Help Planning AK Trip; Want Winter Weather (Anchorage, Fairbanks: rental, hotel)

[ShipOfFools42]

So, I've been putting it off forever, and I really need to make an Alaska trip very soon. I don't know how soon I can pull it off, as the money is very tight around my house right now, but I need to make it up there before the snow melts. I'll probably bring my parents along for the ride; they have always wanted to see Alaska. I've never been before, but I spend a pretty good amount of time reading and studying about Alaska, so I have gained quite a bit of second-hand knowledge. Anyway, here are my criteria:

I need to figure out a good list of places to see while I'm there, and the trip will most likely be for 5-7 days. I do NOT ski, so that's not something I would want to do, although I'm not sure that's really a big attraction in Alaska anyway. I'm going partly as a tourist, and partly as a prospective resident. So, I would definitely like to see the interior. I would like to see Barrow, but it's just not practical, so I'll probably leave that off of my trip. Fairbanks is on the list, but I'd like some suggestions of less populated areas to visit that are on the road system. I'll be doing my exploring by car.

I want snow to still be on the ground, with a possibility of some snow still falling (hopefully while I'm there!). I know it sticks around until May in a lot of parts. What is the cut-off date for winter weather? It doesn't need to be -40F, but I want to experience some Alaska cold, if you know what I mean. Cold that we can't get in the lower 48. Snow is a big thing too, I love all aspects of winter, and snow especially.

Finally, I would like to do some snowmachine riding. That is an absolute must. I have always wanted to go snowmachining in Alaska; having done it in New England before, I fell in love with it. Can anyone recommend some good companies that will rent out snowmachines/give tours?

Thanks for any and all help you all can provide. This board is quite a wealth of information, and I use it all the time. It has been a great resource for me in my research of Alaska. I have a short list of places that I would like to live, and Alaska is on it, along with Wyoming and New Hampshire. Anyway, I'll quit rambling. Any responses would be greatly appreciated!

[Marty Van Diest]

Come in March. That is the best winter month in Alaska. Rent a car and drive the loop from Anchorage to Fairbanks to Delta, Glennallen and back to Anchorage. Stop at Eureka and rent some snowmachnes.

Or if you want to ride some old beaters give me a call when you come through Palmer...we have a lot of old snowmachines that we ride around locally. Here they are...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqb1z1MqroY

[turbo700]

Marty is right, driving the loop would give you a good view of Alaska. 5 to 7 days seems short to me to get a feeling for Alaska. Eureka has over 200 miles of trails and you could do a guided trip to Valdez. Spring riding is the best, longer days and warmer weather.

[tigre79]

My friend and I wanted the same thing last year and we came up in early March. We stayed in National Forest and State Park cabins a couple of nights and that was really fun, though access to most of them is by ski/snowshoe/snowmachine. I'd stay in Talkeetna your first night out of Anchorage. We stayed at the Roadhouse and got to go to a community theater production, which was a blast. Hatcher Pass is pretty cool too. Their lodge is spendy to stay in, but their food is really good and not that expensive if you just want to go up for the day. We didn't go very far north and still saw lows of -20 (on the Kenai Peninsula and at Hatcher Pass). Doing the loop around Fairbanks and Glennallen sounds fun, especially if you're wanting colder weather. That'll also give you an idea of how few people there are out there, which you might not quite grasp if you stayed closer to Anchorage. Valdez is a beautiful drive and you'd see a heck of a lot of snow, but I'd probably skip it if you've only got a week and are more interested in the Interior.

[ShipOfFools42]

Thanks for the responses guys. I wish the trip could be longer, but a week is as long as I can get off of work right now really. Believe me, as far as scouting for a place to live, I would not move up there having only spent a week there. This trip WILL help me get an idea of how livable Fairbanks would be for me. I hope to spend two full days in Fairbanks, and that will at least give me SOME time to get the lay of the land and figure out whether it would be a place I could handle living in. Just because I do like isolation, but I'm still a bit unsure whether I could handle the isolation involved with being "at the end of the road".

But yeah, as far as a recreational trip, I really appreciate the recommendation on Eureka for a snowmachine rental place. The guided trip to Valdez sounds unbelievably cool! I like the idea of taking a direct route to a place that you could not do in a car. One of the coolest things about Alaska to me is how some "roads" are only passable in the winter, and some are only passable in the summer. Living in the lower 48 my whole life, that is a really wild phenomenon. Even in most of Canada, they don't get the extreme winter weather that AK does, so it truly will be a very new experience for me.

Any other recommendations of fun things to do in winter (probably March)? I will have my parents, who are in their mid-50's, and my little brother with me, so it would have to be things that my parents could reasonably do, i.e. not too intense physically. My dad has bad shoulders, so he is somewhat limited on outdoor activities he can do. Tigre and Marty, thanks a whole lot, your suggestions were especially helpful. It won't let me rep you any more right now tigre, but I do appreciate it even still. Any and all suggestions are appreciated!

[Bob Blockus]

Originally Posted by ShipOfFools42

So, I've been putting it off forever, and I really need to make an Alaska trip very soon. I don't know how soon I can pull it off, as the money is very tight around my house right now, but I need to make it up there before the snow melts. I'll probably bring my parents along for the ride; they have always wanted to see Alaska. I've never been before, but I spend a pretty good amount of time reading and studying about Alaska, so I have gained quite a bit of second-hand knowledge. Anyway, here are my criteria:

I need to figure out a good list of places to see while I'm there, and the trip will most likely be for 5-7 days. I do NOT ski, so that's not something I would want to do, although I'm not sure that's really a big attraction in Alaska anyway. I'm going partly as a tourist, and partly as a prospective resident. So, I would definitely like to see the interior. I would like to see Barrow, but it's just not practical, so I'll probably leave that off of my trip. Fairbanks is on the list, but I'd like some suggestions of less populated areas to visit that are on the road system. I'll be doing my exploring by car.

I want snow to still be on the ground, with a possibility of some snow still falling (hopefully while I'm there!). I know it sticks around until May in a lot of parts. What is the cut-off date for winter weather? It doesn't need to be -40F, but I want to experience some Alaska cold, if you know what I mean. Cold that we can't get in the lower 48. Snow is a big thing too, I love all aspects of winter, and snow especially.

Finally, I would like to do some snowmachine riding. That is an absolute must. I have always wanted to go snowmachining in Alaska; having done it in New England before, I fell in love with it. Can anyone recommend some good companies that will rent out snowmachines/give tours?

Thanks for any and all help you all can provide. This board is quite a wealth of information, and I use it all the time. It has been a great resource for me in my research of Alaska. I have a short list of places that I would like to live, and Alaska is on it, along with Wyoming and New Hampshire. Anyway, I'll quit rambling. Any responses would be greatly appreciated!

If I was you I would through everything into one city adventure for the winter time. Nome, Alaska. you can find people on web sites that live in Nome, Alaska and talk to them on phone or email. The Airlines from Anchorage, Alaska would also have basic Nome info. stay at year round Nome Hotel and make friends around the city of Nome at same time. it's very easy to talk to the people of Nome on telephone from making contacts on web sites. White Mountain be good for Snow Machines.

[starlite9]

You can watch the "Tired Iron Snowmachine Race" in Fairbanks...


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2xnePJssuI