Beyond Anchorage

Getting Around in Alaska During Winter

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Skijoring the Chena River Photo - Fairbanks, Alaska

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Every time I'm in Alaska during the winter months, I'm amazed at the resilience of its residents. One would think that temperatures below zero would keep people inside and not very mobile but nothing could be further from the truth.During my first couple of winter excursions to Fairbanks, I enjoyed learning about dog sleds as a means of transportation especially along the Alaskan river system. Of course, we have probably all heard of the television show "Ice Road Truckers" that in recent years has featured drivers on the "haul road" north of Fairbanks heading up above the Arctic Circle to Prudhoe Bay. Many of their deliveries are to remote villages that can only be accessed when the ma...Read More

Every time I'm in Alaska during the winter months, I'm amazed at the resilience of its residents. One would think that temperatures below zero would keep people inside and not very mobile but nothing could be further from the truth.

During my first couple of winter excursions to Fairbanks, I enjoyed learning about dog sleds as a means of transportation especially along the Alaskan river system. Of course, we have probably all heard of the television show "Ice Road Truckers" that in recent years has featured drivers on the "haul road" north of Fairbanks heading up above the Arctic Circle to Prudhoe Bay. Many of their deliveries are to remote villages that can only be accessed when the marshes, lakes and rivers freeze over.

For visitors in the Willow area, much of their transportation is also via the water system, either by boat in the summer or snow machine in the winter. This year I got to see the "Eagle Taxi" at work hauling a wedding party some 25 miles to a remote family cabin during the Iditarod race weekend. The specially built vehicle was enclosed and had a propane heater on snow skis. It was pulled behind a large snow machine and was very efficient in moving the wedding guests throughout the weekend.

While out on the Iditarod Trail we saw spectators arriving by the apparent transportation of choice in Alaska . . . the snow machine. There were literally dozens of people lining the 200 yards of trail, many of whom had arrived by the "iron dogs". It was pretty amazing to see this one guy arrive pulling a small trailer loaded with plywood (to creating a stable base/floor), a Weber grill, lawn chairs and a large cooler. This guy was ready to party! Tailgating Alaska-style was ready when his friends arrived about an hour later.

Of course with the high number of bush planes in Alaska, everyone seems to have access to fly-in options to just about anywhere in the state. Even if it means renting a plane and pilot for the day, or taking a planned flightseeing excursion, it is the way to get around to remote areas. My friends John & Pete did a flight trip out further on the Iditarod Trail, to the Rainy Pass check-point on Monday.

While outside of Willow at the restart of the race, we did see someone arrive by helicopter. We were later told that they owned that helicopter and were not tourists on a tour. Amazing!

We stayed at the Eagle Quest Cabins & Lodge near Willow for the restart. They provided us with transportation down to the Iditarod Trail via their "people mover" . . . a cart with two benches pulled by an ATV. This was just like what David and I had experienced at Lake Clark Nat'l Park last summer during our stay at the Silver Salmon Creek Lodge.

People also seem very adept at getting around on skis, either skijoring (having a dog pull them) or self-propelling on cross country skis. It was fun to watch a dad teaching his young daughter to cross country ski while in Willow. She couldn't have been any older than four or five.

It is good news that while it is cold outside and perhaps miserable for those who don't care for the harsh winters, there are ways to get out and about in Alaska to see what otherwise would not be accessible to people.
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Get Out of the City!

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View of Mt. McKinley Photo - Denali, Alaska

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If your travels bring you to Anchorage for business or an abbreviated visit, do yourself a favor and get out of the city! There are a lot of very beautiful places less than an hour from downtown Anchorage. My friend Jane was amazed at all of the beauty that surrounds Anchorage, and just how little you must drive to really be out into the mountains experiencing mother nature at her best.Heading south of the city on the Seward Highway, you will not have to go far for the opportunity to see moose. Heck, you may even see them right in town, but hopefully not too close or personally. Just this past weekend one visitor made the national news when trying to get too close to a moose in the cit...Read More

If your travels bring you to Anchorage for business or an abbreviated visit, do yourself a favor and get out of the city! There are a lot of very beautiful places less than an hour from downtown Anchorage. My friend Jane was amazed at all of the beauty that surrounds Anchorage, and just how little you must drive to really be out into the mountains experiencing mother nature at her best.

Heading south of the city on the Seward Highway, you will not have to go far for the opportunity to see moose. Heck, you may even see them right in town, but hopefully not too close or personally. Just this past weekend one visitor made the national news when trying to get too close to a moose in the city. While she wasn't terribly injured, I'm sure she learned the lesson about approaching wildlife . . . THEY ARE WILD!

