If you had ONE week in Alaska . . . what would you do?

[redsock]

On my NOLS Semester in Alaska course we started the sea kayaking section from Whittier, AK (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whittier,_Alaska). I'm not sure how much it would cost to rent 2 sea kayaks for 4-5 days. Prince William Sound is incredibally beautiful (like pretty much everywhere else in AK).

 

[darren]

I would go straight to Ravenstoke and spend the whole week there.



- darren

 

[kwc]

when in Anchorage, eat here http://www.moosestooth.net/index2.htm

yummy.

busy. crazy busy. but yummy.

 

[Kevin]

I second 'eruggles' Chilkoot Trail comments... Even though I did nto finish it, I am debating about heading back north this summer again to give it a try... You can do it fairly cheap, and include something in and around either Juneau or Skagway for more hiking and or glacier travel.

One thing to keep in mind... Try to focus on staying in one area, in some spots is is either impossible or just too expensive to try to book a lot of activities... Add an extra weather day or two as well in to your plans, some places if the weather is too bad, neither the planes will fly in or out, and the ferry system my avoid as well.

A couple of things...

If you try the Chilkoot, the American and Canadian rangers/wardens are great people... the woman at the Canadian office where you get your permits from is great to talk to, the rangers in Skagway are top notch and know so much about the trail, they can answer almost any question you can think of.

Try using the ferry system up there... very fun, you can either rent a cabin, sleep on the floor in the day rooms like I did, or you can set your tent up on the deck... Just make sure you lash it to the railings!!! That is what one of the ticket agents warned me to do if I choose that option.

The hostel in Juneau was top notch! The folks that ran it were so great to sit around and talk with, they are younger and always giving great advice on fun things to do in town. And the walk to and from it will give you a workout! It was very clean with double kitchen facilities so you never had to wait for a stove top, a sink, etc...

The hostel in Skagway... Well I will be polite and just say, if you need to stay there, OK, if not, avoid... A bit thread bare, not so nice...

 

[Jay H]

For a great place to stay in Skagway, let me recommend you

Cindy's Place

Cindy is a very nice lady who runs three little cabins, you have access to a hot tub and was kind enough to even let us use her car when we were there. She left it at the airport, we arrived and her car was in the parking lot. The cabin we stayed in was very nice, a good size for 2 and it was outside downtown in a woodsy area on Dyea Road. About a 5 minute drive from "downtown".

There is a funny guy who runs the van service there that will drop you off at the trailhead for Dyea, his card is plastered everywhere downtown. Check out the Red Onion saloon (former Brothel) to eat.

Anyway, rates were reasonable and it's a nice cozy place.

Jay

 

[Stan]

Read up on Robert Service. Won't provide any destinations, unless you can find the Malamute Saloon, but it'll help acclimate you.

 

[Kevin]

There is a funny guy who runs the van service there that will drop you off at the trailhead for Dyea, his card is plastered everywhere downtown. Check out the Red Onion saloon (former Brothel) to eat.

That would be the world famous Dyea Dave! The guy is classic... Has some cheesy jokes, but again, a local that knows everything and anything... I had him hold some of our gear while we hiked the Chilkoot... When I saw him after I got back to town and out of the clinic, he remembered me right away and got our stuff to me ASAP... There are other people that drive folks out to Dyea, the Chilkoot Trail trailhead, but this guy is the ONLY one to take... You will find him at the ferry terminal, he is always there when a boat arrives... Look for the guy that can be Yukon Cornelius' brother... That's Dave. His sister runs the hostel in town.

I would recommend the White House B&B for a place to stay... A bit pricy, but well worth it for the breakfast in the am, great baked goods!

The Red Onion was ok to eat at, but do it after the cruise ships leave, the place is on the tourist trail and gets BUSY! After 5pm though, the place is empty except the locals... A great place to get coffee is the Haven Cafe, which is a few blocks of the main drag. They also have great sandwiches and baked goods at reasonable prices compared to the prices on the main drag in town. It is also just up from the public library where you can get free internet, just sign up for a block of time, they were open 7 days a week this past summer.

Also Moe's Frontier Tavern on the main drag is the locals place to hang...

Overall Skagway is a small town... It takes a whole 10 minutes to walk across town, at a stroll, and maybe 15-20 minutes to walk in the other direction. You should read the police blotter that they post on their newspaper's website... They had a case a few months back of loud music... The officer saw someone sleeping who would not wake up to answer the door, so they went in, turned the music off and left their card there in case the sleeping person awoke and wondered what happened... Classic! I joke that I was waiting for the moose to stroll across the town ala Nothern Exposure.

Whatever you do, if you ever end up in Skagway, look for the locals places, I learned this out when I was killing time. A slice of pizza near at a tourist place was $3!!!! A whole pizza was $20... Over at the towny sports bar it was a buck a slice for some great pizza...

In Juneau, you have to stop by the Alaskan Brewery which is out in the Mendenhall Valley... FREE samples... I made sure I stay well hydrated there one afternoon after my experience in Skagway...

 

[Jay H]

Hey Kevin, yup, Dyea Dave, that's his name.

We never got a chance to spend any time in Juneau, we basically got off the ferry and took a taxi to the airport, slept under a bench and caught the first flight out to Anchorage..

Jay

 

[bubba]

Seema - I knew I recalled seeing something! Check out the September 2006 issue of Backpacker magazine. The cover story is great hikes in Alaska, including recommendations for campgrounds, routes, etc.

I didn't read it, so no guarantee on content. I figured it would complement the discussion here. Backpacker Mag -- a generic search "Alaska" turned up lots of past articles...