couple small restaurants and a bakery, or two, a gas station. There may, or may not, be a doctor there.

[AKStafford]

If you don't need to commute, and want to live in a smaller, more remote town, look at Hope. Or Moose Pass. Or Seward. I'm not sure how close to Anchorage you want to be...
And then there's all of the Valley outside of the towns of Wasilla or Palmer.

[Benny-stix]

I was recently advised by a real estate agent out there to look into girdwood. I have actually had a financial upgrade so I can spend a little more and would essentially pay the whole year up front.

So does anyone have any info on log homes in girdwood ? I never really thought of girdwood as anything more than a ski resort. But maybe I was wrong about that.

But from what I've seen, log homes with wood stoves aren't too incredibly hard to find there.

What is the actual town of girdwood like? Entertainment? Recreation? Restaurants? People/community? I am looking for good down to earth people , and now that I won't need to rely on finding a job in alaska, more as a means to meet people and continue my journey of hard work. Even if it's only a few days a week. I think finding a smaller town would be better than anchorage. Especially with me wanting to snowboard a lot and alyeska being right there in girdwood. I would imagine most of my outdoor activities I would want to partake in, can be done at the resort in some form or fashion. Snow machine/ snowboard/ atv/ hiking/ sledding like a little kid.

Girdwood seems like a great place from the little info I have, and the realtor told me as long as I don't have to commute to anchorage everyday, girdwood seemed like a great place for me.

So give me the skinny on girdwood please!! Good things. Bad things. And everything in between. But more so about living there than just visiting. Because I will get my vacation there within the next 4 months.

[Benny-stix]

I would prefer to be relatively close to anchorage. Or at least one of the more major towns. I really like the whole kenai, I just don't want it to have to be a whole ordeal to try to go snowboarding.

Is there many places in alaska, particularly within reasonable distance of anchorage to go snowboarding other than alyeska?

[AKStafford]

Originally Posted by Benny-stix

Is there many places in alaska, particularly within reasonable distance of anchorage to go snowboarding other than alyeska?

Hatchers Pass in the Valley. Or Hilltop in Anchorage. Or anywhere with a hill and some snow...

[Benny-stix]

Originally Posted by AK76

Girdwood is a VERY small ski resort town and tourist trap, typically receives a lot of rain and snow. Beautiful little place separated from Anchorage by the most dangerous piece of road in the state. If you enjoy walking/hiking, skiing, as those are basically the only activities outside of alcohol and drugs common to the area, then you would enjoy Girdwood.

You would be required to travel to Anchorage for most of your purchased needs, Girdwood has a small convenience store and post office, a couple small restaurants and a bakery, or two, a gas station. There may, or may not, be a doctor there.

In terms of the commute to anchorage, is it really that bad where it's tough even on the clearest winter days? Because since I won't be working in anchorage, I could plan my trips for what I need there according to the weather. I would imagine girdwood has food and water that would keep me from starving. And anything else, shouldn't really be an instant need that I can't just wait a week or two for for the right weather day to go and spend a day in anchorage. I would imagine anchorage would be where I could find my best chance at a career type job that would allow me to stay there longer than just a year. But would prefer to not be in anchorage the first year. Mainly due to the recreational activities and style of home I am interested in and how clubs and nightlife are really important to me at all. I like to watch movies in the nighttime. Not really an alcohol type of guy, and you probably will judge me on this , but I am completely against drugs, every single one of them, except marijuana. So if that is your drug issue in girdwood then that's not necessarily a bad thing. Not necessarily a good thing. Just doesn't bother me. I think it's no worse than alcohol so if alcohol is being used, smoke away if you would like. I personally don't, but would rather be around a smoker than a drinker.

Thanks for the help!!!

[AK76]

Originally Posted by Benny-stix

In terms of the commute to anchorage, is it really that bad where it's tough even on the clearest winter days? Because since I won't be working in anchorage, I could plan my trips for what I need there according to the weather. I would imagine girdwood has food and water that would keep me from starving. And anything else, shouldn't really be an instant need that I can't just wait a week or two for for the right weather day to go and spend a day in anchorage. I would imagine anchorage would be where I could find my best chance at a career type job that would allow me to stay there longer than just a year. But would prefer to not be in anchorage the first year. Mainly due to the recreational activities and style of home I am interested in and how clubs and nightlife are really important to me at all. I like to watch movies in the nighttime. Not really an alcohol type of guy, and you probably will judge me on this , but I am completely against drugs, every single one of them, except marijuana. So if that is your drug issue in girdwood then that's not necessarily a bad thing. Not necessarily a good thing. Just doesn't bother me. I think it's no worse than alcohol so if alcohol is being used, smoke away if you would like. I personally don't, but would rather be around a smoker than a drinker.

