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Hello! I plan on moving to Alaska fairly soon and am curious if I can find any leads on a cabin for rent on a monthly basis. Could be either Fairbanks area or Anchorage as I have job offers in both areas. Im a 29 year old born and raised in Minnesota. I've fallen in love with the state after visiting a couple times in winter and summer. I am planning on buying some land and am very familiar with living off grid. Although i don't want to commit to such a purchase until living in Alaska for at least a year to make sure it's a good fit.

I've looked on a couple of the vacation rental sites and found only a couple options so I figured I would try and see if any fellow redditors knew of some resources! Tyia

I tried searching but had no luck. Hope you can help me out.

We’re travelling to Alaska in July and looking for a rental car. Alamo had always been a hassle-free company which made us look into their offerings. We stumbled upon the SDGR class which offers a Mazda CX-90 or similar.

Which kind of car can we expect and what are your experiences with this type of rental car in Alaska?

Hi!

If any of you are willing to let me use your photos for references, I would love a photo of Denali to use in a pattern design. A friend of mine out of state recently had a baby and named her after our beautiful peak. I would go out and get a perfect photo myself but its quite a drive for me and I am hoping to finish stitching the project by the beginning of March. So hoping there's someone in the community who has what I am envisioning and will let me use it!

Two things in mind for the vision of it:

\- snowy but able to see the texture of the mountain

\- pink/purple/orange hue sunset (not asking for all 3 just any)

Other than those 2, there's not really anything else preference wise. I have zero intention of ever publishing this pattern since it will be personalized and have the footprints of my friends baby. If there are any questions, please let me know!!

I’m pretty new to Alaska. I’ve only been here since April. My curiosity is, what is the purpose of the bark cuttings on a lot of the birch trees?

Greetings Alaska, just curious who you root for when it comes to NFL football? Are there any Seahawks bars in Anchorage? Go Hawks.

I'm flying up to Anchorage tomorrow for work. I'm renting a car at the airport, and then I have 2 full days of work stuff in Girdwood. The following day my flight doesn't leave Anchorage until 9pm.

I'm debating between driving down to Seward, or driving up to the Matanuska Glacier. Denali State Park is probably a bit too far? I had looked at going to the glacier in Whittier, but it looks like the tour boats are done for the year, and the lake probably isn't frozen solid enough to walk across.

Really I'm looking for a nice/pretty drive to see the views. I'm up for a little bit of hiking, but I'm well aware it's Alaska and I'm in way over my head. I'm from upstate NY so I can handle cold, but I don't have familiarity with wildlife and very harsh conditions.

No breweries unfortunately unless they have non-alcoholic options. Company policy with the rental car.

Any thoughts or recommendations?

hi everyone! I’m thinking of visiting the week/weekend before thanksgiving, read a few posts about early November but deciding between Fairbanks and anchorage. is this a decent time to visit? how many days would I need and what would you recommend between the two cities? It’s easier to get to anchorage but open to Fairbanks if it’s more worth the trip. how is the uber/public transportation system out there in case driving is rough? TIA!

Edit: open to early December as well

Hello!

Life happened and I ended up taking a gap year between high school and college. I’ve been spending the year doing seasonal work and traveling. I’m interested in both wildlife bio/marine bio, and am having trouble picking a school. I worked in Seward this past summer and absolutely fell in love with it. I know summer is an entirely different ballgame in AK, but I don’t have too much trouble adapting to somewhat cold weather. Juneau looks decently similar to Seward, just a bit more isolated so I know I would really enjoy it. However, UAS only seems to offer environmental science/marine bio, while UAF has both and seems to have a better reputation. I’m also very interested in Antarctic/Arctic science! Normally I wouldn’t be concerned but I do plan on applying to grad school at some point so I want to make sure I’m not screwing myself over. I’m a bit worried about living in Fairbanks. I’ve never participated in winter sports, won’t have a car or a ton of money, so I’m not sure what exactly daily life is like. And of course the cold and dark sounds very unappealing (although the northern lights seems like a pretty epic bonus). Basically, does anyone find the cold worth it to study wildlife in Fairbanks? If I chose UAS and got a marine biology degree, would I be less competitive than those with a general zoology/wildlife bio degree when applying for jobs!

Any advice from current or former students (or just anyone with knowledge about these schools) would be greatly appreciated!

