Alaska

Demiurge

I figured I'd post about this here. I'm planning on going to Denali in July or August. I'm not entirely sure that I'm going there, but the plan is to fly from O'Hare in Chicago to Fairbanks. What I'm really looking for is to do some hiking and camping in some scenic areas. Not really looking to do any drastic climbing or anything.

I'm probably going to be going with my cousin, but we're having a hard time figuring out where to start. I don't really want to do a tour package or anything, but rather just be able to plan my own little tour based of maps and such within the park itself....should we choose to go to Denali.

I'm still young and I'm really wanting to use this experience to get a little bit of seclusion from the rest of the world. I know I'll have someone with me, but I feel that's the smart route to go and it's someone who I know enjoys this type of stuff as well.

My question to people here is have any of you gone? Have any of you done something similar? Do any of you know where the best place to start would be? I just need some ideas of how to pull an itinerary together and such. This will really be my first 'expedition' of sorts. I've done some extensive traveling with my family when I was younger, but we always had a hotel to stay at, rental car, etc. I know this is going to be much different.

Any and all help would be welcome. Some links to sites and message boards as well.

Thanks in advance!

Dave

dlew308

My friend is planning to climb in Denali in June. Travel channel was showing what there is to do in Denali, looks like a great place to visit.

wlrandall

Alaska is the most incredible place I've ever been-and that was 25 years ago. Perfect time to go, you'll get about four hours of dusk per night (I was there for a few weeks during the same time frame). Weather at that time is gorgeous as well. As for where to go, we started in Anchorage and stayed there working at the [then] Methodist university and afterwards hit the road for a couple of weeks. Tons of beautiful country and a lot of neat little towns to see. Locally made crafts and such are everywhere, some very unique and worth getting.

Valdez is cool...lots of supertankers loading up where the pipeline ends. Used to be a great seafood restaurant on stilts over the bay. If not there, make sure you have some REAL Alaskan king crab somewhere. I'm convinced they save the best for themselves-the darn things grow to a six foot legspan (or so we were told). At any rate, they're huge and you won't find it fresher anywhere!

To get to Denali, we took the train. I can't remember from which city we departed, but it was an eight hour trip. The dome car is great for viewing, don't miss it if you take the train.

Be careful where you tread in the park-animals run wild. I almosst got trampled taking a shot of a mother moose and her young. Lucky for me, she had a bad leg or she would've squashed me into a grease spot. Lots of wildlife you'll never see elsewhere.

If you're lucky, the cloud cover on McKinley won't be bad as it is a lot of the time. I got a killer shot of both peaks-there's a north and south believe it or not.

Also, if you get the chance, take one of the ferries that cruise the glaciers. Truly impressive to see icebergs break off from the sound of a fog horn from three miles away. Somewhere I have the sequential pics of this happening.

Get yourself a good pair of Docs or even the Payless equivalent-you will need and appreciate them. All in all, have a great time, there is none other like Alaska.

Have a great trip,
Wally

Demiurge

Wally,

That was awesome to hear about all that! Thanks so much for sharing. I'll definitely keep all that in mind. I just picked up a Fujifilm S5100 Digital Camera for the trip earlier this evening. I'm getting really excited about going.

I'm still in the early planning stages, but I'll post more about it when I know more of the details. Thanks again for sharing makes me even more excited about going.

Demiurge

Originally posted by anonymouse
I am also planning a trip to Alaska in July with the missus. Let me know if you learn some cool tips. We are also from Chicagoland.

Will do! Not sure if we'll be going in July or August. Where are you folks planning on going up there?

wlrandall

Demi, you're more than welcome. Good that you got the digicam, I shot more than thirty rolls of Ektachrome, Kodachrome and print film plus a few reels of Super 8. You might want to consider an extra mem card for your camera.

W

Demiurge

Originally posted by wlrandall
Demi, you're more than welcome. Good that you got the digicam, I shot more than thirty rolls of Ektachrome, Kodachrome and print film plus a few reels of Super 8. You might want to consider an extra mem card for your camera.

W

For sure!

The B&W and Chrome option on it is really kind of neat, too.

pmckeealaska

If your looking to see the real Alaska, don't bother with Denali National Park.....too much regulation and hassle to go backpacking. I would highly recommend driving north to Fairbanks, and then up the Dalton Highway to the border of Gates of the Arctic National Park. This is the most incredible country I've ever seen in my 16 years of living and working in Alaska as a biologist. I worked for Gates of the Arctic for 5 years and got to see some places that would blow your mind. You have to hike off the Dalton Highway to get into Gates; the border is about 1.5 miles from the road. Pick any place and you cant lose. Also, there are some great out of the way places on the Denali Highway (not the road into the park of the same name) and on the Kenai Peninsula. Good luck and enjoy the best state in the union!