Alaska Travel Questions Answered | ALASKA.ORG - Ask Bob

Flies in Alaska

Q: When is black fly season in Alaska? Which month is the worst—July or August? --Cheryl

A: August is always milder than July in terms of bugs. We tend to get frosty nights as early as the end of July, and that kills off a lot of the bugs.

By the way, black flies aren't that much of an issue here anyway. It's more mosquitoes. For tips on what to wear (even colors), as well as what kind of repellants to consider packing, check out our page on Mosquitoes on Alaska.org.

 

Sea Kayak, B&B, and Rail

Q: I’m looking to do a trip with sea kayaking, plus B&B and railroad sightseeing. What would you recommend? --Stuart

A: Stuart, there are a lot of great sea kayaking experiences in Alaska. Some are day trips, and some overnighters. You can kayak in placid waters where the emphasis is spectacular coastline and wildlife. Or, you can paddle in water so thick with glacial ice that you can barely plunge your paddle into the water.

A friend of mine, John Page, runs a company called Sunny Cove Sea Kayaking out of Seward. I think it fits your bill because he can arrange any kind of trip: You can stay in Resurrection Bay and do a shorter trip, or he can take you out to the glaciers of Kenai Fjords National Park. Their trips range from $65 for a half day trip to $130 or $179 for full day trips. (They even do multi-day camping-and-kayaing trips for anywhere from $350 to $1,500.)

Photo Opps in Alaska - Feb and March

Q: I'm planning on visiting Alaska this coming Feb or March and trying to figure out what to do. I'm visiting Alaska with the prize I earned on a photo contest, so I’d like to do some photo shooting activities while I'm in Alaska. I guess I'll come back in summer another time, so would love to experience some things I can only try in winter time.

I'm planning to view auroras, of course, and dogsledding, but would like to do some other outdoor activities, too. What should I check out? --Leo

A: Leo, I’d come during Fur Rondy or Iditarod, which starts on March 6—the dogsled races are a lot of fun to photograph. Plus, the days are getting longer by then, and the temperatures aren’t as consistently cold. By March in Anchorage, where the race starts, average highs are about 33 degrees.

Alaska in March

Q: I am interested in visiting Alaska in March. Is that a good time? What is the weather, and what is there to do? --Debbie

A: March doesn’t mean springtime yet in Alaska. There’s still a lot of snow, and plenty of darkness, too—but things are start to brighten, literally. By March 21, there is exactly 12 hours each of light and darkness. That said, earlier in March might be your best bet for a March visit. This is still the season for watching the northern lights, and they’re more easily seen with more hours of darkness. The Northern Alaska Tour Company does great day- and multi-day trips to see the aurora borealis outside Fairbanks.

While most tour operators, and hotels outside the main cities, are closed down for the winter, a few make the most of the snow. Check out our pages on the town of Girdwood and the Alyeska Hotel, 40 minutes away from Anchorage, as well as the wilderness lodge Winterlake Lodge.

Hunting Trips Alaska

Q: How much would it cost to get a good hotel, some guns and a guided hunt? --Kyle

A: The price tag for hunting trips to Alaska depends a lot on what you’re hoping to hunt and how far off the beaten path you want to do it. For non-residents of Alaska, some game can only be hunted with a guide—such as grizzlies, brown bears, dall sheep and mountain goats. One good operator Sportsman’s Air Service (907-248-3181), does a variety of guided or non-guided hunts, where they typically set you up at either a hotel, lodge, cabin—or even with camping gear. Most of their clients, they tell us, bring their own guns, but they can also help you buy or rent equipment if you ask well ahead of time. Their guided trips start as low as about $2,500—for a bear-hunting trip out of Anchorage.

April Northern Lights

Q: We're in Texas. My wife wants to see the northern lights—me too. I'd like to fish one day, if possible. We’d like to come in April, if that's not too late to see the lights? --Stephen

A: If you want to see the northern lights, April is as late as you’d want to come. We talked with the folks at the Northern Alaska Tour Company—a tour operator that does excellent ground- and air-based trips to see the northern lights—and they advised that you should make sure that your aurora-viewing trip happens no later than the first half of April. As of March 21, the day-to-night ratio is 12 hours each day, and between April 1 and April 30, Fairbanks—the prime area for viewing auroras—is gaining 5 to 7 more minutes of daylight per day. By late April, the prime evening hours for aurora-viewing have pretty much become a memory.

For more information on seeing the northern lights, check out our pages on Auroras and Fairbanks on Alaska.org, as well as our page on Fishing. Good luck!

 

Seward to Homer

Q: What is the best mode of transportation when getting off a cruise ship in Seward and going to and around Homer—and then back to Seward? --Renee

A: Homer, on the Kenai Peninsula, is a great town full of character: lots of shops and art galleries, great sea kayaking in Kachemak Bay and arguably the world’s best halibut fishing.

Seward and Homer look close on the map, but they’re separated by mountains and an ice field. Neither the railroad nor ferries connect them, but you still have a few options for getting there. In most cases you’ll need more than a day to do it:

Ferry to Alaska

Q: We want to take a ferry with one vehicle and two passengers from Bellingham, WA, to Anchorage. How do we do that? --Lightnin

A: The Alaska Marine Highway System is a great way to get both to, and around, Alaska. You can’t take a ferry to Anchorage itself, but you can definitely do this trip.