A group of 6–7 friends and I are planning a trip to Fairbanks, but a few people have told me that everything pretty much shuts down that time of year. Is that actually true?

We’d love to see the Northern Lights, go dog sledding, visit Chena Hot Springs, and experience Alaska in the winter.

For the locals or anyone who’s visited in December, what was your experience like? Any must-dos, tips, or things we should know before going?

Would love to hear your recommendations! Thanks!

Greetings, Juneau. Excited to finally be visiting Juneau for the first time ever in July. I know you can never, ever count on good weather in Alaska. It’s a very real possibility that my 10.5 hours in Juneau could very well be a rainy day. I am hesitant to book any big tours.

What’s the best way to spend a rainy day? Are there any museums in town? Can you go on a pub crawl? Good restaurants you can recommend that stand out? It’s good to have alternatives on my day in town Thank you in advance.

Title

Hi everyone.

My husband and I are planning our first winter trip to Alaska in
From Nov 6-15th and would like to check about our itinerary

We’re planning to visit Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Chena Hot Springs, and our itinerary includes:

Matanuska Glacier
Aurora Winter Train from Anchorage to Fairbanks
Chena Hot Springs
Snowmobiling
Arctic Circle + Yukon River by road
Dog sledding
Northern Lights viewing
Museum of the North
Creamer’s Field
Chena Lake / Moose Creek Dam
North Pole
Goldstream Valley / Murphy Dome

We’ll also have an AWD rental car in Fairbanks and plan to self-drive for most of the local sightseeing.

like to know:

1- Will it be easy to self drive - ( just FYI, I live in Arizona😅)

2- Are there any places here you would skip or replace?
Are we missing any really good nature/scenic spots around Fairbanks or Anchorage?

3- Is early November usually too early for snowmobiling or traditional dog sledding?

Are there any places on this list you would avoid self-driving to in November?

We’re mainly interested in winter scenery, nature, glaciers, Northern Lights, scenic drives, dog sledding, and snow activities, rather than museums or city attractions every day.
Would really appreciate any suggestions or changes from locals or people who have done Alaska in November.

Aside from hot ponds/springs, and excluding the ocean, do people swim in Alaska? Does the water get warm enough? 🤔

I’m going to Anchorage for work from November 6-13. I’ll have a Friday through Monday to explore wherever. After doing lots of research, I’m pretty pumped about the idea of going to Seward for the weekend.

By the looks of it, all the trains and buses between Anchorage and Seward are closed for the season. So we would need to rent a car. How treacherous is that drive?

I’m sure it’s impossible to know for certain till we get there. But I’m wondering if it’s a good idea to do that drive, specially because I’ll have a bit of a nervous Nelly passenger with me.

Ill be in the fairbanks area mid october any things to do with my wife? So far I got reindeer walk and ice skating the the three summits in fairbanks? Are hikes possible? I was looking into going for the castner glacier one would going around 6am make sense or will it be too dark?

hi! i may be moving to sitka if a job lines up. i’ve never lived in alaska and im from the south so i am prepared for the culture shock but not so sure if im prepared for the logistical lifestyle changes. i know i will have a VERY long trip if i take a car, and that i would have to ferry/ship my car from bellingham washington or haines alaska. i worry about feeling trapped without a car on top of the isolation, and i also like to go an do things by myself pretty often. im debating if bringing a car is worth it- im not very interested in selling my car and buying a new one up there. or i could fly, but i guess im wondering how the public transportation in sitka is and if its really necessary to bring a car.

i’m also wondering about bulk groceries and other random things that the local stores may not have. i know many people fly over to juneau to do some shopping but playing with the alaska sea plane website showed me a round trip is over 500 dollars and you cant fly there and back in the same day.

any sitkans please chime in! i’d love to know everything about your town. if anyone has any information about the island i’d also be interested in that! thanks!

Hi, we are visiting Alaska in June/July for about 10 days with our kids who will be 11 and 9 by then. We will fly into Anchorage On Wednesday
-Drive to Girdwood Wednesday and stay there Thursday and Friday
-Saturday drive to Seward and stay there on sunday and Monday
-Tuesday drive to Denali and stay there in Wednesday and Thursday.
-Friday drive back to Anchorage and Saturday fly out

-I don’t have specific oto do things planned yet but we like hikes that are Easy/moderate and about 3 miles. We will definitely do a boat tour in Kenai Fjords.
-We like to take our time to enjoy things rather than stay on the move.
-Does this seem like good time to spend in each area?

