What to do and see thats not touristy (Anchorage, Fairbanks: ski resort, hotels)

[RN2travel2]

As I will be coming to work for a few months in Anchorage, I would really like to get to know as much of Alaska as possible, I really don't want to just see the Areas the tourists go to. Any ideas on free/cheap places to visit that is not tourist oriented. Drives to take? Hikes? Places to camp? Cabins to stay in? Places to eat etc. I am making my things to do and see list. ANy suggestions will be appreciated.

Carol

[Alaskan_Adventurer]

Ahh, unfortunately...if there is a road, it will be a tourist destination :P If you mean areas less visited, I have a few recommondations. In, and around Anchorage you should check out our tiny, yet beautiful zoo. The zoo can get busy on the weekends, especially on beautiful days. Target a weekday. Just outside of town heading south on the Seward highway, you will find Potter's Marsh. A nice little marsh with lots of birds and the occasional moose. In the middle of summer, you will also see hundreds of salmon swimming through from the Cook Inlet. A little farther south you will see another beautiful area called McHugh Creek. It is one of my favorite, closer hiking trails. Right at the entrance you will see a nice waterfall. Peaceful area for a picnic. Then you can have a hike which can take from an hour, to days. Unfortunately, we do get LOTS of tourists in the summer.

Have fun!

[Rance]

I recomend driving down to Seward and/or Homer, for some great scenery. There are many camp spots and hiking trails along the way. And yes the zoo is cool. Has all the Alaskan critters. Also the Sealife Center in Seward is a great place to visit.

[christyrana]

A very nice day trip from Anchorage is Hatcher's Pass. It is a wonderful drive through true wilderness.
Take Glenn Hwy toward Palmer then turn on the parks Hwy. Then onto Willow-Fishook Rd. Get a good map. And take a friend.
Also if you do make it to Homer, then try to fly/ take the ferry across the bay to Seldovia. It is very quaint.

We just loved to drive the Seward Hwy! It was different eveytime we drove it!!

[JavaPhil]

The climb to the top of Flattop in Anchorage is alright. The boys usually make a full day of it with a lunch at the summit. Wear a couple of layers, as the weather is changeable. The view of Anchorage is awesome. However, last year 2 people (out of thousands) still died, one of them an 80 0r 82 year old guy. It is strenuous.

Resurrection Bay in Seward is beautiful. And touristy or not, the Homer spit is just plain fun. Eclectic shops, and an outstanding boat basin. Kachemak Bay and Seldovia across the way. At least if you drive to Homer, you've gone to the end of the road, as far from the US as a connected highway will take you. Tom Bodett writes his books and columns from there. Stop in and see the towns on the coast of the western Kenai. Can't remember the cafe in Soldotna, but it's a fun place to visit, and the food's not bad.

Visit Girdwood in summer. It's a world class ski resort, but just another artist town in summer.

Go see the old copper mine in the Wrangell-St. Elias Nat'l Park. If you haven't heard of it, it's the largest US National Park.

If you've got the money, go the the Katmai on the Alaska Peninsula. Bear Heaven, mainly because of the number of trophy hunters who pay upwards of $10,000 to get a bear (and most of them do). But the Katmai is also home to more active volcanoes then any other US area. Another unknown national park. Visit Gates of the Arctic NP, but unless you're a fan of the flat tundra, there's not a lot to see. Expensive to get to as you can only fly in from Fairbanks or Kotz or Nome.

Visit the Pribilofs if you a bird watcher. St. Paul is a little bigger, size and population, but St. George has one of the nicest little hotels you'll ever see with a kitchen as big as my house. Just remember to pack in your own food as the store is expensive and limited. Saying there are a million birds in the rookeries is NOT an exaggeration, but possibly an understatement. The seals and walrus have their own rookeries, and you can watch them from the cliffs.

Fly up to Bettles or Anaktuvuk Pass for a day in nice villages in the Arctic Bush. I think Warbelows Air even gives you a certificate to the fact that you have been north of the Circle.

There are some great web sites for some of these places and you might check them out.

Personally, anyplace but Bethel is probably is a great choice. Bethel has some great folks, but I wouldn't wanna live there. As a friend says, "It's a quaint little drinking village with a fishing problem."

[Rance]

Yeah we have a bunch of those drinking towns with fishing problems!

I'm a local...but I still get out and do "touristy" stuff. Just can't get enough of the trails, lakes and rivers. There is a change of scenery around every corner. If you swing into Girdwood...you should take a tandom ride on a para-sail from atop the ski hill (Alyeska Mountain?) (what is the name of that mountain?) . And the glacier cruise out of Seward or Whittier. Some pretty good whale watching.

[JavaPhil]

I'll always be a tourist here. Brings to mind a trip I took down to Sitka. Took the morning flight and checked into the hotel. Finished the job in less than two hours (should have taken at least six). It was the first time I had been in Sitka with the sun shining and it was almost 80 out. I caught lunch and called my boss and that was my mistake. I told him I had finished and he told me to catch a plane back that afternoon. what a bummer. I've been to Sitka a dozen times since then and it's always raining or cold.

[utvolsfan13]

This thread is AWESOME.. Saving all this info

[KWBoyd]

There is a little town called Hope on the other side of Turnagain Arm from Anchorage. It's about an hour drive on the Seward highway to the Hope cutoff. The road into Hope dead ends into a really pretty campground that is fairly civilized. If you enjoy more rustic camping, just before you get to Hope there is a fork in the road that heads off to the Resurrection Pass trail head. Follow the signs to Coeur de Laine campground. It is way off in the mountains, but easy to drive to. There are several campsites within view of the parking lot, but the best two are across a little bridge and out of sight. We camped there last summer and listened to the creek all night. The views are spectacular! Just be careful about keeping a clean campsite to avoid attracting bears.

[neperry]

Remember, the Seward Hwy is deadly. But if you brave it, check out Hope, make it to Homer. North of ANC, be sure to visit Palmer, settled by govt. sponsored homesteaders; to me, its like stepping out of your car into the 1940's. Talkeetna is worth a visit. But you are going to have to fly to reach Alaska, and that's expensive. (Anchorage and any place you can drive to are not Alaska)