Alaska: Summer camping or September hotel ?

Hi,

I am planning a trip to Alaska in 2007. I have seen several great
tours which involve either summer camping (July and August) or are
hotel-based (first 2 weeks of September). Which would be the best ? I
would like to avoid the mosquitoes and tourists as much as possible,
and hopefully see the Northern Lights, whilst having a decent weather.
I am looking for anyone who has experience camping in Alaska in the
summer: is it cold at night and is there a lot of rain? Does anyone
know what is the weather like early September ? Any response would
help me make my decision, since it is a big trip (I am based in
Belgium, Europe) and would like to make the right decision.

Thanks !

Marianne

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I am planning a trip to Alaska in 2007. I have seen several great
tours which involve either summer camping (July and August) or are
hotel-based (first 2 weeks of September). Which would be the best ? I
would like to avoid the mosquitoes and tourists as much as possible,
and hopefully see the Northern Lights, whilst having a decent weather.
I am looking for anyone who has experience camping in Alaska in the
summer: is it cold at night and is there a lot of rain? Does anyone
know what is the weather like early September ? Any response would
help me make my decision, since it is a big trip (I am based in
Belgium, Europe) and would like to make the right decision.

Thanks !

Marianne


The short answer is the weather is highly variable. I was there
last June and for the first 10 days the weather was ideal.
The sun shone and daytime temperatures went up to 25C
dropping to around 10 at night.

The last 4 days however we had a LOT of rain and it was
much cooler. By sept the days are noticeably shorter and its
getting cooler. However going early or late in the season
does mean the crowding is less and by camping you will
see more of the wildlife. Do follow the rules published for
storing food though. Bears can be dangerous and you
dont want one ripping open your tent to get the food you packed.

Your not going to see the northern lights I'm afraid. In
summer it doesnt even get fully dark.

Keith

Hi Keith,

Thanks a lot for this ! I appreciate your response to my mail (cfr
also my response to Craig).

All the best,
Marianne

Keith Willshaw schreef:

wrote in message
oups.com...
Hi,

I am planning a trip to Alaska in 2007. I have seen several great
tours which involve either summer camping (July and August) or are
hotel-based (first 2 weeks of September). Which would be the best ? I
would like to avoid the mosquitoes and tourists as much as possible,
and hopefully see the Northern Lights, whilst having a decent weather.
I am looking for anyone who has experience camping in Alaska in the
summer: is it cold at night and is there a lot of rain? Does anyone
know what is the weather like early September ? Any response would
help me make my decision, since it is a big trip (I am based in
Belgium, Europe) and would like to make the right decision.

Thanks !

Marianne


The short answer is the weather is highly variable. I was there
last June and for the first 10 days the weather was ideal.
The sun shone and daytime temperatures went up to 25C
dropping to around 10 at night.

The last 4 days however we had a LOT of rain and it was
much cooler. By sept the days are noticeably shorter and its
getting cooler. However going early or late in the season
does mean the crowding is less and by camping you will
see more of the wildlife. Do follow the rules published for
storing food though. Bears can be dangerous and you
dont want one ripping open your tent to get the food you packed.

Your not going to see the northern lights I'm afraid. In
summer it doesnt even get fully dark.

Keith

wrote...

Hi,

I am planning a trip to Alaska in 2007. I have seen several great
tours which involve either summer camping (July and August) or are
hotel-based (first 2 weeks of September). Which would be the best ? I
would like to avoid the mosquitoes and tourists as much as possible,
and hopefully see the Northern Lights, whilst having a decent weather.
I am looking for anyone who has experience camping in Alaska in the
summer: is it cold at night and is there a lot of rain? Does anyone
know what is the weather like early September ? Any response would
help me make my decision, since it is a big trip (I am based in
Belgium, Europe) and would like to make the right decision.

Thanks !

Marianne

It would help to know where in AK you plan visiting given the state's size
and varied geography, but in general, it can be cold at night in August. My
worst-ever night of camping was spent at Riley Creek Campground in Denali NP
in Aug. due to the cold. My water bottles on my bicycle froze solid! July
could still be mosquito-ey while late August and Sept. have a pretty major
drop in bugs. August is still fairly well lit so if Northern Lights are
important to you, I'd shoot for September--avoid July at all costs. One tip
in Northern Lights viewing is to enlist helpers since you really should
check the sky frequently through the night. If several folks share the
scouting, and know that you're willing to be awakened at any time when the
Lights are out, you'll more than likely not miss a good display.

