Posted: 3/16/2025 10:04:00 AM EDT
[Last Edit: flynbenny][Edited]
|
Still firming up some of the details but I will be up there for a month or so in the April-May. Looking for suggestions, do/don'ts, places I should visit, etc. I don't drink at all (family history  ). Enjoy hiking, mountain biking, RC crawling, stuff like that. Still unsure on where I'll be staying, hammering that out with work. Kind of looks like I will be there in the middle of 'mud' season, so any intel on actual and predicted trail conditions would be great.Thanks in advance for the suggestions. It will be a big change going from a metro area of 1M people to 1/10 of that. |
|
That is a less than ideal time. “Break up” as we call it is just a wet muddy mess. We have had a warmer winter so it may be done with earlier. I once heard someone say Fairbanks is the ugliest part of Alaska. And they weren’t wrong. While I really enjoy living here it really doesn’t capture the beauty Alaska has to offer. I highly suggest doing some traveling while you are here. You don’t have to travel too far to find some true Alaskan beauty. Down to Denali or south east to the black rapids area are great day trips. Chena River state rec area is one of the closer hiking type areas. Also has a number of public use cabins you can rent. But it will very likely be a muddy mess for most of that. Going up the steese highway to twelvemile and eagle summit offers some great hikes. Also cool to see just how remote it is. Outside of hunting seasons there is very little traffic/people once you get 10-15 miles from town. But you’ll probably want snowshoes for that as there is 5 or more feet of snow up there right now and I highly doubt it’ll be gone by then. Maybe late May. If you have time Alaskan ocean towns are truely special. Valdez being the closest to Fairbanks. |
why, oh why GOD WAS I BORN IN CALIFORNIA..
Joined:
Apr 2005
Posts:
19904
EE: 100% (28)
AK, USA
|
Yeah, the canyon on the way to Valdez is pretty nice. Some other nice places once you get into town also. But...breakup. |
RIP Tamurand a damn fine Rhodesian Ridgeback 02-09-14
RIP Kaya, an equally fine Yellow Lab 06-08-2015
RIP Millie the Destroyer, AKA ShitTrumpet, WCCorgi 12-21-2015
NORCAL CALLSIGN: YODEL
Happy to be in ALASKA!
RIP Kaya, an equally fine Yellow Lab 06-08-2015
RIP Millie the Destroyer, AKA ShitTrumpet, WCCorgi 12-21-2015
NORCAL CALLSIGN: YODEL
Happy to be in ALASKA!
|
Originally Posted By Atropian_Defector: BYOMB Bring your own muck boots. Ever been bitten by mosquitos with snow still on the ground? You’ll get to experience that. Not yet  The state bird so I am told. I will bring bug repellent. I will be prepared for mud everywhere...Some good info. I am still trying to nail down my lodging, since I don't want to commute to Fairbanks every day. I do plan on driving to Denali NP at least once while there. |
|
There is only a very small segment of the road a "common person" can drive within the NP unless you have jumped through some hoops. If you actually want to see some of the park, you'll need to ride one of the tourist busses. I haven't done the bus route, but some neighbors have on the "better" busses, and they enjoyed the trip. Some of the busses are more like school busses...sounds like a not so nice trip to me. During COVID I was able to win a car pass. The Wife could not go, so the dog and I camped at the entrance and then drove X miles in enjoying the view. Lots of rules and regulations...you can only stop where the NP says you can park. It was a wet and raining day. Only saw one animal. Once started, it was a one-way trip. You could not turn around to see something again. The dog and I never got off the road. We did walk a short distance down the road from where we had to turn around and she was able to sniff some new smells. We didn't walk very far before old age made her stop and I carried her back to the vehicle...she was in wolf country for a while and slept great that night. You can drive into the park a short distance. There's a rest area with outhouses, then you cross a bridge with a check point on the other side to only allow those with a pass to continue. While we were at the rest area after our trip, a guy was pulled over by NP police. Lights, sirens, and guns drawn. "Roll down your window!" or else! Tourist that didn't understand English and was not familiar with his rental car. His crime was speeding (over 25?) on the short section of road open to the public. "Welcome to Denalia National Park!" Some NP Rangers practiced/trained at our gun range several years ago. They were always friendly and professional. I think you can get a car pass if you have reservations at one of the campgrounds. My understanding is you can only drive to that campground and then have to explore on foot. You can also put in for a lottery to win a car pass. We used to put in for it every year but I figured some people were cheating on the game, so the honest folks were given less chance. Then there's been a few landslides that have closed off a lot of the road system. You might consider taking a tourist flight over the NP. It would be a great memory. I think the mountain is only clear one out of three days, but when it is...it is spectacular! What I've seen of the NP has been spectacular! |
