| Author | Message | ||
| Greg Roberts (Gregeagle20)
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I will be arriving in Alaska on July 1 and am looking for boondock recommendations and best RV park recommendations at the following planned stops: Girdwood/Cooper Landing area Homer area Talkeetna area Denali area Looking for your experience guys!! | ||
| Geoff (Geoff)
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I don't know if things have changed since I lived there, but Alaska is wide open, boondock where ever you can pull over and stay out of the way. | ||
| Greg Roberts (Gregeagle20)
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Geoff, I believe you are correct. Any spot in Alaska is great but I expect some are better than others. Ant recommendations? | ||
| Dan West (Utahclaimjumper)
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The Talkeetna airport at K2 aviation, great folks and a lot going on | ||
| niles steckbauer (Niles500)
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Greg - welcome to one of the most beautiful places in NA - Geoff is right - park where you want - there are wide turnouts everywhere w/ low traffic - park and camp at your convenience - AK requires ALL campgrounds and GAS STATIONS to provide FREE water and dump stations - booning has never been easier - that being said get a rand/mcnally atlas and it will show all the state and fed campgrounds and parks - a must have is, Milepost magazine - get it early - read it - and you will have an enjoyable trip w/o missing any highlights - Regarding your specific queeries: Girdwood/cooper - leaving Anchorage south along Cook inlet towards the Kenai there are many campgrounds both public and private along the HWY - The Kenai is cool and overcast t/o the summer - at Girdwood /cooper there are resorts and access to some of the mountainous and glacial areas - but the Kenai is full of them - at Portage stop and see the inland/lake icebergs with a decent Interpretive center - don't leave out Seward and its Seaquariam - and one of the most accessible glaciers just north of town - Homer is easy - stay at any of the parking areas along Homer Spit - fish for Salmon or Halibut anywhere along the coast from Saldotna to Homer along Cook Inlet or Kachemak Bay - Talkeetna/Denali - if you have not made prior arrangements w/ Denali NP - the first instance you get close - go to park HQ to findout what dates are available - as they are booked in advance - book as necessary - there is no vehicle acces w/in about 10 miles of the entrance - access is only by NP bus - except the campground (no facilities or services) 30 something miles w/in the park - it is booked well in advance but there are may cancellations and no shows - you must stay a minimum of 4 or 5 nights w/o exit or re-entry - but it saves about 2 hours both ways as you pick up the buses at your campround 2 hours later than from the park entrance and they drop you off 2 hours before reaching the park entrance - a great benefit appreciated after spend up to 16 hours riding/stopping on the tour from the main entrance - There is an RV park at the entrance w/ lodge facilites and don't forget to see the Huskie/sled dog exhibition - If the Park is full there is a large turnout/parking area on the east side of the HWY north of the town of Denali - can hold a 100 RV's easy - best thing to do after figuring your future Denali schedule is to head immediately south to Talkeetna awaiting your future reservations at Denali - you can spend your time in town and surrounding area - definitely take a flight around and to the peak of McKinley (pressurized plane) or (my preference) the nonpressurized flight along the glaciers and lower (under 12k - or if your pilot will allow up to almost 14k - feet in altitude) flight which includes a landing at Kahiltna Glacier - the base camp for all climbers - A WILD RIDE - LANDING AND TAKEOFF - What ever you do - plan a head - take your time - bring plenty of film - you will stop along the HWY along with the rest of the traveling public and view some of the most unbelievable wildlife along the way - There is so much more to AK than you have asked that I offer any help I might be - just Email me a Phone # - I'll call and explain - HTH - Niles | ||
| JW Smythe (Jwsmythe)