All in all, given your thoughts, I vote for Sept.:

-Fewer mosquitoes
-Fewer tourists
-Potential (especially in mid-late Sept..) for some good deals in shopping
-Much better chance of getting a great view of the Northern Lights
-Although cold, you'll be in hotels rather than a tent in pretty cold August

-the one downside is that by mid-late Sept., some attractions may be closed
and business staff (restaurant cooks and servers, lodging cleaners, etc.)
may be operating short-staffed since some of the seasonal help has already
headed south for winter jobs, school, etc.

Regardless of when you go, a good rain suit or something pretty waterproof
will be very useful--as will dressing in layers.

PS--I've done 4 month-long bicycle camping trips in AK and Yukon/NWT and
have worked three seasons in Skagway (May-Sept.) with excursions into the
Interior on my days off and base my thoughts on my experiences.

Craig

Hi Craig,

Thank you so much for your advice, it really helps a lot ! I plan to
participate in an organised tour since I would be going alone. Most of
these tours go to Kenai, Denali, Fairbanks, Wrangell, so to the major
attractions in Alaska. Although it is a shame that none of these add
the Inside Passage to their programme.

You must love Alaska if you have done such big trips over there. I
can't wait to get there, counting down to it already...

All the best and thanks again,
Marianne


Craig schreef:

wrote...

Hi,

I am planning a trip to Alaska in 2007. I have seen several great
tours which involve either summer camping (July and August) or are
hotel-based (first 2 weeks of September). Which would be the best ? I
would like to avoid the mosquitoes and tourists as much as possible,
and hopefully see the Northern Lights, whilst having a decent weather.
I am looking for anyone who has experience camping in Alaska in the
summer: is it cold at night and is there a lot of rain? Does anyone
know what is the weather like early September ? Any response would
help me make my decision, since it is a big trip (I am based in
Belgium, Europe) and would like to make the right decision.

Thanks !

Marianne

It would help to know where in AK you plan visiting given the state's size
and varied geography, but in general, it can be cold at night in August. My
worst-ever night of camping was spent at Riley Creek Campground in Denali NP
in Aug. due to the cold. My water bottles on my bicycle froze solid! July
could still be mosquito-ey while late August and Sept. have a pretty major
drop in bugs. August is still fairly well lit so if Northern Lights are
important to you, I'd shoot for September--avoid July at all costs. One tip
in Northern Lights viewing is to enlist helpers since you really should
check the sky frequently through the night. If several folks share the
scouting, and know that you're willing to be awakened at any time when the
Lights are out, you'll more than likely not miss a good display.

All in all, given your thoughts, I vote for Sept.:

-Fewer mosquitoes
-Fewer tourists
-Potential (especially in mid-late Sept..) for some good deals in shopping
-Much better chance of getting a great view of the Northern Lights
-Although cold, you'll be in hotels rather than a tent in pretty cold August

-the one downside is that by mid-late Sept., some attractions may be closed
and business staff (restaurant cooks and servers, lodging cleaners, etc.)
may be operating short-staffed since some of the seasonal help has already
headed south for winter jobs, school, etc.

Regardless of when you go, a good rain suit or something pretty waterproof
will be very useful--as will dressing in layers.

PS--I've done 4 month-long bicycle camping trips in AK and Yukon/NWT and
have worked three seasons in Skagway (May-Sept.) with excursions into the
Interior on my days off and base my thoughts on my experiences.

Craig

Maddie wrote:
Hi Craig,

Thank you so much for your advice, it really helps a lot ! I plan to
participate in an organised tour since I would be going alone. Most of
these tours go to Kenai, Denali, Fairbanks, Wrangell, so to the major
attractions in Alaska. Although it is a shame that none of these add
the Inside Passage to their programme.

Maddie,

I cannot imagine doing AK on an organized trip. I have been to Alaska
17 times over the past 9 years, going in almost every single month just
to experience it at different times. I do have friends there, so that
helps.

