kennethwplace

I will be working Anchorage from September 20-24 2021 and can arrive the week before or stay the week after. My initial investigation indicates many things shut down Sept. 1. and then begins Shoulder season. I may be solo or have a college buddy with me. Would love to do some things that will give me stories to tell for years to come. Fishing, Wildlife, remote travel. Nothing run of the mill, needs to be an interesting story.

Willing to travel within Alaska.

I did a Vancouver to Whittier cruise, train to Denali and, bus to Fairbanks a few years ago with the family and had an amazing time.

Any suggestions welcome, no ideas too extreme.

Any considerations for September travel I should be aware of?

If anyone could suggest web sites or people to call, I would appreciate.

Thank you in advance,

Ken

mlgb

September is still a month you can go fishing for Coho Salmon and Halibut.

Check one of the Aurora Borealis forecast websites, although just coming out of a low point, September can be a good month and it won't be too bright a moon.

Gardyloo

It will definitely be getting chilly at night, but if you can come the week before your work begins, I'd head up to Denali where the fall color on the tundra can be breathtaking. There's also decent fall color in the Mat-Su Valley and in some places down the Turnagain Arm from Anchorage, as well as up in the Chugach mountains right behind the city. Here are some older photos but you can get the idea.

A couple from Mirror Lake, about 30 minutes up the Glenn Hwy from Anchorage





Here's Pioneer Peak, near Palmer. A great day's drive in the fall is up to Hatcher Pass and Independence Mine, behind Palmer.



As mlgb says, there's still some fishing for silver salmon around the Southcentral region. If you travel up to the Mat-Su Valley, a convenient and reasonably reliable silver salmon fishing spot is the Eklutna Dam tailrace, where you can fish from the bank; it's also a nice walk along the water, near the tailrace's mouth into Knik Arm. A drive up the Knik Road is also very enjoyable, with a a good chance of seeing wildlife - moose and bears especially. On the way there or back, stop at the Eklutna village cemetery, fascinating with the "spirit houses" built over the graves.

In the opposite direction, down Turnagain Arm, there's also great scenery. You could ride up the gondola at the Alyeska Resort in Girdwood, or (check if they're still running) enjoy a "26 Glacier" day cruise out of Whittier, on which you'll see umpteen tidewater glaciers in Prince William Sound. For an interesting visit to an old gold mining village, head to Hope, the only town on the south side of Turnagain Arm. Here's a map showing the location of some of these places: https://goo.gl/maps/tk1vomSjw3c33mVn6

It's a fun time to visit.

Songdoc

Gardyloo: OMG, those photos!!!

I definitely want to do a similar trip. Just not sure when.

mlgb

Aurora Season from Fairbanks
https://www.explorefairbanks.com/exp...aurora-season/

There are actual current Alaska residents on Tripadvisor, by the way.

kennethwplace

Thank you for the replies. Those pictures are fantastic. I believe I will target coming up in advance of my work. My work will take me up to Prudhoe Bay within my one week, but it begins and ends in Anchorage. I hope to see the Northern Light up there. That would be a first. Halibut fishing, and seeing wildlife and nature will probably be my focus. Funny but after seeing the pictures above, I feel compelled to get a similar picture where the reflection of mountains are shown in a lake. Just beautiful.

Thanks again,

Ken

deladeb

Make sure you eat halibut cheeks, a delicious delicacy.