Potter Marsh is one such place where moose may be observed at a safe distance. Further down along Turnagain Arm you may also be lucky to see Dahl Sheep as we did back in the summer of 2006. You can also expect to see eagles along this stretch of the highway. Be sure to take advantage of the pullouts along the water which will provide you the best opportunity for photographs.

Further down the Seward Highway, approximately 30-45 minutes from Anchorage you will come to Girdwood and the turn to Alyeska Resort. Girdwood is a quirky little place (think "Northern Exposure") with some restaurants worth a visit for breakfast or lunch. At Alyeska Resort is Seven Glaciers Restaurant which is an outstanding choice for an Alaskan fine dining experience. (See separate review in this journal.)

Beyond the Girdwood turnoff, you will next come to the road to Whittier along which is Byron Glacier and the Portage Glacier Lake. Both are also worthy of some time exploring, depending on how much time you have. Many hike the trail up to Byron Glacier, while others do the drive to the Whittier Tunnel turnout for the photo op across the lake to Portage Glacier. In the summer you may even see small icebergs in the lake.

Driving back out to the Seward Highway, you will see the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center at the intersection. This is another nice experience, especially if you are visiting in winter when most wildlife is not visible to humans. (See separate review in this journal.)

If you wish to head north from Anchorage, take the Glenn Highway to any of the towns in that direction. Both Palmer and Wasilla provide interesting stops to view the mountains and nature. Personally, I enjoy the detour trip on the Old Glenn Highway that travels along the river and then over into Palmer. From there you can head to Wasilla and the Iditarod Headquarters or on up to the Hatcher Pass area and Independence Mine.

During this winter trip to Anchorage, my friend Pete and I did drive a short distance on the Hatcher Pass road, stopping short before we lost decent road conditions. It was beautiful and pristine, with avalanche warnings throughout the area.

Had we had the solar activity to see the northern lights, I would have headed up in this direction to view and photograph the aurora. Unfortunately I missed out, but Pete did get his chance on his last night in Alaska. HURRAY Pete!

There is so much wonderful and wild beauty at your Anchorage doorstep. Please be sure to get out and see a little of Alaska, if only for an afternoon.
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Alaska Wildlife Conservation

Attraction | "When You Can't See the Wildlife in Nature"

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The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide care to orphaned and injured animals, as well as to educate visitors on the wildlife native to Alaska. It is here that folks can see the animals that they may not have had an opportunity to see out in the wild due to the weather, time of the year or locations visited. For our wintertime visit to Alaska, this was going to be the only opportunity that Jane would have to see brown bears, musk ox and moose.Located about an hour south of Anchorage, it is a convenient stop as part of a day trip to the Kenai Peninsula or perhaps a ski trip to Alyeska in Girdwood. Visitors pay an admission fee of $10/...Read More

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is a non-profit organization with a mission to provide care to orphaned and injured animals, as well as to educate visitors on the wildlife native to Alaska. It is here that folks can see the animals that they may not have had an opportunity to see out in the wild due to the weather, time of the year or locations visited. For our wintertime visit to Alaska, this was going to be the only opportunity that Jane would have to see brown bears, musk ox and moose.

Located about an hour south of Anchorage, it is a convenient stop as part of a day trip to the Kenai Peninsula or perhaps a ski trip to Alyeska in Girdwood. Visitors pay an admission fee of $10/person or $20/vehicle which goes to help support the center's work. Once inside the gated area, visitors are free to drive or walk the grounds on a series of loop roads that go through several fenced in pens with the various animals.

Our first stop on the road was the moose enclosure. Unfortunately, they were not very interested in being photographed and moved away from where we parked. There were several large bull moose as well as a few cows. There didn't appear to be any really young calves in the area.

No matter how many times I have seen musk ox, I am continually intrigued by their prehistoric appearance and the connection to the woolly mammoth of the Pleistocene Era, some 90,000 - 200,000 years ago. This provided me with the closest view of a musk ox since prior visits to the University of Alaska/Fairbanks' Large Animal Research Center has always had the animals too far away to really see or the weather too bad to get out for a good look.

We enjoyed watching the playful brown bear cub play with a stick in the bears' exhibit area. Its momma was over eating willow branches and playing on the ice. Later the cub joined mom to check out the ice, digging as if to be looking for food. I'm not sure what it was trying to get to, but watching it dig with the inch long claws was a reminder that even the little guys can do damage with their paws.

There were other enclosures including caribou, bison and Snickers the porcupine. I was hopeful that the lynx had been returned to the center from the Alaska Zoo in Anchorage but we were told their new enclosure had not yet been completed. They have two lynx that were found as kittens after fires during the summer of 2004 up in Alaska's interior. I look forward to someday seeing a lynx in Alaska, even if it is here at the center of perhaps the AK Zoo.

