Alaska by RV

[mac66]

My wife and I are going to Alaska this summer and renting an RV.  Was wondering if you Alaskans have any suggestions on what specifically to do and avoid. Best time to be there or not?

We were tentatively planning on going mid to late August/Sept; to avoid the tourist rush but I've been told that hunting season starts in August and they don't like tourists there then.  I do have an RV on hold for 3 weeks during that time but can reschedule.

Basically we would be flying to Anchorage, then up to Danali, Fairbanks, down to Tok, Copper Center, Valdez.  Then over to the Kenai pennusula i.e Homer, Seward.

Doable in 3 weeks?    Anything we should avoid, any must sees, any out of the way places that most tourists don't go?

[509gman]

My dad and i did almost the same trip in a four day weekend. (we weren't exactly tourists, but three weeks is plenty of time to see all you can along that route) I believe that Aug/Sep is the best time to be here. The air is getting chilly, the mosquitoes are making a hasty exit stage left, the daylight is at lower 48 levels, the berries are ripe, and the leaves are turning a gorgeous shade of gold. Get bug spray, those mosquitoes might not be quite gone yet when you arrive. Don't worry about the hunters, only the bad ones will be near the highways. Valdez itself isn't anything to write home about, but the trip through Thompson Pass to get there is amazing. I can't really think of anything bad to warn you about; if you see a moose (being hunting season, they'll all be in the city;) admire from afar, they can get moody. Just about anything you see that piques your interest is good IMO. Get a copy of a book called "The Milepost", it tells you what accommodations and amenities are in the places you be visiting/passing by (and some history). it updates every year, so look for one of the more recent ones. Enjoy our state!

[mac66]

My dad and i did almost the same trip in a four day weekend. (we weren't exactly tourists, but three days is plenty of time to see all you can along that route) I believe that Aug/Sep is the best time to be here. The air is getting chilly, the mosquitoes are making a hasty exit stage left, the daylight is at lower 48 levels, the berries are ripe, and the leaves are turning a gorgeous shade of gold. Get bug spray, those mosquitoes might not be quite gone yet when you arrive. Don't worry about the hunters, only the bad ones will be near the highways. Valdez itself isn't anything to write home about, but the trip through Thompson Pass to get there is amazing. I can't really think of anything bad to warn you about; if you see a moose (being hunting season, they'll all be in the city;) admire from afar, they can get moody. Just about anything you see that piques your interest is good IMO. Get a copy of a book called "The Milepost", it tells you what accommodations and amenities are in the places you be visiting/passing by (and some history). it updates every year, so look for one of the more recent ones. Enjoy our state!

Thanks for the encouragement and info.  We like to camp so taking easy along the way is not a problem. No big hurry.

Any others?

[paulw]

We did that trip around 20 years ago...are you taking the ferry from Valdez to Whittier? It's a cool trip - ferry ride glaciers & drive your rv on to a flat car for a train ride through a mountain 
An Alaskan friend booked the passage & I think you need to book well in advance.

[fisherdawg]

Gary,
The very best time time to come is the last week of May & first three weeks of June imo.  Driest average weather, longest daylight.  However, I love August too and 509Gman's description is right on. Let me know if you need ground support and be sure to stop by!  If you do come in August, there are 3 shoots you can work -- Soldotna (tentative) Aug 2&3, Chugiak (Anchorage) Aug9&10 and Talkeetna Aug 16&17.  We'd love to have you! PM me if you want details on anything.  Maybe I can book a LibertySeed for you while you are here. Not kidding!
fisherdawg

My wife and I are going to Alaska this summer and renting an RV.  Was wondering if you Alaskans have any suggestions on what specifically to do and avoid. Best time to be there or not?

We were tentatively planning on going mid to late August/Sept; to avoid the tourist rush but I've been told that hunting season starts in August and they don't like tourists there then.  I do have an RV on hold for 3 weeks during that time but can reschedule.

Basically we would be flying to Anchorage, then up to Danali, Fairbanks, down to Tok, Copper Center, Valdez.  Then over to the Kenai pennusula i.e Homer, Seward.

