Alaska travel recs?

[bunnysmom]

After 3 years of not taking vacations, we finally booked plate tickets to go to Seattle on November! yay!

DH has always wanted to go to Alaska and, as we would be close by, we thought about going to Juneau for a day. However, I'm thinking that there won't be much to do on that time of the year after cruise season is over (we'll be there last two weeks of November and first week of December). 

So, if anyone has been there, is it worth it to go so late in the year? are there shops and restaurants open in downtown Juneau?

Do you recommend going to another city (Anchorage, for example)? any other general recs?

Thanks!

[msmerymac]

It's going to be tough to go that late in the year. Juneau maybe, but in general, a lot of touristy things - like restaurants and museums - are seasonal. I would also be REALLY concerned about the weather at that time.

And how are you planning on getting to Juneau? It's 800 miles from Seattle. I'd be surprised if a ton of boats are still operating, and if they are, it will be cold and rough.

A friend of mine has traveled to Anchorage in January and loved it. At the time, it was not much colder than NYC (mid-20s). It's also a large enough city that there's lots to do year-round, and the roads and stuff will be well-maintained. 

[bunnysmom]

Feb 3, 2016 13:28:36 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

It's going to be tough to go that late in the year. Juneau maybe, but in general, a lot of touristy things - like restaurants and museums - are seasonal. I would also be REALLY concerned about the weather at that time.

And how are you planning on getting to Juneau? It's 800 miles from Seattle. I'd be surprised if a ton of boats are still operating, and if they are, it will be cold and rough.

A friend of mine has traveled to Anchorage in January and loved it. At the time, it was not much colder than NYC (mid-20s). It's also a large enough city that there's lots to do year-round, and the roads and stuff will be well-maintained. 

We were planning on flying there. The flight is about two hours, so we were thinking on going there early morning and going back to Seattle in the evening. 

I'll also look into going to Anchorage, as it seems that it's a larger city with much more to do.

Thanks!

[msmerymac]

Good luck! Since you'll be so close, Alaska would be a nice trip. When else will you go, right? I was just there at the beginning of September (2013) and even at that time, things were closing down. It's beautiful, though! I hope Anchorage works out.

[dcn]

I think Juneau is generally not very snowy, that area of the state tends to be more rainy. But, I've never been there.

Anchorage would be a fun trip, though I'd plan more than a day. It is a 3.5 hr flight from Seattle. Lots to do, lots of great restaurants and beer:). If you want to ski, aleyska is 45 min south. The resort there is beautiful and there are some great restaurants in girdwood too. If there isn't much snow there is great hiking there, or you there are a couple of glaciers right there that are easy to walk to.

[bunnysmom]

Feb 3, 2016 13:44:21 GMT -5 msmerymac said:

Good luck! Since you'll be so close, Alaska would be a nice trip. When else will you go, right? I was just there at the beginning of September (2013) and even at that time, things were closing down. It's beautiful, though! I hope Anchorage works out.

Thanks!

I'll definitely look into Anchorage, it seems a better option. I really want to take advantage of this trip to go to Alaska, as I'm going from Argentina (where I live), so I don't think I'll be in the Pacific Northwest again in the next few years. 

[mam677]

I lived in Juneau from 2001 to 2003 and back then, a lot of the touristy shops closed once the cruise season ended in September. That being said, the Mendenhall Glacier viewing areas and visitor center should still be open, as is the Shrine of St. Therese which is absolutely gorgeous. Neither of those places are near downtown. The airport is between downtown and the glacier. For food, I loved Pel'Menis and the Hangar - those are downtown and are open year-round. Hope you make it there!

[aksinger]

Lurker here...I'm from Juneau, it's a beautiful city! We have a few shops and a number of restaurants open downtown during the winter, but not a lot honestly.

It's hit or miss with the weather that time of year, we could have snow, ice, rain (Southeast Alaska is a temperate rain forest). We do have a great glacier that you can walk up close to and as PP have said the Shrine of St. Therese is very pretty. I'd recommend renting a car or checking on taxi daily/hourly rental rates as the attractions other than downtown are not a walkable distance or even on some of the city bus lines.

