Talk about your favorite things to do in Anchorage and make suggestions about places to go.

This one is kind of tough without narrowing it down to more specific locations or cities, as Alaska is one giant state.

Depending on the time of year they are there, they can witness 24 hours of darkness.

For the history buffs, Alaska was the only place on the North American continent to be bombed in World War 2. There's the Klondike gold rush trails and the books of Jack London to inspire.

There are many harbor towns that cater to tourists off passenger cruise lines to give you a quick taste of culture.

If they visit Alaska, I'll watch. That's a dream vacation of mine. I'd like to see them go whale watching and watch the grizzly bears eat the salmon.

Hostels in Anchorage

Your options are extremely limited this time of year. Many of the hostels close down in September and some of the hostels here are dirty and rather unsafe IMO.

I would only consider staying in one of the following two hostels, which are open all year:

Arctic Adventure Hostel
This one is your best option. It has a better location than the second one I will name, and it's a better deal. It is also the newest hostel in Anchorage. Only $17/night for a shared dorm room (2 or 3 people per room). It's close to the bus line, has no lockout or curfew, close to Carr's grocery store, full kitchen open 24 hours, common room, free internet, washer & dryer ($1 each), free storage, cable TV and refrigerator in each room. Each room has its own private keyed entry like a hotel. Bathroom down the hall. No alcohol or smoking. You can rent a mountain bike for $10/day, but maybe you guys can talk him down. :-) It may be too cold to ride anyway. http://www.arcticadventurehostel.com/rooms.html

Spenard Hostel International
This would be my second choice. The location isn't as good IMO, but it's a great hostel. $21/night ($1 cash discount). Check it out here: http://www.alaskahostel.org/.

You can compare the hostels here: http://www.hostelz.com/hostels/USA/Alaska/Anchorage

Anchorage itself isn't much to see. The starting line of the Iditarod dog sled race on 4th avenue is one tourist attraction (statue of Balto the dog). A side trip down to Portage Glacier *you have to take a boat to see the glacier as it's receding* might be an idea. Flattop Mountain is a good place to bike up to or hike. Chilkoot Charlie's is this huge bar - this is a cold, dark place to live and drinking is a big winter activity.

Well, this is very exciting news because I live here in Alaska and have all 19 years of my life, and I was a tour guide for the Alaska Railroad this past summer and would be honored to help out in any way if they need rides on the railroad, maybe Talkeetna where the movie Northern Exposure was inspired, they could take the train from there to a bridge over hurricane gulch via flagstop service and witness actual "Bush" residents of Alaska get to their homes. But you MUST have them ride the train one way or another...if rafting up to the face of the enormous Spencer Glacier, meeting the climbers of Mt. Mckinley, or seeing wildlige in Denali National Park...the train is the way to go. And there is SO much history most people dont even know about. (I should know, i had to take an eleven week training course to get my job with the railroad...!) Hope I've helped a little, but I just want the TJ's to have a great experience here in the great 49th state. It's awesome! - AKRR Tour Guide, Alana

MT Mckinley in denali national park is a must. It is the tallest mountain peak in North America and it is beautiful, however it is hard to catch a day when the mountain isn't covered by clouds, so if you go, that is a risk you have to take.

Leilani75, thanks! Those suggestions are extremely helpful. $17 for a room for three goes a long way!

Notyourbroom, let's just hope the grizzly bears stick to the salmon, eh?

Travelgirl13, would you know if there're any American Indian reservations near Anchorage?