I don't know what the cost of the organized tour is, but Alaska is
expensive to rent a car or travel by trains but may be worth the
trade-off. Depending on your age and interests, there are many things
that I would recommend on doing this unorganized. This last year we
spent five days at Valdez, fishing, camping and sea kayaking and it was
one of my best trips. I have never been to Wrangell, but on looking it
up, many of the same things are available there as in Valdez. If you
want to be on the water, I wouldn't go as late as September because I
have seen snow in August in Denali and it is much more fun to be out
kayaking, camping, and fishing in the 70s than when it is 30. I try to
spend several weeks in Denali/Healy every summer because that is my
home base.

Good luck on your trip and if you decide not to go organized I will
provide names of some boat owners and hotels that may give you more
bang for your buck than just looking on the internet.

Janice

PS: Everyone talks about the mosquitos, and they can be bad, but in
all my summers there, they never stopped me from doing anything. You
are less likely to find them so pesky from late July through August.

Hi Janice,

Thanks for your reply. Normally I am not the kind of person that goes
on an organized trip, I like my independence too much, but I would be
all alone going to Alaska, so it would be nice to meet new friends on
an organized trip (read: adventure trip, not the run-of-the-mill
package tours). but adventure = camping, hence my dilemma since I like
to be warm in my bed ;-). In any case, if I find anyone who wants to
come with me (none of my friends want to come to Alaska), I would rent
a car and travel around l ike that, and then I will definitely contact
you again for those addresses. Although the likelihood of someone
coming along is very low...
I guess the weather in Alaska is as varied as it is in Belgium in the
summer: you never know what you will get !

Marianne (Maddie)

schreef:

Maddie wrote:
Hi Craig,

Thank you so much for your advice, it really helps a lot ! I plan to
participate in an organised tour since I would be going alone. Most of
these tours go to Kenai, Denali, Fairbanks, Wrangell, so to the major
attractions in Alaska. Although it is a shame that none of these add
the Inside Passage to their programme.

Maddie,

I cannot imagine doing AK on an organized trip. I have been to Alaska
17 times over the past 9 years, going in almost every single month just
to experience it at different times. I do have friends there, so that
helps.

I don't know what the cost of the organized tour is, but Alaska is
expensive to rent a car or travel by trains but may be worth the
trade-off. Depending on your age and interests, there are many things
that I would recommend on doing this unorganized. This last year we
spent five days at Valdez, fishing, camping and sea kayaking and it was
one of my best trips. I have never been to Wrangell, but on looking it
up, many of the same things are available there as in Valdez. If you
want to be on the water, I wouldn't go as late as September because I
have seen snow in August in Denali and it is much more fun to be out
kayaking, camping, and fishing in the 70s than when it is 30. I try to
spend several weeks in Denali/Healy every summer because that is my
home base.

Good luck on your trip and if you decide not to go organized I will
provide names of some boat owners and hotels that may give you more
bang for your buck than just looking on the internet.

Janice

PS: Everyone talks about the mosquitos, and they can be bad, but in
all my summers there, they never stopped me from doing anything. You
are less likely to find them so pesky from late July through August.

Maddie wrote:
Hi Janice,

Thanks for your reply. Normally I am not the kind of person that goes
on an organized trip, I like my independence too much, but I would be
all alone going to Alaska, so it would be nice to meet new friends on
an organized trip (read: adventure trip, not the run-of-the-mill
package tours). but adventure = camping, hence my dilemma since I like
to be warm in my bed ;-). In any case, if I find anyone who wants to
come with me (none of my friends want to come to Alaska), I would rent
a car and travel around l ike that, and then I will definitely contact
you again for those addresses. Although the likelihood of someone
coming along is very low...
I guess the weather in Alaska is as varied as it is in Belgium in the
summer: you never know what you will get !


Maddie,

I am guessing from your posts that you are under 30. My experience
with organized travel in Alaska is it is for the 65+ crowd. Do you
have a site for trips that you are looking at. I would just be curious
as to the cost.

