OK, so a friend of mine and I just worked out the major details of a trip to Anchorage in June. I'm headed to REI in the next week to look for some hiking boots and other "essential" gear. Yay!! I've always wanted to go...

So, has anybody else been? Are there sights we absolutely should not miss? Any tips on cheap sights to see?

Thanks!!

babyx,
You should check with they guys:

http://www.xterraownersclub.com/cgi-local/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=36;t=001073

I am sure they would be able to offer info for you.

Bring good bug spray!! In June it will be daylight till almost 1:00 and then the sun will come back up around 4:00. Are you going to have a car or truck to explore or will you be be staying around Anchorage? If you've got time and a vehicle, Denali is about 4 hours north and definetly worth it. You're just about guranteed to see bears, moose, caribou. If you don't want to go all the way to the park, then Talkeetna is about 90 minutes north and has a great view of the mountain. Independence Mine in Hatcher Pass is about 45 miles North, and has great views and you can hike around the old mine. If you go south, Portage Glacier is about an hour drive. Girdwood is about 45 minutes south. That's where Alyeska Resort is. You can take the tram up to the top of the mountain for a great view and to hike around. 2 hours south is Seward. It's a cute litte town on the Bay. Near there is Exit Glacier, it's about a 30 minute drive from Seward and you can hike right up to the Glacier. If you like to hike there's tons of places around town. Flatop Mountain is right in town, you can drive up and have a great view of the city, Cook Inlet, and McKinley. And if you're up to it, you can hike to the top. We've got pictures up at our website here of places we've been. You can see some of our adventures. We've only been up here about a year and a half, so we're really looking forward to exploring this summer too. There a lot of stuff to see and do without spending money. Let me know what you're looking for and we can give you more ideas.

One more thing...be careful driving, people up here are the worst drivers I've ever seen. Everyone runs red lights, so don't go right away on a green.

Sounds like Texas.

Shop Galyan's.
REI supports the Sierra Club.

Can't say I'm a ton of help, but I worked in Petersburg (on the panhandle part of Alaska.) for a summer and spent a day in Juneau.

It snowed a couple inches the first week and was 70 degrees during the day the rest of the summer after that. Getting dark just after midnight and the sun coming back up at 3:30-4:00ish was pretty cool too.

Yep - mosquito repellant is good. ...and there's lots of bears (black, in the SE, at least) running around, so watch your back and make lots of noise!

What's that?

Oh, and by the way, does every hotel up there cost at least $100 a night, or are there any discount motels? I tried the hostels, and even they're $50 a night with a shared bathroom (not a chance!). That's the right price, but I won't share a bathroom.

Sierra Club is anti-off road vehicles.

I could care less. But I think they may be anti- Mountain bike too, and that pisses me off.

Otherwise, they are just an organization that supports smart-growth among other things.

I have the answer for smart-growth: Stop immigration.

The prices for everything go up in June. This place is about 15-20 minutes north of Anchorage and some friends recommended it. We've been planning to check it out but haven't made it yet, but for the price, I'd rather stay there than a hostel :)I'll keep my eyes open for deals and stuff. Also...check out www.alaska.com and www.anchorage.net

$100 a night in Anchorage? Holy crap! Granted things may have changed, but years ago when I was in Anchorage I thought it was basically an armpit (sorry Brian!).

However, there are many things to see and do outside of Anchorage and one thing I really enjoyed was taking a small plane from Valdez to Anchorage (I did Anchorage to Valdez in a fire truck that we picked up at the docks in ANchorage). Yeah, Valdez is nothing special either, but the view of the mountains from the plane were awesome.

How bout some tutoring for dumbass american kids who watch too much tv.

No offense taken Chuck...it is just like any other city, except for the views. And there are some pretty bad parts too. But it doesn't take long to get out of the city and have some fun. When summer comes, there's more tourists than the whole population so the prices for everything go way up.

Thanks, brian!!

This is absolutely fate -- yesterday it looked like out trip would be cancelled (we weren't going to pay $180/night for a Super 8 room), but I contacted the B&B you linked to in your post and, wouldn't you know? They had a cancellation for those same dates my friend and I wanted. Yahoo!! Game on!!

Cool!! You'll have to let me know how it goes. It was recommened to us, but we just haven't had the time to get away yet. There's a nature center in Eagle River that we haven't been to yet, but the pictures I've seen from there are awesome, and there are tons of hikes from there. We're hoping to get up there this weekend or next.

One more thing for you...the paper this week just put had the 2003 visitors guide. You can buy it for $1.50 Here

Plus $10 S&H!!! Holy cow... I went to the Alaska Tourism site and signed up for all kinds of free brochures. Should do the trick.

Man, the next 5 weeks at work are going to go by soooooo slooooooowwwwwwly now..........

We spent 10 days of our Honeymoon up there with [url=THESE GUYS.]http://www.yachtalaska.com/pages/galleries/kayaking/source/9.html[/url] (that's my wife on the left).

We stayed at a bed and breakfast for two nights outside the Anchorage city limits before departing on our boat. They are DEFINATELY the way to go. Find a local travel agent and have him/her run one down for you.

There's a ton of fur shops up there in Anchorage. NOT the "coat" kind, but trader shops that deal with fur traders and the like. I'd pay you if you could bring home a Beaver pelt... Of course, that probably offends your "love for animals" sensibilities. Alaska is not a place that harbours too many sympathies for animal rights activists. I wouldn't be too overly demonstrative if you want any help or respect from the locals. In fact, the local fisherman there say God gave bald eagles white heads so they'd be easier to shoot.

Nature up there is pretty raw. We watched a bald eagle swoop down and steal a new-born seal pup. She ripped it to shreds on a rock while its mother cried from her ice floe. The majesty and might of Alaska's wilderness is an awesome thing, but it sure as hell isn't "Disney" if you understand what I'm saying.

If you go beach-combing, look for some of those glass balls that the Japanese use on their fishing nets. They wash up from time to time and are fairly highly valued in addition to being very pretty. You can also find whale bones, walrus tusks, and other really exceptional stuff.

Why stay in a hotel when you can stay at Brian's house!

Babyx- I just noticed on the front of ours...it's online... www.alaskavisitorsguide.com

PNUTMNM-I never could find that keychain I was trying to find for you, but I'll start checking again this year, the stores will be stocked and ready to go for the tourist season.

Mosi-We've got a small apartment BUT-by this time next year we should have a house. So...if PNWX is still thinking of coming up, that would give me a year to start working on the misses But I have a feeling I wouldn't be able to convince her...

It looks awesome, but I don't have $3,000 for that kind of thing. I'm saving up for a trip to Churchill to play with the polar bears.

And no worries, I'm well aware nature is nothing like Disney.