Short vacation advise for SE Alaska. Please help (Ketchikan, Petersburg: car rental, rentals)

[Midas AG]

Need some help with a short vacation I'm planning. I'm looking to fly into Ketchikan/Juneau for a 3 day vacation. Planning on a Sunday - Tuesday, or Monday - Wednesday trip, at the end of January, beginning of Feb. If I fly into Juneau, I'm not sure if there's enough there to keep me busy for 3 days, but I can always hop back on an Alaskan jet to somewhere else. If I fly into Ketchikan, I was thinking of taking a puddle jumper over to one of these for the day:

Hollis, Coffman Cove, Craig, Dora/Cholmondely Sound, Edna Bay, Hydaburg, Hyder, Metakatla, Mosier/Deep Bay, Naukati,Point Baker, Port Protection, Thorne Bay, Whale Pass.

Is there anything to do in these towns, where I could fly in, walk around for the day, take in the sights (even just scenery, local watering holes), and fly out later that night, or 5-8 hours later. Not looking for breathtaking, OMG excitement. I would prefer a more relaxed vibe, then a Touristy, running around vibe. If its breathtaking beautiful, that's just a plus. But I don't want to be just sitting on a dock, or at the edge of town staring at the wilderness all day, or running around taking in lumber jack shows, and this show, and that tour, and this adventure. I hope that makes sense.

I work for Alaskan Air group, so I can get all my flights free, or damn cheap, as in $50 round trip or less. I can also get discounts on Hotels, and car rentals, and have a passport. There's nothing I really want, or need to do, other than 3 days to unwind, and relax. So what advice can you give me?!

[stiffnecked]

You don't have to worry about doing any tourist stuff in January. It's all closed for the year. Won't be open again until around the first week in May. Probably not the time of year I'd suggest for someone coming up for a vacation but good luck with it.

http://www.visit-ketchikan.com/

[Barkingowl]

Arctic Bar in Ketchikan, maybe a floatplane tour of Misty Fjords. Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau.

[stiffnecked]

You would have to charter a plane to take you out to Misty Fjords in January.

[teamcoltra]

Midas I am also AAG (and actually AS) and I have been looking to go down to the lower 48 how ironic (I am on OJI right now so I can't travel)...

Ketch is really awesome... I like it down there, I would suggest petersburg though if you want to try something different. We also fly into a couple bush villages and your benis should extend to them as well, though I am not sure... Which is King Salmon (AKN) which I hear is incredibly beautiful and Dutch Harbor (DUT) where you can see where all the fisherman are... both have daily flights, you can actually book your flight to dutch, and there is a middle point on one of the daily flights called sand point, that place looks beautiful too. Flights are realively empty to these small areas so you would have no problem getting in and out.

If you have any questions you can always PM me

[Midas AG]

QX here.

As for things to do, Not interested in the "touristy" things. I am wondering if these places still ahve enough open to actually make visiting worth while. Been to Sitka, Ketchikan, Juneau, and skagway just over a year ago on a cruise. Really looking to get up there, and just relax. see things, but take a nice easy approach.

[Metlakatla]

A puddle jumper is going to be iffy. That time of year there's a good chance they won't be flying depending on weather. You should consider taking the inter island ferry over to POW; though you won't be able to make it a day trip because it leaves latish afternoon and comes back the next morning.

Of the communities you've mentioned, the only one that has a watering hole is Craig.

If you can get a plane over, you might think about landing in Craig, having some lunch at Ruth Ann's there; she has a small bar there too. Locals are easy enough to talk with that time of year. Craig is where I'd recommend; a lot of the other places won't even have a cafe open.

You won't get a flight out after around 4 pm, though.

[Midas AG]

Thanks for the info so far. Really looking forward to this little vacation.

[GrammasCabin]

You're coming up here at the worst possible time of the year, unless you just want to hunker down on a barstool with the locals. We're having a warm winter so far, today it's raining sideways, probably will be then too making it hard, if not impossible, to fly around in a puddle jumper. Heck, it's not at all unusual for the jet to overhead this time of year due to weather. After a visit down south last winter it took me 2 days of flying around before I finally landed back in Ketchikan and took the ferry home. If you've only got a few days your best bet is to decide on a town you want to visit and make that your destination, but everything's pretty much in a hyberdating mode this time of year, especially in the smaller communities. I'd recommend my town, Wrangell, during any other time of the year but we're all pretty boring in the southeast during the winter months. Other than Ketchikan and Juneau, the other "towns" you mentioned are really just villiages in the winter sleepy-mode.
I'd just go to Juneau, rent a car and explore. Come back in the spring!!

[teamcoltra]

My mother was QX until she made the jump, my dad worked ramp for QX (both in GEG)... I almost took a QX job in Seattle, but opted for this one instead!

I know you want to do Alaska, and the reason I keep suggesting things outside of what you stated you want in the OP is I dont think your going to find it right now.

Petersburg might be a nice relaxation trip.

You said you have a passport, might I suggest a nice relaxing trip to YYJ? or YVR? Check out "Hot Deals" we have access to some all inclusives in Mexico as well (which FYI I don't think we are supposed to flaunt our bennies)

Anyway, I am here to help for Alaska, this is my home after all If you need help with anything you can PM me