Headed to Alaska in December, need help! (Anchorage, Juneau and: to rent, how much)

[BrittyBea36]

I'm being optimistic here but I am pretty sure we'll be on our way to Alaska early December. I had a post on here a little while ago about maybe going to Alaska for my husband's travel nursing. Yeah well, he went ahead and applied directly to Providence and 2 days later, the Director of the ED personally called him and wants to interview him! He has a phone interview Thursday and a face to face interview after that where they fly him up to AK. The Director asked him when he could start and my husband told him the beginning of December and he said "That'll be great!"....so yeah, I'm pretty sure he has the job. My husband knows his stuff and is too dang likeable. Being optimistic.

Back to the topic. I know that winter is NOT the best time to make this type of move but if he's hired then there is no way around it. We had planned before to drive through Canada but I have been advised that isn't a good idea during December. We want to avoid having to sell all of our belongings but we honestly do not have the money to ship an entire house worth of stuff to AK. I received a quote for $12,000!!! Nope, can't do that. I know a guy who said he drove to Seattle, put his vehicle on the ferry, flew to Anchorage, and then picked his car up at the Anchorage Port. Will the ferry take our SUV plus a UHaul enclosed trailer? Or will we be better off selling EVERYTHING but our clothes?

Also, PLEASE tell me what you think is best. I have heard soooo many different things about tires. Our SUV is not a 4 x 4 so I've been told we'll need studded tires but then I've also read in several places that a good set of winter tires is enough. So I have no idea what to do. I also know that we'll need to winterize our vehicle before going. Fun Fun.

Any advice you have would be greatly appreciated!

[Alaskan Mutt]

Are you looking to make Alaska your new long term home or are you looking to work a year or two and then head back to the states. If you do not see yourself making Alaska your new long term home then perhaps you should just put your stuff in storage and get just what you need to get by until you head back to the states

If the person you know dropped his car in Seattle and got it back in Anchorage then he put it on the barge and not the ferry. If you are to do this you would not actually be dealing with the barge company directly but rather you would be dealing with one of several car shipping companies that ships cars by barge. Generally they require that you remove any and all personal belongings from the car before they will accept it for shipping. Perhaps you could load everything into the U-Haul and drive to Seattle. There you would unload the U-Haul at a freight forwarder and have them ship your goods to Anchorage. Then turn in the U-Haul and then drop off your car at a car shipping company. I have no idea what the cost would be.

You say your SUV is not a 4X4. Is it front wheel or rear wheel drive. If it is a rear wheel drive I personally would not bother taking it to Anchorage. If it is a front wheel drive then you should be able to get around ok with studs. Anchorage looks flat, but actually has all sorts of little hills. Many subdivisions can be real tricky getting out of when the roads are slick. Left hand turn lanes at most major intersections tend to ice up. You can talk to 10 people and you will probably get 10 different opinions as to if studs are better than winter tires. My opinion is studs give you a slight advantage over un-studded winter tires. Winter tires such as Blizzak cost just as much as studded tires. Furthermore you will ruin a set of Blizzaks if you try to run them year round. So you have to take them off in the Spring just like studded tires.

[Frostnip]

Originally Posted by BrittyBea36

Back to the topic. I know that winter is NOT the best time to make this type of move but if he's hired then there is no way around it. We had planned before to drive through Canada but I have been advised that isn't a good idea during December.

The drive can be fine in December if you have sufficient time, and know how to drive in winter conditions. If neither of these is true, you will want to look at other options.

We want to avoid having to sell all of our belongings but we honestly do not have the money to ship an entire house worth of stuff to AK. I received a quote for $12,000!!! Nope, can't do that. I know a guy who said he drove to Seattle, put his vehicle on the ferry, flew to Anchorage, and then picked his car up at the Anchorage Port. Will the ferry take our SUV plus a UHaul enclosed trailer? Or will we be better off selling EVERYTHING but our clothes?

To take a trailer and a large vehicle on the ferry will be expensive too. They charge by how much space it takes up. There are limited sailings in the winter and they sell out early. You can check availability and price at the Alaska Marine Highway Website. If you're going to do it, book early. Also, the ferry doesn't land in Anchorage. I believe the nearest port is Whittier.

If you're going to take your vehicle on the ferry you might as well ride with it. It's a pretty trip, albeit rather long.

Unless you have heirloom furniture etc. it's generally easier and less expensive to just replace household items once in Alaska.

