We are thinking about visiting Alaska in July. When should we start making reservations?

If you are thinking about visiting Alaska next summer how far are you with your plans?
Adam and Eve (we are not kidding here)

We went to Alaska at the end of August, and made most of our plans in May. If you're planning on going in July (peak time), then I would probably start planning in Feb. or March. If you plan to do something really popular, such as fishing for king salmon in mid-July, then you should book a guide for that as soon as you can. Alaska is fantastic! Enjoy your trip.

ttt

We spent July 2001 in Alaska. We started making reservations in October. In November we had to settle for a third choice of dates for one lodge -- and work around that. We were also only able to book one night instead of two in another lodge. If you aren't picky about where you stay, you'll be fine. If you are picky (like me) you need to be doing it now!

Thank you Jim and Patrick. I am e-mailing my requests today.
I have a couple specific places in mind.
Can you recommend a decent place, with the airport shuttle, to stay one night near the airport in Anchorage?

We somehow got a good deal at Captain Cook downtown, but it is normally very expensive. Most hotels downtown have a shuttle, and I'd strongly recommend staying there. It is nice to be able to stroll around at night -- don't forget it will be light until the wee hours. The airport is so close, why stay at a generic motel near the airport when you should be able to get something downtown for the same price, and still get to the airport in a few minutes.
Hopefully someone will have a more specific suggestion.

We stayed at the Microtel right at the airport. Shuttle runs all the time - we had to leave at 5 AM

A&E
Depends on what you are planning to do.
Whatever it is, be sure to buy a book called "Milepost" which will give you a mile by mile description of what is along the roads you will be traveling.
We did three weeks in August, but started in Vancouver and ended up with an RV from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Search on this forum for Alaska and you'll get some good trip reports and advice.

I totally agree with the purchase of the book called the Milepost. We just purchased ours (If you have a Borders or Books a Million bookstore, you can usually pick it up there). It is packed with a wealth of information and was well worth the price. You can also order from their website at www.themilepost.com