Here’s how you might do your trip: Board a ferry in Bellingham, WA, and take it to Juneau (about two and a half days), using the AMHS’s Inside Passage route. From there, you’d pick up the Cross-Gulf route ferry to Whittier (a little less than two days). Whittier is the ideal spot to start driving—this is the roadhead for Alaska’s highway system—so from there you have about a two-hour drive to Anchorage.

Alaska Whale Watching

Q: We want to take an Inside Passage cruise—and we want to see the whales! When is the best time to book an itinerary specifically for the whales? Thank you. --Donna

A: Donna, if you want to see whales, the good news is that, in general, you can’t go wrong with a summer Inside Passage cruise. While the population of humpback whales—the main species of whale you’ll see in Southeast Alaska—usually peaks in August, they start arriving in droves from Hawaii by June and, just like the tourists, stick around all summer. The upside of booking your itinerary closer to June is drier weather (May is actually the driest) and longer daylight hours.

Denali Star Train: Alaska Railroad

Q: Does the Denali Star Train that runs from Fairbanks to Anchorage go to the Anchorage Airport or just the Anchorage Train Depot? If it’s just the train depot, is any transportation available at the depot to get us to the airport? --Suzanne

A: Indeed, the Denali Star Train just goes to the train depot, but it’s easy to catch a cab from there to the airport. It takes about 12 to 15 minutes and costs about $20.

The Denali Star, meanwhile, is a great way to see the Alaskan interior, including four different climate and vegetation zones. On the way to Anchorage, it stops at Denali, Talkeetna and Wasilla: You’ll see frontier towns, forests and likely even a good view of Mt. McKinley. For more information about this 12-hour ride as well as other routes, check out our pages about the Denali Star and the Alaska Railroad.

 

The Northern Lights in Alaska

Q: My 84-year old mother wants to see the northern lights—she lives in California, and I’m in Oregon. What's the best way for us to do that (she's not physically able to get too adventurous)? A cruise? And what time of year is best? --Lorraine

A: The best time to see these natural light displays— aurora borealis, and also called northern lights—is winter.

While you can potentially see them all over the state, people who are serious about viewing them tend to go to Fairbanks, up north and inland, and even take excursions several hours north from there, offered by operators such as Northern Alaska Tour Company. It’s not adventure travel per se, but the excursions can be long and can get a little remote. If you can get in and out of a van or plane easily (NATC does both flight and van-based tours), you should be fine with Northern Alaska Tour Company, though they’re happy to talk to travelers about any comfort issues before booking. (For people who want to stay a little closer to Fairbanks, the Aurora Borealis Lodge, just outside the city, is a nice choice, too.)

Alaska Summer Jobs

Q: I am planning an adventure to Alaska for the entire summer of 2010. I am 20 years old, energetic and hard-working. Could you point me in the right direction for resources and planning travel advice for people looking for seasonal employment in Alaska? --Charles

A: Charles, since so much happens in Alaska during the summer months, there are lots of good seasonal Alaska jobs. If you want to work in the visitors industry—as a guide, in customer service or even in housekeeping—there are two main websites to look at: alaskatourismjobs.com, which is operated by the official state tourism board, and CoolWorks.com.

Kodiak Bears in Alaska

Q: What's the difference between a Kodiak bear and an Alaskan brown bear? I often hear brown bears called Kodiaks but assumed there was some difference.

A: According to the folks at the Visitors Bureau for Kodiak Island, off southern Alaska, there is indeed a distinct difference. Their bears first crossed over to Kodiak on a land bridge about 12,000 years ago, and when the land bridge disappeared, the bears got stranded. Today Kodiaks are genetically and anatomically different than other Alaskan brown bears. Most important, they're a bit larger—up to 1,500 pounds in males, or 100 pounds heavier than the biggest "plain" Alaskan brown bears. Kodiak's spokesperson commented that their local bears are "very well fed" from the abundant salmon streams and berry bushes. "They have no complaints," she says.

You have two options for seeing and photographing the Kodiaks:

Daylight Hours Alaska: Sunrise Sunset Facts

Q: Is it true that Alaska has six months of light and six months of darkness? --Alex

A: Alex, luckily those extremes only happen at the North Pole and the South Pole. As you move away from the poles and towards the equator, daylight swings become less pronounced.

That said, Alaska still gets fairly extreme. For example, Barrow—one of the northernmost towns in Alaska—has about two months of darkness in the winter, from about November 18 to January 22. But in the summer, the sun doesn't completely set for about 82 days, from roughly May 11 until July 31.

Alaska Travel Motion Sickness

Q: I’m taking an Alaskan cruise—either an Inside Passage or a glacier cruise—and I get motion sickness very easily. I have heard the cruise is not rocky and I don't have to worry, but I am very leery of taking the train and most certainly the Denali Park bus. Any comments or suggestions? --Deb

A: Deb, you’re smart to plan ahead—doing so can seriously help you avoid those queasy moments (or even full days).

When it comes to cruises, choosing the waters you’ll travel through is more important than the ship itself. If you’re still picking your itinerary, I’d recommend a roundtrip Vancouver Inside Passage trip over all others. The Vancouver sailings stay behind Vancouver Island in more protected (and scenic) waters, which means a generally calmer ride. The itineraries that sail the Inside Passage from Seattle, meanwhile, travel two full days on the open Pacific Ocean, which can get rough.