I've lived in a tropical country all my life, and I've never even seen real snow. Don't mind me if I spend half a day making snow angels and throwing snowballs. Without freezing my yagbadoodles off, that is! Looking forward to Alaska!

hey alana, it's jaime, one of the new tjs i can't tell you how excited i am to be heading to anchorage even though it's going to be freezing and i'm not quite sure if i've packed enough warm clothes! would be great to meet up with you. we'll be there 21-27 oct and besides looking for activities, we also need cheap accommodation. be eternally grateful if you could help us out

quote:

Originally posted by travelgirl13:
Well, this is very exciting news because I live here in Alaska and have all 19 years of my life, and I was a tour guide for the Alaska Railroad this past summer and would be honored to help out in any way if they need rides on the railroad, maybe Talkeetna where the movie Northern Exposure was inspired, they could take the train from there to a bridge over hurricane gulch via flagstop service and witness actual "Bush" residents of Alaska get to their homes. But you MUST have them ride the train one way or another...if rafting up to the face of the enormous Spencer Glacier, meeting the climbers of Mt. Mckinley, or seeing wildlige in Denali National Park...the train is the way to go. And there is SO much history most people dont even know about. (I should know, i had to take an eleven week training course to get my job with the railroad...!) Hope I've helped a little, but I just want the TJ's to have a great experience here in the great 49th state. It's awesome! - AKRR Tour Guide, Alana

hi thanks for the suggestions but i did a quick check online and both are booked out for when we're there. any other hostels to recommend? also on another thread you talked about a dog sled tour? is that still available can you give us more info. thanks for dropping in!

quote:

Originally posted by leinani75:
Hostels in Anchorage

Your options are extremely limited this time of year. Many of the hostels close down in September and some of the hostels here are dirty and rather unsafe IMO.

I would only consider staying in one of the following two hostels, which are open all year:

Arctic Adventure Hostel
This one is your best option. It has a better location than the second one I will name, and it's a better deal. It is also the newest hostel in Anchorage. Only $17/night for a shared dorm room (2 or 3 people per room). It's close to the bus line, has no lockout or curfew, close to Carr's grocery store, full kitchen open 24 hours, common room, free internet, washer & dryer ($1 each), free storage, cable TV and refrigerator in each room. Each room has its own private keyed entry like a hotel. Bathroom down the hall. No alcohol or smoking. You can rent a mountain bike for $10/day, but maybe you guys can talk him down. :-) It may be too cold to ride anyway. http://www.arcticadventurehostel.com/rooms.html

Spenard Hostel International
This would be my second choice. The location isn't as good IMO, but it's a great hostel. $21/night ($1 cash discount). Check it out here: http://www.alaskahostel.org/.

You can compare the hostels here: http://www.hostelz.com/hostels/USA/Alaska/Anchorage

tj_zach: I'm sorry, I meant to imply that the hostel is $17/person per night. But that's still a great deal! You will either get a room to yourself or share with 2 or 3 others.

To all the TJ's: I just got off the phone with Joseph, the owner of Arctic Adventure Hostel, and he said rooms are available, no problem. In fact, he can also pick you up from the airport and take you back! Nice! :-) You need to call him or email him now to reserve spaces and let him know your flight times if you have them.

tj_jaime: You want to wear several layers of thinner clothing as opposed to one or two big thick pieces of clothing. That way you can pull stuff off when you're warm. It's not *that* cold yet; it only gets close to freezing at night. Make sure your outer layer is windproof and waterproof because Alaska has been getting a lot of rain lately. And depending on your activities, you'll need gloves and something for your head. And don't forget warm socks. But don't bring big thick woolen sweaters; like I said think layers.

missduhr: Are you one of the TJ's also? The person I had hoped to have them do the sled dog tour with is unavailable right now. I have a bunch of information about various things and I hope to post it later this evening or by tomorrow.

hey there i got in touch with joseph and it's all set. thank you! and missduhr is actually my old username... had to change it so you guys would know who i am

looking forward to hearing your other ideas

quote:

Originally posted by leinani75:
tj_zach: I'm sorry, I meant to imply that the hostel is $17/person per night. But that's still a great deal! You will either get a room to yourself or share with 2 or 3 others.