Also - there are often issues flying in and out of this area of Alaska during the winter due to weather. If you're planning on only spending the day and flying back the same night, I recommend not having other travel arrangements early the next morning in case of issues. All that being said, I love my town and people usually have a great time visiting! Feel free to PM me with any questions you may have!

[bunnysmom]

Feb 5, 2016 5:17:56 GMT -5 aksinger said:

Lurker here...I'm from Juneau, it's a beautiful city! We have a few shops and a number of restaurants open downtown during the winter, but not a lot honestly.

It's hit or miss with the weather that time of year, we could have snow, ice, rain (Southeast Alaska is a temperate rain forest). We do have a great glacier that you can walk up close to and as PP have said the Shrine of St. Therese is very pretty. I'd recommend renting a car or checking on taxi daily/hourly rental rates as the attractions other than downtown are not a walkable distance or even on some of the city bus lines.

Also - there are often issues flying in and out of this area of Alaska during the winter due to weather. If you're planning on only spending the day and flying back the same night, I recommend not having other travel arrangements early the next morning in case of issues. All that being said, I love my town and people usually have a great time visiting! Feel free to PM me with any questions you may have!

Thanks for all of these tips!

After doing some more research, I'm having second thoughts about going to Juneau. It's seems that weather could be unpredictable and we won't be able to see much of the city after cruise season. On the other hand, Anchorage seems like a better option, but the flight is too long, so we're undecided.

The good thing is that we still have a few months to make the arrangements, so we'll see! in the case we decide on going, I'll definitely annoy you with lots of questions!

[aurora]

I was really scratching my head about AK being "so close" to Seattle until you reminded us you're in Argentina.

Really, though, although there are interesting things to do in both Anchorage and Juneau, the beauty of Alaska is largely in its nature/scenery. I think you will be much better served if you can go for a week.

[bunnysmom]

Feb 5, 2016 9:37:21 GMT -5 aurora said:

I was really scratching my head about AK being "so close" to Seattle until you reminded us you're in Argentina.

Really, though, although there are interesting things to do in both Anchorage and Juneau, the beauty of Alaska is largely in its nature/scenery. I think you will be much better served if you can go for a week.

haha, yes, to me I'll be MUCH closer to AK in Seattle than in Buenos Aires!

I think you're right and we'll probably skip this one and do Alaska properly in the next few years.

[aurora]

Feb 5, 2016 10:20:18 GMT -5 bunnysmom said:

Feb 5, 2016 9:37:21 GMT -5 aurora said:

I was really scratching my head about AK being "so close" to Seattle until you reminded us you're in Argentina.

Really, though, although there are interesting things to do in both Anchorage and Juneau, the beauty of Alaska is largely in its nature/scenery. I think you will be much better served if you can go for a week.

haha, yes, to me I'll be MUCH closer to AK in Seattle than in Buenos Aires!

I think you're right and we'll probably skip this one and do Alaska properly in the next few years.

And at that time, definitely page the board again!

[barefootcontessa]

I would go to Anchorage. There is a gorgeous, stunning resort about an hour south that is really inexpensive during the winter (they cater to summer visitors).

[bunnysmom]

Feb 5, 2016 12:50:28 GMT -5 @domerjen said:

AK is great, but I agree, it's not somewhere to go for a few days. Keep it on your list!

If you are wanting to do a side trip while in the PNW, what about going to see the redwoods in CA?

I haven't thought of that! I'll definitely check it out!

These ideas are great, if someone has more suggestions of day trips from Seattle, please keep it coming! 

[dutchgirl678]

There are so many great places to visit outside of Seattle. You could go to one of the Orcas islands or ferry to Bainbridge or Vancouver island. You could drive or take the train down to Portland.

[WOT?*]

flex do you think you could help out here?
Thanks love.