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I was just out in Alaska in November. It's very pretty there. I went from Anchorage, around to Wasilla, and then up towards the Denali National Park. http://diary.illusions.gen.fl.us/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.ShowItem&g2_itemId=10499 Some of those photos, I was trying to do a long exposure to get the view I was seeing, but the camera had a hard time picking up. I didn't pack a tripod, this was the second leg of a 3 stop trip (2 work stops, one to see a friend), and I didn't have enough luggage space. It had just started snowing then, and it was my first experience driving in snow. Funny that, I've been in it many times, but never driven. Oddly enough, a 4wd Ford Expedition isn't immune to sliding, even in 4wd mode.  From what the locals told me, Talkeetna is a busy place in the summer. I called up there a few days ago, asking my friend about campgrounds, and he said they're pretty busy during the summer. There's an abundance of them, but you may have a hard time getting a space on weekends. He said during the week, you may be able to find a space, if you want it. Niles is right, bring lots of film. I have a 512Mb card for my digital camera, which makes it easy to copy the pictures off to the laptop, and reuse the card. Be ready for a lot of driving. It's a long way from anywhere to anywhere. And drive carefully, from what my friend says, alcoholism is a problem up there, and you'll find about 1/2 the people on the road have been drinking. Unfortunately for me, this was the third new city with freezing weather I had been in, in a few weeks, so one of my four days up there was spent curled up on a couch with a fever. I plan on being up there in the summer of 2007. We'll be kidnapping my friend, and touring the area for at least a week. Other than that, we'll be be lounging around with friends. I talked to a girl after I got back to California. We had the same flights back. She warned of the larger animals (moose, elk, etc). They are pretty, but can be very agressive, and you don't have a chance against one. If you see them in the wild, give them lots of room. It's definately a worth while trip though. | ||
| Greg Roberts (Gregeagle20)
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Excellent comments and info guys. I will also keep a close watch for drunk drivers. I am thinking I will do most of my driving in the morning hours hopefully after the drunks have gone home or otherwise already had their accidents. I do need to get a current milepost. Thanks guys and keep it coming! | ||
| niles steckbauer (Niles500)
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Greg - that time of the year it is light 24 hours a day - your perception will change of what 'early morning' is - Fairbanks golf courses have around the clock tee times in July - JW is right about the critters though, they may look cute, but they are wild and deadly, especially mothers with their young - I've had elephants charge me in Africa while brushing my teeth in the bush and didn't feel as threatened as I did of a half ton Moose charging me as I snatched up my 11 year old trying to get a close up of her calf - | ||
| David Hartley (Drdave)
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Mosquito Bait = > Human It becomes open season on humans when it warms up too! My Dad spent many years in Alaska while in the Coast Guard...Said our Florida mosquitos were gnats compared to Alaska versions. | ||
| JW Smythe (Jwsmythe)
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David, Have you tried the mosquitoes in the everglades? They're a lot bigger than the ones you'll find in the rest of Florida. We stopped in the middle of nowhere out there, to watch a meteor shower. We were 1/2 way across Alligator Alley, and took the road in the middle about 5 miles North, to get away from the headlights on the highway. It's great, except one antenna beacon light. We made the mistake of getting out of the car. We couldn't see anything, but the mosquitoes were so big, you could feel them flying into you, kinda like someone shooting peas with a slingshot. We got over the mosquites though. The alligators are what got us back into the car. We heard at least 1/2 dozen of them hissing not far away (REALLY not far away). If you've never seen and heard an alligator hissing, you'd think it was something fairly innocent. If you recognize the sound, it's a clue to not be an easy lunch. The view was nice from inside the car. It took a few days for the bug bites to go away. | ||
| David Hartley (Drdave)
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Hey I am not completely silly. Alligator alley is windows UP even if the a/c doesn't work. Drive fast as you can and hope you never have to get out. At night.. stay in a hotel not out there in no-mans land being gator bait and bug food.. Oh.. and the side roads... CSI Miami time. It takes days or weeks out there to find the bodies. and by the time the buzzards start circling there's not much left. Here the mosquitos are either the hit and run asian typeor the B-52 bombers. The B-52's bump you a time or two first. Then they go for the gold!( warning shots ) The asians go right for the sensitive spots immediately and are gone before you can react. I hate bugs !!!!!!! |