Doable in 3 weeks?    Anything we should avoid, any must sees, any out of the way places that most tourists don't go?

[Colorado Pete]

I second the suggestion to buy the Alaska Milepost book. I drove up there from Colorado 19 1/2 years ago, 31 days on the road all told. The book was invaluable. Enjoy, it's a terrific trip.

[mac66]

Gary,
The very best time time to come is the last week of May & first three weeks of June imo.  Driest average weather, longest daylight.  However, I love August too and 509Gman's description is right on. Let me know if you need ground support and be sure to stop by!  If you do come in August, there are 3 shoots you can work -- Soldotna (tentative) Aug 2&3, Chugiak (Anchorage) Aug9&10 and Talkeetna Aug 16&17.  We'd love to have you! PM me if you want details on anything.  Maybe I can book a LibertySeed for you while you are here. Not kidding!
fisherdawg

My wife and I are going to Alaska this summer and renting an RV.  Was wondering if you Alaskans have any suggestions on what specifically to do and avoid. Best time to be there or not?

We were tentatively planning on going mid to late August/Sept; to avoid the tourist rush but I've been told that hunting season starts in August and they don't like tourists there then.  I do have an RV on hold for 3 weeks during that time but can reschedule.

Basically we would be flying to Anchorage, then up to Danali, Fairbanks, down to Tok, Copper Center, Valdez.  Then over to the Kenai pennusula i.e Homer, Seward.

Doable in 3 weeks?    Anything we should avoid, any must sees, any out of the way places that most tourists don't go?

We initially planned to go in late May, early June but a family wedding got in the way. Probably could still go in June, we are not tied to any particular time, except we do need to book the RV soon.

As for doing Appleseeds and Libertyseeds in Alaska, that would be kinda cool. I'll let you know what are plans turn out to be.

[fisherdawg]

+1. The Milepost is an absolute necessity when travelling in the Northern Country, Alaska & Canada.  Even though a lot of the information is paid advertising and one must a bit discerning when using, the mile by mile highway logs are the best.

Remember just because a business isn't in the book that it's bad.  Always good to ask the locals. We'll have an opinion, if nothing else!   Alaskans love visitors like few other places.  Many are from somewhere else and sharing Alaska is the best way to bring back the great memories of the first visit and remind us of why we choose to be here.  And those that have been here for generations understand how special this place is... beyond description, really. 

I second the suggestion to buy the Alaska Milepost book. I drove up there from Colorado 19 1/2 years ago, 31 days on the road all told. The book was invaluable. Enjoy, it's a terrific trip.

[mac66]

Thanks for the Milepost tip. I mentioned it to my sister who with her husband went to Alaska on a cruise last August. She has since given me her 2013 Milepost.

[dreamerofdreams]

I'm going to disagree with Wally, August/September is wayyy better than May/June.  Fall is brief in AK, but it's utterly glorious. 

[mac66]

June is out, August is in. Got the Milepost book, and planning is in full swing.

[Pete!]

I suggest getting a 2014 edition of the Milepost.  I doubt that much changes each year but those changes could be important. 

Be warned: you might not want to leave!

[fisherdawg]

 

June is out, August is in. Got the Milepost book, and planning is in full swing.

[mac66]

Here's a question for you guys.  I know what the gun laws are in Alaska, the question is should I bother taking one? Can't imagine needing one but I've been carrying for 36 years and feel naked without one close by. Wouldn't be all the hard to pack one in my luggage (flown w/guns before) (Thinking a pistol or take down shotgun).

[ItsanSKS]

Can't believe I have to say this, but here it is:

Better to have and not need, than to need and not have.

[mac66]

I suggest getting a 2014 edition of the Milepost.  I doubt that much changes each year but those changes could be important. 

Be warned: you might not want to leave!

Good point about both as well as what Itsansks says.

