Which city/area in Alaska to choose?
 

If you only had one day to visit Alaska, what area would you choose to fly into? Cheapest flights I have found so far are into Anchorage and Juneau.

August? February?

Short answer without knowing when and why, Anchorage. Fly in, get a car, drive to Girdwood for breakfast, then to Whittier for a glacier cruise, back to Anchorage. Scenic drives, glaciers, maybe some wildlife.

We will be Seattle area for a week and since we will be all the way out there (from Maryland), we are thinking of flying into Alaska for a very short trip. Would probably have about two total days, half day when arrive, whole day, then another half day before back to Seattle.

We do not want to do a ton of driving because of the short amount of time and hours on planes. Anchorage looks like there is more to do/see/visit within short drives as Juneau does not have access to much without long ferry rides.

Oh, early November. Yes, weather will not be the greatest.

<i>Oh, early November. Yes, weather will not be the greatest.</i>

Besides cold, snowy, and wet conditions or all of the above, you'll have very short daylight and all the tourist activities/sites will be closed. It's really not a good time to visit, but if it's then or never...

Fly to Anchorage, get a car, and head south along the Seward Highway to Girdwood (45 of the most beautiful minutes you'll spend driving anywhere.) Stay at the Alyeska resort or some B&B, ride the gondola up the hill. http://www.alyeskaresort.com/

The next day, drive down Turnagain Arm to Portage and the AK Wildlife Conservation Center - https://www.alaskawildlife.org/ then return to Anchorage. Spend the last morning around Anchorage, or if the weather's okay, consider a flightseeing trip out of Lake Hood (floatplanes) for a never-to-be-forgotten view of the landscape - glaciers, mountains...

http://www.flyrusts.com/

Thanks for the info. We are treating it as a chance to get there since we will be closer than where we live. Who knows when we will get a chance to get back.

No votes for Juneau so far??

Is March any different than November in Alaska?

Chances are very high that Juneau will be very wet and dismal at that time of year; you'll spend most of your time indoors.

You can't generalize about Alaska at any time of year. It's too big with too many climate zones - Southeast Alaska is wet and maritime, Anchorage a transitional zone, Fairbanks and the interior very continental (warm summers, even hot, super cold winters) and of course the west, the Aleutians and the arctic different yet.

If you were to pick an "off-season" time to visit, the end of February and beginning of March in Anchorage would get my vote. The annual Fur Rendezvous - a hoot of a midwinter festival - takes place, with sled dog races, a carnival, lots of fun events, and culminating with the Iditarod start. http://www.furrondy.net/

If that was an option, I'd jump at it.

November or March would be the only two months we would be able to get out to Seattle. From the sound of it so far, Alaska is not worth the side trip during these months.

I am just trying to take advantage of being all the way out there. We only have four states left to visit before we will complete the entire United states and Alaska is one.......plus the furthest.

I'd vote for Juneau more than other locales further north. I love going there no matter the time of year. It's located in a temperate rain forest, so yes it could be wet, but not as bitterly cold as Anchorage. What about flying 2.5 hours directly from Seattle to Sitka? Sitka's usually warmer than Juneau as it's away from Juneau's ice fields and is kept at a more constant temperature due to it's location right on the Pacific. It's a smaller city with most attractions within walking distance. Lots of historical value as it's where the US purchased Alaska from Russia.

I'm just not that fond of Anchorage as a city to visit; more of a jumping off spot.

I agree with Kansan to go to Juneau and/ or Sitka.

You can take a puddle-jumper from Seattle that will stop at the towns in the Tongass National Forest - a temperate rainforest-- Wrangell, Petersburg, Ketchican and Sitka. They are used to tourists because the cruise ships come through this area; however, November is not tourist season! The issue in this area is less cold and snow and more fog. From one of these smaller communities you'll be able to see "Alaska" more easily in a short trip.

I'd go to Juneau or Anchorage too IF you were visiting in the Summer. But you aren't so to be brutally frank -- IMO it is just silly to go to Alaska for one day, at a bad time of year, to simply tick a box off some list.

It won't be good weather and it will be expensive and w/ just one day you will spend more time traveling than seeing/doing.

You are going to Seattle -- Alaska is NOT 'in the neighborhood', it is <B>1500</B> miles as the crow flies. Stick to Washington.

oh -- that 1500 miles is to Anchorage. Juneau is 'only' 900+ miles.

"In the neighborhood" is a relative term, obviously.


Although from Seattle, it isn't much different time/distance-wise to drive to Buffalo, NY than to Anchorage, AK.