Also, PLEASE tell me what you think is best. I have heard soooo many different things about tires. Our SUV is not a 4 x 4 so I've been told we'll need studded tires but then I've also read in several places that a good set of winter tires is enough.

Studded tires are a form of winter tires. You can also get non-studded winter tires made of softer rubber...probably the most well-known brand for this is Blizzak. It's theoretically possible to get by on all-season tires in the winter, but winter tires will make driving significantly easier, especially if you aren't a skilled winter driver.

If your vehicle is RWD you'll likely want to consider replacing it. AWD is great and FWD is fine for most people if they're sticking to careful driving on decent roads.

[AKStafford]

Lots of people drive the highway in December. It's doable. You might encounter some weather that would slow you down, but it's still doable. I don't think I've ever done it in December, but I have done it in November, January and February. One of the February trips was in a uHaul van pulling a car trailer.
If you choose to drive it, you'll need your passports. No handguns and rifles & shotguns have to go through a process. And I would highly recommend having: The MILEPOST: Alaska Travel Guide and Trip Planner . Be prepared for cold weather. Have extra food, water and warm clothing. Your cell phone will not work for long stretches of the trip.

If you want to ship your stuff from Seattle, here's one of the companies that can do that: Shipping Vehicles, Boats & RVs | Totem Ocean Trailer Express

The ferry might be an option if the schedule works. You would go from Bellingham to Juneau and then switch ferries to get to Whittier. The Juneau to Whittier ferry is the hard one to get on. You could also ferry from Bellingham to Haines and drive from there. It's shorter drive than the full Alcan.

Typically, your cheapest is just to drive it.

[Alaskan Mutt]

Many people have towed trailers up the highway in the wintertime without any problems. However only you can decide if you are ok with doing this. Halfway up the highway is not a good place to discover you are terrified of towing a trailer during the winter. Much of the highway will probably be hard packed snow and ice.

[roadfamily6now]

if you are not used to driving on snow and a LOT of ice, you should consider getting a 4x4 and studded tires. Both for your safety and mine.

[BrittyBea36]

Thanks for all of the replies!! I'm thinking we will just drive the highway. My husband will be doing the driving, he can drive in all types of weather so I'm not worried as long as he is driving. So it sounds like we'll need to get studded tires. Are there better brands or do they all just work the same way no matter the brand? Also, what about tire chains? Or would that just look dumb? lol

There is so much we have to do in a short amount of time!

[BrittyBea36]

Oh, and we're starting to look at placea to rent for a while before we buy. I have heard that South Anchorage and Eagle River are nicer areas but are there other nice areas that are within a 15-30 minute commute to Providence Alaska Medical Center? He will be working nights so I am pretty sure the traffic from Eagle River to Anchorage won't affect him.....I hope.

[Alaskan Mutt]

Originally Posted by BrittyBea36

Thanks for all of the replies!! I'm thinking we will just drive the highway. My husband will be doing the driving, he can drive in all types of weather so I'm not worried as long as he is driving. So it sounds like we'll need to get studded tires. Are there better brands or do they all just work the same way no matter the brand? Also, what about tire chains? Or would that just look dumb? lol

There is so much we have to do in a short amount of time!

I would not worry too much about the brand of tire. Most of the off brand tires are actually made by the major tire manufactures and rebranded for the various stores out there. I would look for a tire that has at least 4 rows of studs on each side. You also want a tire that is designed for highway driving on snow and ice. A tire designed for off-road use is not what you want.

Since you are pulling a trailer you will want a set of chains. Chances are you will not need them. However if you get into deep snow or on glare ice those chains will become your best friend in a hurry.

[Alaskan Mutt]

Originally Posted by BrittyBea36

Oh, and we're starting to look at placea to rent for a while before we buy. I have heard that South Anchorage and Eagle River are nicer areas but are there other nice areas that are within a 15-30 minute commute to Providence Alaska Medical Center? He will be working nights so I am pretty sure the traffic from Eagle River to Anchorage won't affect him.....I hope.

If he is working nights traffic will not be a problem. Are you looking to rent an apt or a home? You might want to look around some of the subdivisions around the hospital. As the crow flies I use to live about a half of mile from the hospital. There are some real nice neighborhoods in the area. A block or two off of Northern Lights from the Seward Highway to Muldoon Rd there are a lot of real nice homes.