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Hi, I am going to visit Alaska in early-middle September, and thinking of visiting Barrow. However, the price to go there from Fairbanks/Anchorage is pretty steep ($574-689 through Alaska Airlines). I just wondering if visiting Barrow at that time (and even visiting the city at all) well worth the money spent.
Thank you.
Hi, I am going to visit Alaska in early-middle September, and thinking of visiting Barrow. However, the price to go there from Fairbanks/Anchorage is pretty steep ($574-689 through Alaska Airlines). I just wondering if visiting Barrow at that time (and even visiting the city at all) well worth the money spent.
Thank you.
The only thing you will regret is not planning on staying twice as long as you do. An overnight stay is absurd. Two days isn't much better. Two weeks is good!
September isn't bad, but there isn't anything special going on either. The weather is typically a little damp in September, but worst case is not really much rain. Note that by the end of the first week in October it will be all white, and that snow won't melt until next June. So it could get slushy any time in the last two weeks of September too.
One big problem is that you can only get to know about what one half of Barrow is in September. You'll need to schedule a trip during the winter to see the other half. It really is two vastly different experiences. The last two weeks of June are the best for summer, though the 4th of July is nice too. The week between Christmas and New Years is a good time for a winter visit, and so is the first week of April.
But, assuming you are an adventurous type and will be open minded and find a place that is distinctly different from home to be interesting, you will thoroughly enjoy visiting Barrow at any time of the year.
Last edited by Floyd_Davidson; 08-23-2009 at 01:30 AM..
Floyd & warptman, thank you for the reply. I just wondering then what would be the attraction in September? Would I be able to see any wild life (i.e. polar bear/snowy owls), activities (whale hunting), or nature (aurora borealis)? If not, then would you suggest I come on different time of the year then (in summer or winter) rather than in September?
Thank you.
Floyd & warptman, thank you for the reply. I just wondering then what would be the attraction in September? Would I be able to see any wild life (i.e. polar bear/snowy owls), activities (whale hunting), or nature (aurora borealis)? If not, then would you suggest I come on different time of the year then (in summer or winter) rather than in September?
Thank you.
If you do have any flexibility, September is not the best time of year unless you happen to be a birder. There are a couple ducks that are more likely to be seen then than any other time... :-)
This year there are no lemmings around Barrow, so there are no snowy owls, jaegers, or foxes. September is a good time of year to see them if there are any, just not this year. Geese, ducks and swans are usually plentiful.
Polar bears are a hit or miss thing that is hard to predict. I saw some fresh tracks about 5 miles southwest of town yesterday, but nobody has reported seeing a bear in that area, so it must have swam away. We have bears come into town several times a year, but picking any given time when they will is hard. Last June though, as an example, I could have shown you half a dozen polar bears on virtually any day. September... who knows???? :-)
Aurora is another thing that is hard to predict here, because it depends on clear skies to see it and we usually have cloudy skies. Late September is a good time for aurora as such, but also a time when the sky here is never clear!
Whaling is one that we can nail though! The fall whaling season begins in early/mid October as soon as the air temperature drops below freezing. That is going to be by the end of the first week of October, and as soon after that as the weather co-operates (low enough winds and waves), whaling begins.
Indeed, if you can hold off your trip until about the 10th or so of October, and schedule a week here, it is almost certain that you'll see whaling. This fall there will be a lot of activity because the spring season was not very productive and nearly the entire quota is available. At most they catch 3 per day... so there are going to be at least 6 days when whales are brought in.
Floyd, thank you so much for the information you provide. I'll see if I can delay the trip, otherwise, maybe I'll visit Barrow next time I go to Alaska. Nevertheless, I appreciate your time and your insightful response.
Floyd, thank you so much for the information you provide. I'll see if I can delay the trip, otherwise, maybe I'll visit Barrow next time I go to Alaska. Nevertheless, I appreciate your time and your insightful response.
It really is worth the time and effort to spend a few days here. The culture here is vastly different than anything you can find in the Lower-48. It is different, and it is very complex too.
The three times I would most recommend, depending on what one wants most to see, are October, June, and Christmas. Mid-October is the fall whaling season. And the last week of June is Nalukataq, the Blanket Toss festivals that celebrate successful spring whaling, is the best summer time. For a full blown winter visit, the week from Christmas through the New Years is a very active time here.
Smaller celebrations are the 4th of July (Arctic Games), and the Spring Festival in the first week of April. One other big one, the Qivgiq (Messenger Feast) is not always done, but is scheduled sometime in February but the exact date isn't known until January.
Those are probably best if you are time limited and can only spend 2 or 3 days here. The organized excitement has value... :-)
But the ideal experience is a week or two! And for that it probably is not necessary to hit any special time. (Warning: One visitor from Hawaii, who also posted here on C-D, came last January for a couple weeks... I see him just about every day, and he does say he'll be leaving some day soon.)
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