<b>Given the factors mentioned</b>... chief among them <b>needing to get to Alaska to mark it off the list</b> (I saved it for #50, and then drove there)...

<b>it makes perfect sense</b> to <I>side-trip</i> to Alaska while on a cross continent trip to Seattle.

Anchorage has a good sized population but it plays like a much smaller town when trying to find things to <I>do</I> there, so it makes sense to fly into Anchorage <b>and then go somewhere else</b> during a short trip.

<b>IF</b> you told me that <I>fate</i> wouldn't have a truly monumental storm, (<I>or even a tsunami</i>) I would wholly endorse your <U>flying to Anchorage</u> and then doing the short trip that brings you to <b>Seward</b>.

The wintery scenery along the way will be stunning in places, and Seward is a true <I>Alaska town</i>, perhaps quite suitable for a night there.

There is a pass of some significance but hopefully it is relatively tame by Alaska weather standards.

Much of the trip would be right near the water, so unless you were directly impacted by some major blizzard, then your Maryland winters might be worse than you would experience on such a journey.

When I drove to Alaska, I arrived in early April and upon getting out of the car in the middle of the night it was two degrees. You're not going there to work on your tan, or to play croquet - it's all about scenery, and usually <I>winter scenery</i> is what it's known for.

If you were from Oregon, then yeah, maybe you might play the calendar a bit differently, but from Maryland, it does make sense to <U>just be able to check it off your list</u>... and merely to fly in might provide a great enhancement to scenery you'll see when on the ground.

It is about 125 miles from Anchorage to Seward, and as Alaska's reputation is for winter scenery, you're likely to get a pleasant, but tolerable taste of same with such a brief itinerary.

janisj, I'll have to disagree about visiting southeast Alaska in November. It's positively beautiful with the weather changing toward cooler. I love walking in the misty rain when the sun so low on the horizon that even at noon everything glows with the indirect light. Rainbows everywhere.

When you visit there will be about seven hours of day-time sun with four hours of low light split between dawn and twilight. It's really something to experience. Dining choices plentiful with locally sourced food choices. Especially the in-season seafood right off the boat.

Truly magical. Plus you'll avoid the dreaded cruise season. :)

I know it's 'neat' to get it off your states to visit bucket list; but IMO, you would be doing AK a real injustice to come up for 2 nights. in November or March.

If you are 'stubborn as a mule...
I'd check out the dates of the World Ice Carving Championships in Fairbanks (& see if flying into/out of Fairbanks is reasonable) or check out the dates of the Iditarod (check 1st week of March) in Anchorage and hope those activities don't get moved because of weather (like they did this year).

Good luck.

Thanks for all the info and suggestions.

RE: stubborn as a mule


Well anyone knows that you probably aren't doing a place like Alaska <I>justice</i> even when staying for 3 weeks (or even 3 months)... but <b>all of that is a <u>given</u></b>.

I may not have been doing <I>Delaware</i> justice when accidentally missing a turn-off for Philly, after midnight, and ending up in Delaware for 5 minutes, on my first-ever visit there...

<b>but when looking back</b> at your life and efforts, you <b>either checked-off a state</b> <u>or you didn't...</u>.

So again, <b>IF</b> you are from Maryland, and you <I>have a chance</i>... <b>then you do it</b>.

For heck, just <i>flying in to Alaska (in the right light)</i> tells far more of the tale than driving around Alaska for 3 weeks might ever illustrate.

If you are just trying to check the state off your list, choose the cheapest/shortest flight combo regardless of which city you wind up in. Does it really matter where you go as long as you get there and can check the box to say you were there??

With just an overnight you'll find something to doiin either city. Personally I would not bother making the trip - leaving that box unchecked would entice me to plan a real vacation around it rather than a quick stop. But again, if your goal is just to say you've been there, pick the cheapest/quickest option and don't put a lot of stress on yourself to choose the 'best' location because it isn't important.

It is to check it off our list, but we never just jump a state line just to add it. We always do something there, eat, drink, sleep, visit, take in scenery, etc.

You can't do any state or country justice with any amount of time we set aside to visit them. There is too much to see in every nook, forest, waterway, and small town to fit in our very short lives. Take the chance when you have it.

My parents always talked about visiting Ireland together since I was a kid and they always put it off for one reason or another. Then, my Dad's health started declining over the years and he always kept saying, "as soon as I get a little healthier". Well, he never got any better, only worse as my parents aged. He recently passed away having never stepped foot in Ireland. I bet if he could come back and step foot in that country for 1 minute, he would do it in an instant.

Remember, my original question was which city?