And as a Seattle-ite I have to agree with thedutchgirl . (Hi!) Seattle has a lot of great stuff to see and do. You can take ferry to the Peninsula and hike the rain forest on the Olympic Peninsula; stay at one of the park lodges/resorts and as you head back stop at the lavender fields in Sequim (pronounced Skwim). Take a Victoria Clipper to Victoria BC and visit Butchart Gardens (among other things). Spend a couple days in Vancouver. Spend a couple days on the Orcas Islands. Or make a big loop through and take a few days or a short week and go from Seattle to the Mukilteo Ferry and do a touristy day going up Hwy 20 on Whidbey Island, stopping in Langley then Greenbank Farms and then hike Deception Pass (one of the scariest bridges in the country but the scenery is gorgeous, especially at sunset, which would be around 3:30-4:00 in November/December (sob) and drive through to Anacortes (less than a half hour from Deception Pass) to catch a ferry to Orcas for a short stay and then head up to Vancouver for a day or two before you head back to Seattle.

If visiting Alaska has been a dream and you're from Argentina (so this is apparently a rare opportunity), take the time to visit at least Anchorage. I'd take the time to make it at least an overnight trip so you have time to enjoy it, and cut out another part of your trip so you can fit this in and cross it off your bucket list.

[flex]

Juneau basically closes down after the legislative session is over and when the tourists go home. PLUS getting in and out of Juneau due to weather is dicey, even in the summer. Which is why we keep talking about moving the capital, but I doubt that'll ever happen.

I agree with PP's that Anchorage and/or Alaska cannot be done in just one day--Alaska is a third of the size of the Continental US, so not only is there a lot to do, but lots of ground to cover.

The best time of year to visit Anchorage if you want (maybe) some good weather is late May through early July. Feel free to PM me if you have more questions.

[thedutchgirl]

Feb 6, 2016 6:37:35 GMT -5 WOT?* said:

flex do you think you could help out here?
Thanks love.

And as a Seattle-ite I have to agree with thedutchgirl . (Hi!) Seattle has a lot of great stuff to see and do. You can take ferry to the Peninsula and hike the rain forest on the Olympic Peninsula; stay at one of the park lodges/resorts and as you head back stop at the lavender fields in Sequim (pronounced Skwim). Take a Victoria Clipper to Victoria BC and visit Butchart Gardens (among other things). Spend a couple days in Vancouver. Spend a couple days on the Orcas Islands. Or make a big loop through and take a few days or a short week and go from Seattle to the Mukilteo Ferry and do a touristy day going up Hwy 20 on Whidbey Island, stopping in Langley then Greenbank Farms and then hike Deception Pass (one of the scariest bridges in the country but the scenery is gorgeous, especially at sunset, which would be around 3:30-4:00 in November/December (sob) and drive through to Anacortes (less than a half hour from Deception Pass) to catch a ferry to Orcas for a short stay and then head up to Vancouver for a day or two before you head back to Seattle.

If visiting Alaska has been a dream and you're from Argentina (so this is apparently a rare opportunity), take the time to visit at least Anchorage. I'd take the time to make it at least an overnight trip so you have time to enjoy it, and cut out another part of your trip so you can fit this in and cross it off your bucket list.

Different dutchgirl, but hi!

[WOT?*]

Feb 6, 2016 12:22:32 GMT -5 thedutchgirl said:

Feb 6, 2016 6:37:35 GMT -5 WOT?* said:

Different dutchgirl, but hi!

How funny. I know and I now "know" two different dutchgirls in the Twin Cities from TN/GBCN.
So, you never lived in Cleveland, huh?

[thedutchgirl]

Feb 6, 2016 14:40:51 GMT -5 WOT?* said:

Feb 6, 2016 12:22:32 GMT -5 thedutchgirl said:

Different dutchgirl, but hi!

How funny. I know and I now "know" two different dutchgirls in the Twin Cities from TN/GBCN.
So, you never lived in Cleveland, huh?

I did! But I have no advice on Seattle!