I am a Southwest Airlines employee with a pass agreement on Alaska Airlines. Have heard great things about them and would love to see that great state. Is there a good time to go when the weather isn't brutal but the flights are generally open?? Also, any specific slow days during the week or sneaky departure cities to get us up there from? Thanks for all the advice in advance...looking forward to seeing the world the way nature intended.
The first time we went was in the month of May and it was decent.
Still a little chilly but no snow.
We stayed down in Kenai on the river and it was amazing! Got to see the midnight sun.
We also drove down to Homer which was also amazing!
You must eat at Gwennies Old Alaska Restaurant, near ANC airport.
I have also been to ANC in December and although very cold, it was cool to see the sun not come out until 10am and go down by 3pm.
I was in ANC in the first day of May around some 4-5 years ago or so. Beautiful state indeed, far to get to. Around 8 hrs from IAH. But alot closer than NRT or MNL. It was cool that time of year, but not brutal. When we were driving to KENAI peninsula, up in elevation it was snowing. I pulled the car over so my wife could see how it looks when it snows, though it wasn't heavy snow, it was good enough. Wife being from tropics, she got to see it snow a little in Alaska. Driving to Seward, also, snow along the Russian river, and still somewhat icy. White all on the ground. In anchorage, it was all cold rain. Porter Glacier near anchorage in itself is a beautiful drive and the glacier feels like you're standing in an ice box. I tried hitting Gwenies, but it was closed. I'd say go now before the kids get out of school, avoid the summer rush.
I visited ANC in May of 2008, the weekend before memorial day. The flights from PHX to ANC when I flew were wide open to the point were we got business coming and going. At that time Alaska was still cold with snow on the ground, temp was arounf 40 to 50 degress F. The amazing thing was that at 11:00 PM the sun was just going down/.
Fishing season and cruise season goes into full swing from June to August so any time between that the flights up north will be going heavy.
Regards,
Chepos
I went to ANC in August '08, right before I finished my position at NW. Getting there and back was a little tricky, but ultimately I got on the first flight I tried to get there and the second to last seat on the last flight of the day (after getting blocked for a couple earlier flights). Really neat city to walk around, definitely enjoyed it. I was only there for a few hours (arrived in MSP about the same time I left, plus one day) but it was still a cool city to walk around.
A few years ago we did the cruise/train/bus tour. A great trip, and great State....it's really The Last Frontier.
I'll chime in here with a couple of suggestions. A lot depends on what part of Alaska you wish to visit. If you are going to Anchorage and renting a car/RV or taking the train, all you have to do is avoid major holidays (Memorial Day, 4th of July, Labor Day, etc) and peak fishing seasons. You can find the peak fishing season for the various locations at the Fish and Game department website Home Page, Alaska Department of Fish and Game. May is usually chilly with some snow still on the ground depending on where you go. Personally, I prefer the end of July/beginning of August to visit. The flights are not usually terrible since you are often in the middle of a major fishing season (again, everything depends on the destination, try to avoid major cruise departure dates) and the weather is the best it will be all year. As a first timer, my suggestion is to consider a cruise to get an idea of what you like and what you don't. It's convenient and you get a good view of SE Alaska along the way. I'm going to be taking the train to Denali myself in a couple of weeks then heading to Kodiak.
Remember, Alaska is a huge state so the weather and attractions vary widely based on where you go. I can suggest that you avoid hard to get to/from destinations for your first trip (Kodiak, Barrow, Prudhoe Bay, Dutch Harbor) and stick with the easier cities (Anchorage, Fairbanks, Sitka, Yakutat, Juneau, Ketchikan) so you have multiple options in case the flights fill up. If you like a slower lifestyle with the most amazing scenery you have ever witnessed, Alaska is for you! Incredibly friendly people, truly isolated small towns, glaciers that you can get close to (Mendenhall glacier in Juneau) and lots of wide open spaces. My husband and I find it a refreshing change to go every year and recharge by simply getting away from the world (our phones don't work in most of the smaller communities) for a few days. If you are interested, I'll tell you some time about our last trip to Yakutat. It was awesome!