ramalama

We're looking to go to Alaska for Thanksgiving. No scheduled destination yet (See below). Does anyone have firsthand experience with travel up north during this time of the year? I'm expecting cold, snow--right or wrong?
Another reason for our trip is an expedition to look for some land to purchase. We'd like to be close to Seattle, or a large military installation in Alaska, which looks like Fairbanks, Anchorage and Kodiak areas. Pros/cons for each area? Suggestions on where else to look? Not too far inland would be the best.
Thanks in advance for your advice!

dfrostnh

Anchorage is much warmer than Fairbanks. We used to compare Anchorage with temps in NH and they weren't a lot different but Fairbanks is the interior where it gets much colder. I don't know about Kodiak but an acquaintance has a son and his family who used to live in a small town on the Bering Sea. She said airfare was just as expensive from Anchorage to their town as it was from NH to ANC. Her son recently moved to a place near Talkeetna so now they only have to fly to ANC then rent a car from there. If you plan on building eventually make sure you understand about the costs for bringing in electricity and phone service and drilling a well. Friends who used to live in Wasilla (just north of Anchorage) never did get a good well after several tries. They ended up figuring out a storage system because of the slow flow and then using the water from the storage tank. Heated garages are pretty common even for rentals (duplexes and triplexes). I would definitely have emergency supplies in your rental car in case you slide off the road or can't get to your destination because of road problems. Not sure how far away you want to be from a military installation but keep in mind travel costs and time for ordinary things. Kenai/Seward area is 3 hours from Anchorage where you would have to go for major shopping expeditions (although there's great grocery stores the Sears store is more of a catalog store). Kenai and Homer have airports so commuter flights are available. Kodiak has ferry service. Good luck in your search!

Gardyloo

Snow, icy roads, very short days. Really not the best time to be driving around, especially looking for land to buy - swamp land might look okay under snow or frozen, but not be all that good when the snow melts...

Kodiak can be cold, wet, or snowy. Fairbanks really cold, Anchorage the best option, but not all that great either.

ramalama

Hi dfrostnh and gardyloo. I had a nice little response going and it did just that--went away somewhere. If it posted, this will be a duplicate thank you--which I always try to do for folks who take the time to help. And help you did--I kinda knew it wasn't the best time to go, but I have family who are antsy. As for the other survival area, well, electricity, shopping...alot to consider! Thanks again!

Raydene

Hello from Fairbanks! I live on Ft Wainwright and this is my first winter here. Everyone I talk to say this is a wonderful area to live in. They love it, even though it gets very cold. You just dress for it. Research the areas as both have a tremendous amount to offer, but each will have their pluses and minus points. We have shopping, schools, University, and an air port. If you don't want to be too far inland then the others are the places to go. I can chat more if you want more info about Fairbanks- contact me if you need to.

starrsville

I've been to Juneau (and on to Haines and into the Yukon territory) in November and Anchorage/Fairbanks in Feb - with a weekend in Talkeetna in between. Winter would be an interesting time for a scouting trip - and even okay to buy a home in an established area. But, I don't think I'd make a decision about buying land after just seeing it in winter.

Now, for sight-seeing. Consider stopping by Haines, AK and see the largest grouping of bald eagles in the world in November. Absolutely amazing. This is the link I found. I wasn't there for the festival, but just stopped by for a few minutes during Thanksgiving week. Bald eagles everywhere you look - in the trees, on the ground, all around. They were as plentiful as oranges on an orange tree. One of my favorite travel memories EVER!
http://baldeaglefestival.org/