[fisherdawg]

Man, I can imagine needing it!  Not 2 only legged predators here, but several kinds of dangerous 4 legged ones and GIANT ugulates known stomp people to death (Moose).
I recommend .44 magnum loaded with .44 +P+ 340 grain solids BuffaloBore/Garret/Roll your own AS A MINIMUM. Airweights need not apply. 4" Redhawk is a good answer. A 12 gauge with Brenneke slugs a good option too, but a little hard to conceal in the coffee shop.
But, don't let ideal be the enemy of the good.  Enraged charging sow grizzly was stopped by a Glock 19 with 150 gr FMJ a few years ago. Good soldier shooting made about 12 hits.  Probably saved a very bad mauling cause they had got between cubs & momma. My point is, bring something.  Don't be bear-a-noid, though, human injury by grizzlies is very rare, about 1 per year in the state of 30,000 grizz & 740,000 people.  About one fatality every 5 to 7 years. Low probability / high consequence event and proper side arm in trained hands is the best prep.  Biologists walking salmon streams to count salmon either carry 12 gauge or pepper spray.  I prefer the Redhawk.  Moose cause more injuries than bears.  Moose mommas very protective of calfs, bred to protect from bears & wolves.  They can kill you baaaaad!  Rare, but bad.

Here's a question for you guys.  I know what the gun laws are in Alaska, the question is should I bother taking one? Can't imagine needing one but I've been carrying for 36 years and feel naked without one close by. Wouldn't be all the hard to pack one in my luggage (flown w/guns before) (whether a pistol or take down shotgun).

[509gman]

Bring on the Bear tales! There are confirmed cases of bears killed with 22lr (don't try it!) and there are tales of bears shot through the heart four times with a .30-06 that still wrecked shop for ten minutes after. Last year a guy stopped a charging (well he said it was, anyway) bear with a hail of 5.45X39. One round even penetrated the skull! A lot of .30 cal cartridges can't even claim that. Just about any gun you got will beat a pointy stick (even a pointy stick has its charms when its all you got ). 10mm with heavy hard cast lead bullets are growing in popularity here.

[mac66]

I have a number of choices I could bring besides a number of pocket pistols that would be easy to transport in luggage and carry.  Weight and compactness is a consideration.

Let's play a game. if it was you, which would you chose as your one camp gun?

Here they are in no particular order...

-44 mag Redhawk 7.5" bbl    (I reload.) Big for a pistol but could be kept loaded in the RV and carried while walking around in the woods. Always wished it had a shorter barrel though. maybe an excuse to cut it down. (edited to add...it will have a 5" bbl soon).

-Mossberg 500 or Rem 870 12ga.  with the 18" bbl and folding stock it is fairly compact. (though I don't like folding stocks). The 500 has a lightweight plastic youth stock on it now. I would remove the barrel for transport.

-H&R single shot 12 ga. 18" bbl Pretty light and compact when taken apart, though only one shot and brutal to shoot with slugs. (not a big problem for me, for my wife maybe)

-AR 15 pistol in .300 blackout.- The 11.5"  upper is actually my son's but I could put it on my AR pistol. Decent ballistics for a .30 cal from a pistol. It can be taken apart. Can be carried as a pistol.

-Ruger SR 7.62  16" bbl (piston AR in 308) This was one of my Ruger prizes. Can be taken down for transport. Kind of heavy though.

-Saiga 308. 16"bbl with folding stock makes it pretty compact though it is heavy. Pretty darn accurate though. 

-Marlin 336 lever in .35 Rem. Pretty good thumper with heavy bullets. I cut the barrel down to 16" bbl and shortened the stock a bit so is fairly compact. It is my brush gun here in Michigan. I could take the stock off to transport.

I don't have any 10mms though. 

I have bolt guns and other stuff but I thought those would be the most appropriate.

[ThaiFighter]

I would suggest the .35 rem or one of the 12G with slugs.   When I was up in Alaska last year, one of the IIT's I had the pleasure of working with was a bear safety instructor.   When I asked him what sidearms would suffice for bear, he said a .44 magnum, a 454 casull or 500 S&W would be minimal and it would be a good idea to file the sights off them...

when I asked him why on earth I'd want to file off my sights, he said it'd hurt a lot less when the bear shoved it up where the sun don't shine... 