Edit: How far ahead should I rent hotels. Some of our dates are not available for hotels in Seward. I am wondering if they are booked already or it’s too soon to book?

My spouse and I are both going to be new grad nurses in December and we are thinking of moving to Alaska. How are the job opportunities over there (we’ve seen mostly Fairbanks and Anchorage), and how is the pay vs cost of living over there?

Okay, this might sound dumb to some of y’all, but I could really use your advice! 😂

I’ve been doing some research, looking at land prices, and dreaming about building a small cabin in Alaska, specifically in Willow, Alaska. I recently watched a couple of YouTube videos showcasing Alaska’s incredible nature, and I completely fell in love with it! Now I can’t stop thinking about making this dream a reality.

I have a few questions for anyone familiar with the area or who has gone through this process.

• Building permits: Do I need a permit to build a small cabin in Willow, or does it depend on the location and size of the cabin?
• Electricity: I’d only plan on staying there during the summer, maybe 2–3 months a year. Would solar panels be enough to power a small cabin during the summer, or would it be better to buy land that already has electricity and utility hookups?
• Drinking water: What’s the situation with well water in Alaska? Is it generally safe to drink if the well is properly maintained and tested, or do most people rely on bottled water? I’m from upstate New York, where we don’t always feel comfortable drinking well water, so I’m curious how things work in Alaska.
• Building help: Are there any local handymen or contractors in the Willow area who could help me build a small cabin? I’d love to hear about anyone’s experience working with local builders.
• Buying land: Is there anything specific I should know before buying a lot in Willow, especially when it comes to access roads, utilities, water, or building restrictions?

Has anyone here built a small cabin in the area or gone through the process of buying land and building one? I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences, advice, or any mistakes I should avoid.

I know I might be getting ahead of myself, and maybe I’m dreaming a little too big too soon, but hey, there’s no harm in dreaming, right? 😂 Sometimes you just see a place so beautiful that you can’t help but imagine having a little piece of it for yourself.

Thanks in advance to anyone willing to share their knowledge! I really appreciate it. ❤️

How do you know her? What's she like? Is she the smiling person you see in her campaign ads, the hostile woman painted by the allegations in the news, somewhere in between?

Truly not looking for political opinions, just curious to hear firsthand accounts on her character.

Thanks!

(I hope this kind of post is acceptable here.)

Good morning Alaska.

My dad and I, who have a complicated relationship which is besides the point, are thinking of going on a fishing trip to spend quality time together and bond over both our one common-interest (one we're particularly unskilled in and have terrible luck with) and a bucket list trip for my dad. We're planning from scratch and looking for non-AI generated advice from people who live in Alaska and/or know the fishing situation well. We're flexible! We're looking for:

• Preference for river fishing (I get seasick).
• Best times to go (flexible).
• What expectations to have around odds of catching salmon with all we're hearing about trawling depleting stocks. Our last couple charters ended in disasters for a variety of reasons including running aground on a sandbar.
• Related, but tips for being a responsible visitor, being mindful of local communities and supporting them rather than corporations based out of state. We want to do more good than harm.

Thanks so much! Pointing us towards resources/websites is also greatly appreciated.

My husband and I are moving to Hydaburg, on Prince of Wales island early November, coming from Eastern WA. (He will be teaching at the school!) We are taking the ferry up from Bellingham and I just have some questions about what winters are like on the island.

Well-meaning family members keep telling me the winter is going to be really harsh in terms of low temps and tell me I need an engine block heater for the car, but most things I've read say the winters are mostly rainy/slushy/sometimes heavy snow. What do ya'll think? I am trying to conserve money and I'm not sure its worth the expense.

How passable is the road from Hollis to Hydaburg in the winter months? What type of tires/chains/studs should I have on the car? I have a Subaru Forester Sport (2024).

Of course any other helpful advice ya'll can think of is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Hey y'all

I will be working in Anchorage mid March to mid November 2027. I'll have 2 weeks to get from southern CA to anchorage, which will be the first 2 weeks of March

Unfortunately my car isn't great for a winter journey. It's a Subaru legacy currently with all season tires.

Seems likey options are either 1. Drive the whole way, 2. Uses ferry to Haines to cut road time or 3. Ship the car entirely

What would you do iny positive? Any advice for those with experience would be appreciated!