Alaska is the closest to hitchhiking in Europe as you will ever get. I
am 54 and took my 27 year old son for his first trip to Alaska last
summer. He had a great time and hooked up with contemporaries every
day. I think even he was surprised that travelling with mom would work
out to his benefit so well. It is not mom, but Alaska. One day he met
some guys going ice climbing and was free to go. Another night we were
invited to go red salmon fishing with some people we met, and saw black
bears within 15 feet of our car.

Hopefully the tour company you are looking at is geared towards younger
travellers, although I haven't seen one like that yet.

Janice

"Maddie" wrote...

Hi Craig,

Thank you so much for your advice, it really helps a lot ! I plan to
participate in an organised tour since I would be going alone. Most of
these tours go to Kenai, Denali, Fairbanks, Wrangell, so to the major
attractions in Alaska. Although it is a shame that none of these add
the Inside Passage to their programme.

A bit more advice. Denali National Park is certainly worth seeing but
requires about two days in the area if not three, minimum. If taking a
commercial tour of AK that includes Denali, look for those that offer 2-3
nights or more in or just outside the park. You will arrive on Day 1 in the
afternoon, then hopefully take a very early bus tour into the park on Day 2.
Eielson Visitor Center (if I've spelled it right) or Wonder Lake can become
full-day rides by the time you return to your lodging later on Day 2. Even
if you don't see The Mountain from the bus ride (the average visitor to
Denali does NOT get to see Mt. McKinley), the day's ride should give you
more wildlife viewing than the rest of your vacation days combined. If you
missed The Mountain on Day 2, you could always try again on Day 3. I believe
that August is the month best known for sightings of McKinley, but whenever
you go, the earliest trip into the park will maximize your sighting
potential.

If in Seward, try to get to Exit Glacier for a nice day-hike. Given your
thoughts on tours you're looking at, Seward or Valdez, if visited, would
give you your only potential travel by ship. A tour that includes a ferry
ride from Valdez to Seward or vice versa is a plus. Or possibly substitute
Whittier for Seward for sea travel to/from Valdez.

As others have said, the less time your group spends in Anchorage or
Fairbanks, the better. I do prefer Fairbanks, especially in late summer for
all the flowers in town. The museum in the university is worth an hour's
visit or so. Fairbanks may still have the experimental musk ox farm and
that'd be your only chance to see those critters. As odd as it sounds, the
halibut meal in AlaskaLand (at least for me in '83 on a bike tour) was a
highlight of my days in town. I expect to hear some grief over the previous
sentence (for mentioning Alaskaland, not halibut).

If you return another year, you could do the Inside Passage or do a
land/sea package that gets you into NW Canada, too. I always enjoyed
Whitehorse and if possible, try for a tour that adds a couple days in
Dawson--my favorite Northern town--and trip over Top of the World Highway.
Doing the Inside Passage by ferry requires more setup work on your part than
by cruise ship, but will get you closer to real Alaskans (and many wacky
tourists doing AK "on the cheap") and ferries frequently have Forest Service
folks on board to give lectures. And if in Skagway, be sure to ask me for
detailed advice on what to do, where to eat and everything else. The day's
drive into Canada from Skagway or Haines is spectacular when sunny. (Ditto
for the drive out of Valdez.)

A bit of advice on flightseeing: when on commercial tours, you may be
offered a flight in a helicopter or fixed wing plane. If reserving a space
in advance, weather may cancel your flight--or worse, visibility may be bad
enough that you'll not see much but still be able to fly. On the other hand,
if waiting for good weather and then trying to reserve space on a flight
with only 0-2 days' advance notice, flights may be all booked. Either way,
it's a gamble--and a pricey one at that.

Klondike Craig

Some more AK info from my web sites:

My WP&YR site:
http://wpyr.netfirms.com/

My personal site:
http://home.att.net/~wpyr/

"Craig" wrote in message
...

"Maddie" wrote...

Hi Craig,

Thank you so much for your advice, it really helps a lot ! I plan to
participate in an organised tour since I would be going alone. Most of
these tours go to Kenai, Denali, Fairbanks, Wrangell, so to the major
attractions in Alaska. Although it is a shame that none of these add
the Inside Passage to their programme.