[fisherdawg]

++1 overall, ++1 on 10MM, HARD CAST amen, and wierd on the AK, but it's true even if the circumstances are murky.

As for the .22lr tales, they maybe true, but you sure can't left Grizz get your scent while they spend 2 or 3 days bleeding out 'cause they will hunt down, no joke.

Bring on the Bear tales! There are confirmed cases of bears killed with 22lr (don't try it!) and there are tales of bears shot through the heart four times with a .30-06 that still wrecked shop for ten minutes after. Last year a guy stopped a charging (well he said it was, anyway) bear with a hail of 5.45X39. One round even penetrated the skull! A lot of .30 cal cartridges can't even claim that. Just about any gun you got will beat a pointy stick (even a pointy stick has its charms when its all you got ). 10mm with heavy hard cast lead bullets are growing in popularity here.

[fisherdawg]

Yes on what Thaifighter said
1. The Mossberg 12 gauge, easy follow up shots if needed.  No problem to keep in the RV or around camp.  Gets tedious to carry and can get left behind therefore.
2. The Redhawk.  Good reason to get it cut down to 4.5" and have just a little trigger work done. Thai is correct and vaquero really knows about this -- shot placement is absolutely critical in defensive shooting.  Stress fire with a heavy revolver takes much practice.  Big advantage is that's it's not too big and too heavy to keep handy and therefore might be available when needed.

The others are better than the pointy stick, but are marginal choices if one is intentional about the application.  I might put a full stock on the Mossberg and see if wife can handle light loads and just a little (2 or 3) practices with the slugs.  In the real, adrenalin will provide strength and nerves beyond measure!  Same on the Redhawk.  Learn sights and trigger well with nice light .44 special -- that's fun.  Try one cylinder on the BuffaloBore just so you know you have to grip it very stoutly with those nasty pills!  The Redhawk takes a lot more practice to be good than the 12 gauge.

If you really are doing due diligence on this, it's also worth a look at those photos/diagrams showing the heart/lung zone on these critters.  Just good info to have filed away in the noggin.

[hogfamily]

You are getting some great advice here for your RV trip.

I would suggest that you go to tripadvisor Alaska forum. Read the trip reports and other information on the right side of the page. I would not worry about getting a 2014 Milepost. There are few changes from the 2013.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowForum-g28923-i349-Alaska.html

We have posted some trip reports there. Search hogfamily in Alaska forums search tab.

Late August early September is our favorite time of year to travel around our great state.

[mac66]

I am pretty experienced with both the shotgun and pistols for defensive work. I did stuff like that for 34 years. I am also pretty familiar with the Redhawk and other big bore pistols. I haved killed a number of deer with it. No charging bears however.

Whatever I decide to take I have all summer to bone up on my shooting skills

[fisherdawg]

Make sure you check out hogfamily's blog too.  Great stuff.

Great discussion of packing for bears  -- sounds like you got it wired.

I am pretty experienced with both the shotgun and pistols for defensive work. I did stuff like that for 34 years. I am also pretty familiar with the Redhawk and other big bore pistols. I having killed a number of deer with it. No charging bears however.

Whatever I decide to take I have all summer to bone up on my shooting skills

[Pete!]

We have some of the best firearms laws up here.     If you plan to carry concealed, here is some legal info from the state.  (This is not legal advice from me!     I am not a lawyer!     )

Concealed carry in AK:  http://dps.alaska.gov/statewide/PermitsLicensing/inAK.aspx
CCW Reciprocity:  http://dps.alaska.gov/statewide/PermitsLicensing/reciprocity.aspx

[mac66]

We have some of the best firearms laws up here.     If you plan to carry concealed, here is some legal info from the state.  (This is not legal advice from me!     I am not a lawyer!     )

Concealed carry in AK:  http://dps.alaska.gov/statewide/PermitsLicensing/inAK.aspx
CCW Reciprocity:  http://dps.alaska.gov/statewide/PermitsLicensing/reciprocity.aspx

Thanks, I've looked at that previously.

Oh, and I just remembered I have a Marlin lever action in .375 Win that just absolutely slams deer. It's big heavy bullet would be good for bear.