Thanks for the help!!!

How you feel about drugs or alcohol is none of my business, I only mention them because they are a reality and are prevalent.

The Seward HWY, in particular the stretch around Turnagin Arm is dangerous for several reasons, many of them being the mercurial weather conditions between Anchorage and Girdwood(as well as other places along T-Arm) and the drastic differences along that stretch of road. There have been a time or two when I left Anchorage, the temp was -20F, by the time I arrived in Girdwood it was raining, that is 30 HWY miles, imagine the changing road conditions. The HWY runs directly along the edge of the water and there are several places where, when the wind is strong, water spray gets blown onto the HWY making it very slick from freezing spray, avalanches that cover the HWY can occur when the snow pack and conditions are present, closing the HWY for a day or more, rock/boulders falling onto the road from high above. Major storm systems frequently get pushed through Portage Pass from the Gulf of Alaska into south central AK, and T-Arm gets hammered with severe weather as a result.

Other hazards are countless IDIOT tourists that think it is ok to stop on a blind corner of a HWY and stand in the road to gaze at sheep along the road, or just above, CRAZY, IDIOT, NARCISSITC A-HOLE drivers who speed and pass dangerously regardless of the weather, amount of traffic or its flow. There are many collisions, frequently they involve fatalities, often they are the result of reckless driving and/or DUI. It is not a drive to ever be taken lightly, it is certainly not a drive I would commute on a daily basis, let alone have much confidence that I would be able to get to work, or return to home on any given day. There is no alternative route.

Live in Girdwood and work in Anchorage? Personally, I would never do it. Making the drive every two or so weeks for shopping, etc., would not bother me a bit beyond the normal caution due.

[Benny-stix]

Originally Posted by AK76

How you feel about drugs or alcohol is none of my business, I only mention them because they are a reality and are prevalent.

The Seward HWY, in particular the stretch around Turnagin Arm is dangerous for several reasons, many of them being the mercurial weather conditions between Anchorage and Girdwood(as well as other places along T-Arm) and the drastic differences along that stretch of road. There have been a time or two when I left Anchorage, the temp was -20F, by the time I arrived in Girdwood it was raining, that is 30 HWY miles, imagine the changing road conditions. The HWY runs directly along the edge of the water and there are several places where, when the wind is strong, water spray gets blown onto the HWY making it very slick from freezing spray, avalanches that cover the HWY can occur when the snow pack and conditions are present, closing the HWY for a day or more, rock/boulders falling onto the road from high above. Major storm systems frequently get pushed through Portage Pass from the Gulf of Alaska into south central AK, and T-Arm gets hammered with severe weather as a result.

Other hazards are countless IDIOT tourists that think it is ok to stop on a blind corner of a HWY and stand in the road to gaze at sheep along the road, or just above, CRAZY, IDIOT, NARCISSITC A-HOLE drivers who speed and pass dangerously regardless of the weather, amount of traffic or its flow. There are many collisions, frequently they involve fatalities, often they are the result of reckless driving and/or DUI. It is not a drive to ever be taken lightly, it is certainly not a drive I would commute on a daily basis, let alone have much confidence that I would be able to get to work, or return to home on any given day. There is no alternative route.

Live in Girdwood and work in Anchorage? Personally, I would never do it. Making the drive every two or so weeks for shopping, etc., would not bother me a bit beyond the normal caution due.

Thanks for the feedback!! I was starting to think it was just about impossible to get from girdwood to anchorage in the winter at all by the way your post started. But the last paragraph helped save my thoughts a little bit. Lol. I know exactly what kind of drivers you are talking about. I'm sure the % of them, and dangers they bring are extremely lower here in houston, but I have definitely seen the drivers you are referring to and they are almost like a death trap flying down the highway.

As for only making the trip once or twice a month not being a problem, that is music to my ears. I would try to make it to where I would only go once a month unless I was going for a specific event of some sort like a concert or festival, and those trips would be made days prior to the event and just stay in anchorage for a few days. Which I would imagine would happen two, maybe three times all year.

Thanks for easing my nerves a little bit about not being shut completely off from anchorage for about 3 or 4 months!!!

[Benny-stix]

Originally Posted by Benny-stix

Mainly due to the recreational activities and style of home I am interested in and how clubs and nightlife are really important to me at all.

I meant to say clubs and nightlife "aren't" really important to me at all.
Probably my over/under on clubs I will attent in alaska is probably 2. And I would bet the under.

[keyman51]

I know some people who have lived in Girdwood and commuted, I wouldn't recommend it. It might be better to live there than in Kenai. You're closer to ANC if you have to go there and opportunities for winter sports are closer.