|
Some good intel. Grew up and still live in touristy areas of CO so very familiar with foreigners doing odd or inexplicable things. I was hiking in a local park recently and some tourists from Germany were having a good laugh over the No Smoking signs everywhere. I looked up the NP rules and driving area, looks like it is currently open to mp 13. Apparently there was a landslide after mp 43 so no one bus or otherwise goes past there in the summer for another year or two while they fix the road. I will be lodging close to the park so I am planning on a few visits. The flightseeing trip is something I am considering too, of course weather is quite variable around the mountain so it will be a game time decision if I do that. |
|
You could check out the bison gultch trail. It’s not technically in the national park, it’s just outside it. But it’s a nice hike with decent views. Attached File |
|
Originally Posted By Rosta97: You could check out the bison gultch trail. It’s not technically in the national park, it’s just outside it. But it’s a nice hike with decent views. https://www.ar15.com/media/mediaFiles/231690/IMG_0855_png-3505444.JPG That is a wicked elevation gain... I might have to do that or part of it. I don't think I have done that much elevation in a day on foot since I did a "14er" nearly 20 years ago. |
|
AAR Well I got out there, sadly my trip ended up being curtailed due to circumstances outside of my control. I was working such long days for the week I was there I wasn't able to visit Denali NP not even once  . At least I got to see Denali and the Alaska Range flying in and out. My commute in the interior was scenic and very nice. People seem to have very good road manners and discipline to use the passing lanes provided and stay out of each other's way at least along the Parks Highway. The troopers were the only LE I ever saw and they left me alone since I wasn't doing anything too crazy. Basically it was the polar opposite of New Jersey  . There is gravel EVERYWHERE so no one seems too keen on tailgating. Some seriously slick driving a few mornings, but nothing a 4wd 1/2 pickup with highway terrains couldn't handle, and it melted off by the afternoon each day. Laundry is expensive, I spent $15 to wash/dry two loads at a laundromat. Costco in Fairbanks is a zoo but saved me a lot of $. Fred Meyer is really cool, we have some bigger King Soopers Marketplace stores in my city but they are half the size and variety of Fred Meyer. There's an awesome hobby shop in North Pole called Arctic Wings, prices were BETTER than in the lower 48 on many things, I grabbed a new SCX24 while I was there. They had more crawler and airplane stuff than ANY hobby shop in my city of over 1 million people. Restaurants I enjoyed: Pagoda in North Pole was good, the shrimp three ways appetizer is unique and tasty. The Clear Sky Lodge Bar and Grill in Clear was great too, had a good hamburger with sweet potato fries. The Fairbanks Airport LaQuinta Inn & Suites is very nice, breakfast was good and everything was clean and comfortable. They have a wolf and brown bear in cases in the lobby, not sure how relatively big they are (I've seen some bigger taxidermied bears) but the wolf seemed huge to me. Shuttle service to and from the airport was very fast, they are right there next to it. Didn't get a single mosquito bite. I hit a couple bugs with the truck on the way back to Fairbanks though. Y'all have a cool place to live. I hope I can go back one day. |
|
Originally Posted By LeonardC: Thanks for your trip report. Glad your trip was safe. There must be nicer drivers up in Fairbanks; many folks around here are not nice drivers. As a whole I think drivers are pretty good here. Most common complaint being Subarus driving 10mph under the speed limit. |
|
Originally Posted By Atropian_Defector: On goldstream rd, it’s either 10 below or 30 over, no between Originally Posted By Atropian_Defector: Originally Posted By Rosta97: As a whole I think drivers are pretty good here. Most common complaint being Subarus driving 10mph under the speed limit. On goldstream rd, it’s either 10 below or 30 over, no between And often intoxicated from being over-served at the free parking restaurant that's out there. |