A bit more advice. Denali National Park is certainly worth seeing but
requires about two days in the area if not three, minimum. If taking a
commercial tour of AK that includes Denali, look for those that offer 2-3
nights or more in or just outside the park. You will arrive on Day 1 in
the afternoon, then hopefully take a very early bus tour into the park on
Day 2. Eielson Visitor Center (if I've spelled it right) or Wonder Lake
can become full-day rides by the time you return to your lodging later on
Day 2. Even if you don't see The Mountain from the bus ride (the average
visitor to Denali does NOT get to see Mt. McKinley), the day's ride should
give you more wildlife viewing than the rest of your vacation days
combined. If you missed The Mountain on Day 2, you could always try again
on Day 3. I believe that August is the month best known for sightings of
McKinley, but whenever you go, the earliest trip into the park will
maximize your sighting potential.

If in Seward, try to get to Exit Glacier for a nice day-hike. Given your
thoughts on tours you're looking at, Seward or Valdez, if visited, would
give you your only potential travel by ship. A tour that includes a ferry
ride from Valdez to Seward or vice versa is a plus. Or possibly substitute
Whittier for Seward for sea travel to/from Valdez.

As others have said, the less time your group spends in Anchorage or
Fairbanks, the better. I do prefer Fairbanks, especially in late summer
for all the flowers in town. The museum in the university is worth an
hour's visit or so. Fairbanks may still have the experimental musk ox farm
and that'd be your only chance to see those critters. As odd as it sounds,
the halibut meal in AlaskaLand (at least for me in '83 on a bike tour) was
a highlight of my days in town. I expect to hear some grief over the
previous sentence (for mentioning Alaskaland, not halibut).

If you return another year, you could do the Inside Passage or do a
land/sea package that gets you into NW Canada, too. I always enjoyed
Whitehorse and if possible, try for a tour that adds a couple days in
Dawson--my favorite Northern town--and trip over Top of the World Highway.
Doing the Inside Passage by ferry requires more setup work on your part
than by cruise ship, but will get you closer to real Alaskans (and many
wacky tourists doing AK "on the cheap") and ferries frequently have Forest
Service folks on board to give lectures. And if in Skagway, be sure to ask
me for detailed advice on what to do, where to eat and everything else.
The day's drive into Canada from Skagway or Haines is spectacular when
sunny. (Ditto for the drive out of Valdez.)

A bit of advice on flightseeing: when on commercial tours, you may be
offered a flight in a helicopter or fixed wing plane. If reserving a space
in advance, weather may cancel your flight--or worse, visibility may be
bad enough that you'll not see much but still be able to fly. On the other
hand, if waiting for good weather and then trying to reserve space on a
flight with only 0-2 days' advance notice, flights may be all booked.
Either way, it's a gamble--and a pricey one at that.

Klondike Craig


It has already snowed in the mountains around Anchorage and towards
Girdwood. Unless you are going to take a few days backpacking into Denali,
I would schedule 2 nights at most. It is a large park, with only 100 miles
of road. Take the Tundra Tour (you can see it on the Denali park website).
I did not go to Wonder Lake, but it is a hop on, hop off bus and you are
looking at about 13 hours. The Tundra Tour buses stop for wildlife viewing.
The others do not. Not a lot of stuff to see in Denali that you are not
going to see in other places in the area. If weather is decent, do a river
raft, and my buddy took the flightseeing tour of Denali. He and his wife
are ecstatic about the experience. I did not take it as was sick and
plugged up ears. I have driven to Alaska and went north of Denali (entered
Alaska near Chicken from Dawson City). Too far for a short trip. Most of
the beautiful areas of Alaska that you see are South of Fairbanks. The
Kenai peninsula is great. We took a fly out fishing trip from Kenai to fish
with the bears $316/ person. Worth every penny of it. Wife does not fish,
but we had sow bear fishing next to boat and even swimming in the water.
Nursed the 2 yearling cubs about 30' from us. Bears are there only when
salmon are running, so late August may not have them. Volcanoes in the
Homer area, that you can see as you go down the road. You might look into a
truck rental with camper in bed if you are going late. Truck campers (what
I have) seem to be better for sightseeing as you can go down roads that a
car or trailer pulling rig will not go. You are going to have to pick an
area or region to visit. Trying to visit all of Alaska in 3 weeks would be
like trying to see Belgium, France, Spain and Italy all in the same time
frame.