Alaska Campgrounds Needed
Hey guy/gals my dad and I are making a trip this year to Alaska and I am looking for some campground ideas. We are renting a RV in Anchorage then heading to Fairbanks. We will be hitting Fairbanks, De...
Forum Discussion
I will have to weigh in here:
- Anchorage is OK but is sure as heck ain't what Alaska was or could be: Having grown up there and spent the better part of my adult life there (as well as still owning home and property and using it as my base when I'm not in Ewe-stun), I put some thought into it when I call Anchorage "Los Anchorage". It isn't an attractive part of Alaska, although it has services, shopping, conveniences, etc.
- Fairbanks isn't my cup of tea, but the area is great: it is still Alaska (at least it was in 2014, my last trip through the interior): Chena Hot Springs, UAF and its museums, etc. and Nenana are all what I consider attractions in Fairbanks.
- I didn't spend any time on the Kenai Peninsula until the early - mid '70's, so I missed the good years, but I simply don't see the attraction. If one wants to go halibut fishing or offshore salmon fishing, yes, Seward, Homer, Ninilchik are great places to go...but other than that, the quasi-rural aspect of the peninsula is long lost in, as Joe mentions, the hordes of tourists, summer visitors from in-state, and the crowds of non-residents that live on the Peninsula only during the summer to cater to the tourist industry.
- Much like the Kenai, Talkeetna and the McKinley area used to be high points of Alaska. The mountains and The Mountain are still spectacular, but I find the Glitter Gulch area, in all honesty, disgusting and heart-breaking. Talkeetna is still enjoyable in the shoulder season and the drive to/into the Park is enjoyable in September, but if I'm bound to see the mountains, I'll fly up.
- If I had 11 days, I'd probably make the loop Los Anchorage - Glennallen - Valdez with some time along the way (possibly Tolsona, possibly a night or so around Matanuska Glacier) and with time spent in/around Valdez....then take the ferry back to Los Anchorage and take any leftover days to spend in the nicer parts of the Meth-Su: Hatcher Pass, Willow, etc.....and FWIW, recently I've found it to be an enjoyable way to spend a day to go to Palmer and enjoy the "Farmers Market" or whatever they call it during the summer. If I were simply passing time and not fishing etc, I'd far rather spend a 1/2 day in Palmer than in Kenai, Slodotna, or even Homer.
All opinion.
- Anchorage is OK but is sure as heck ain't what Alaska was or could be: Having grown up there and spent the better part of my adult life there (as well as still owning home and property and using it as my base when I'm not in Ewe-stun), I put some thought into it when I call Anchorage "Los Anchorage". It isn't an attractive part of Alaska, although it has services, shopping, conveniences, etc.
- Fairbanks isn't my cup of tea, but the area is great: it is still Alaska (at least it was in 2014, my last trip through the interior): Chena Hot Springs, UAF and its museums, etc. and Nenana are all what I consider attractions in Fairbanks.
- I didn't spend any time on the Kenai Peninsula until the early - mid '70's, so I missed the good years, but I simply don't see the attraction. If one wants to go halibut fishing or offshore salmon fishing, yes, Seward, Homer, Ninilchik are great places to go...but other than that, the quasi-rural aspect of the peninsula is long lost in, as Joe mentions, the hordes of tourists, summer visitors from in-state, and the crowds of non-residents that live on the Peninsula only during the summer to cater to the tourist industry.
- Much like the Kenai, Talkeetna and the McKinley area used to be high points of Alaska. The mountains and The Mountain are still spectacular, but I find the Glitter Gulch area, in all honesty, disgusting and heart-breaking. Talkeetna is still enjoyable in the shoulder season and the drive to/into the Park is enjoyable in September, but if I'm bound to see the mountains, I'll fly up.
- If I had 11 days, I'd probably make the loop Los Anchorage - Glennallen - Valdez with some time along the way (possibly Tolsona, possibly a night or so around Matanuska Glacier) and with time spent in/around Valdez....then take the ferry back to Los Anchorage and take any leftover days to spend in the nicer parts of the Meth-Su: Hatcher Pass, Willow, etc.....and FWIW, recently I've found it to be an enjoyable way to spend a day to go to Palmer and enjoy the "Farmers Market" or whatever they call it during the summer. If I were simply passing time and not fishing etc, I'd far rather spend a 1/2 day in Palmer than in Kenai, Slodotna, or even Homer.
All opinion.