To all the TJ's: I just got off the phone with Joseph, the owner of Arctic Adventure Hostel, and he said rooms are available, no problem. In fact, he can also pick you up from the airport and take you back! Nice! :-) You need to call him or email him now to reserve spaces and let him know your flight times if you have them.

tj_jaime: You want to wear several layers of thinner clothing as opposed to one or two big thick pieces of clothing. That way you can pull stuff off when you're warm. It's not *that* cold yet; it only gets close to freezing at night.

missduhr: Are you one of the TJ's also? The person (past Iditarod champion) I had hoped to have them do the sled dog tour with is unavailable right now. I have a bunch of information about various things and I hope to post it later this evening or by tomorrow.

Welcome, TJs!! You're headed to Anchorage...my home town (I'm not there now, but still consider it "home")
Perhaps you could head out to Merrill Field or Lake Hood and find someone who could take you flying in a bush plane. Earthquake Park is kind of interesting, where you can learn about the big earthquake in 1964 that sent many houses off a cliff and into the silt.
Alaskans are a very friendly sort and a visit to the neat visitor's center in downtown would be a good idea. They'd give you lots of ideas! Also, the Anchorage Daily News newspaper or their office can be a great resource for things going on in the area.
There may or may not be snow there. I hear there is more than "termination dust" on the surrounding mountains so the snow isn't too far off! There might even be some up at Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood (on the way to Portage Glacier). If you head down the direction of Portage Glacier, hang a left and go towards Girdwood and the Alyeska resort and before you get to the resort, follow the signs and drive up the road to the Crow Creek Gold Mine. It's a fun and beautiful place to visit and they let you pan for gold for a small fee!
If you have the money to eat out...I always enjoy a visit to Gwennies (I think that's how it is spelled) in the Spenard area of Anchorage, or try my favorite fast food place of all time in Anchorage...The Arctic Roadrunner on the Old Seward Highway. Great food and a very Alaskan atmosphere. You'll know what I mean when you see the pictures on the walls! (I worked there as a teenager.)
Of course, right across the road from the Roadrunner and back behind the restaurant/bar there is the Alaska Wildberry Company where you can see a chocolate "water" fall! It's pretty touristy, but a fun place to visit.
The students at University of Alaska Anchorage can be a great source of information about fun places to visit in town.
As you travel around the city, keep an eye out for moose! They are all around the city, in people's yards, walking along the road. There's one that visits my mom's back yard all the time...he likes to eat the veggies in her garden!
If you're needing some exersize, Anchorage has over 100 miles of paved bike trails, including the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. You could rent a bike and ride for miles and miles along some beautiful trails...but don't go alone. Take a buddy. And...keep an eye out for the moose!
I envy you...say hello to Anchorage for me!!

you guys should see or go on a glacier. I don't know of any near anchorage, but at glacier bay national park, we took a helicopter to a glacier and got to walk around on it.

[Please see my updated post above about what clothing to bring.]

I've gathered a bunch of information for you that is very current (it's not pulled out of guidebooks). I made some calls and confirmed times, prices, etc, and I have a couple of nice surprises for you.

Alaska is a big, beautiful, absolutely awesome state, but unfortunately October isn't the best month to see it, especially if it's your first time visiting. Your biggest obstacle in visiting Alaska in October won't be your $50/day budget, it will be visiting Alaska in OCTOBER. I'm only telling you this so you won't be disappointed if there's something you won't be able to see or do. *Many* things are closed or have extremely limited hours. You'll likely only see rain and possibly no snow (unless you head north from Anchorage). On the other hand, anything can happen in October in Alaska weather-wise and you could be surprised with snow after all. :-) The bears have already begun to go into hibernation (depending on the location) and the salmon season is pretty much over. But don't worry, there is still much to see and do and get excited about. Just keep an open mind and you'll have a great time.

I will make an additional post shortly letting you know what's open and what is not. Several things people in this forum have recommended are not possible during the time you'll be here. But I still believe you guys can stay busy the entire week. :-)