To tour the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center I would suggest you plan for at least an hour. I believe many spend more time, especially when spending time photographing the animals.
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Member Rating 3 out of 5 on March 13, 2025

Alaska Wildlife Conservation
Mi Post 7 Seward Hwy
Portage Glacier, Alaska
(907) 783-2025

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Denali Flightseeing Tours/Rust's Flying Service

Attraction | "Discovering McKinley & Denali National Park"

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Having had poor weather keep me from this experience in March 2010, I was very excited that Jane was interested in making this tour part of our whirlwind Iditarod weekend in Anchorage. We scheduled the three hour "Discover McKinley & Denali National Park" tour back in October, understanding that there is always a chance weather will again play spoiler in our plans. We were not disappointed, however, as the weather throughout our five days in Alaska was crystal clear and beautiful with full sun every day! We arrived at their lakeside offices at the Ted Stevens International Airport a little before our 10:00am scheduled time for departure. That allowed us time to take some photos arou...Read More

Having had poor weather keep me from this experience in March 2010, I was very excited that Jane was interested in making this tour part of our whirlwind Iditarod weekend in Anchorage. We scheduled the three hour "Discover McKinley & Denali National Park" tour back in October, understanding that there is always a chance weather will again play spoiler in our plans. We were not disappointed, however, as the weather throughout our five days in Alaska was crystal clear and beautiful with full sun every day!

We arrived at their lakeside offices at the Ted Stevens International Airport a little before our 10:00am scheduled time for departure. That allowed us time to take some photos around the area as well as one final visit to the bathroom. We were greeted by Willis, who was organizing things in the office and who had been so very helpful to me in scheduling. We were also introduced to our pilot and guide, whose name now escapes me. (Shame on me for not making notes and waiting more than a week to write this review!) I think it was Darren but I cannot be 100% certain.

Our group for the morning tour would be a full capacity of nine, comprised of folks from all over the United States in town for the Iditarod sled dog race. Once loaded and belted in, we were encouraged to put on our headsets that would allow us to hear the pilot narrate our tour and to communicated back to him and others in the plane.

I am still in disbelief regarding how clear and beautiful the skies were during our visit, and especially for this flightseeing trip up to Denali National Park. While they were clear, they were not without some minor turbulence. I suppose "minor" is a matter of opinion as there were a couple of folks who felt the effects with nausea and one who barfed. Even with that experience, they both said they had a great time and would not let that deter them from a future small plane touring experience.

As we left the frozen lake runway of Lake Hood, we passed to the left (west?) of the City of Anchorage and then out towards the farming areas of the MatSu Valley. We could already see Mt. McKinley out on the Alaskan Range. It was spectacular!

Once above Denali National Park, we were provided an overview of the three larger peaks of the range . . . Foraker, Hunter and of course Denali (aka McKinley) . . . as well as the vast Ruth Glacier (a 40 mile glacier that flows through a deep granite gorge) . . . and a very up close and personal view of where climbers start at the base camp to take on Mt. McKinley during the summer months.

Everything looked so picture perfect due to the sunny, clear day. I was in awe throughout the trip as just how beautiful it was. After about an hour of circling the area, we headed over to their partner company's base - the K2 offices at the Talkeetna Airport. This was perfect timing as a bathroom break was necessary for many, and ginger ale to settle tummies good for those with some motion sickness.

I remembered the flightseeing tour David and I did last September with K2 and how the land looked on that trip. To see all of the frozen lakes and rivers gave an entirely different perspective to the land. Personally, I would suggest making this trip with Rust's just to provide this contrast of winter to summer.

The tour cost $375 per person and is the most extensive and expensive regular tour their offer. They do provide shorter and less expensive trips out including those that cover the Prince William Sound, Chugach Mountains and/or Knik Glacier. I'm told that these trips are even more spectacular than the Denali National Park tour, but everyone knows about and wants to see McKinley. I guess that leaves more to see on my next Alaskan adventure.
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Member Rating 5 out of 5 on March 13, 2025

Denali Flightseeing Tours/Rust's Flying Service
Mile 229.5 Parks Highway
Denali National Park, AK
(907) 683-2261

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Seven Glaciers

Restaurant | "Outstanding Dining with Wonderful View"

Quote:

High atop the Alyeska Resort property is the Seven Glaciers Restaurant. Only accessible via the tram that also takes skiers and snowboarders up for their downhill adrenaline thrill, this is a dining experience not to be missed.We had planned for our arrival to coincide with what we expected to be the possibility for a nice sunset. Given that the Alaskan weather is not predictable, we were not sure what we might actually experience during our dining visit to Alyeska. With the clear, sunny skies we were treated to a nice view as the sun set over the mountain range in the distance.While this is a four diamond award winning restaurant, it is like so many others in Alaska with f...Read More

High atop the Alyeska Resort property is the Seven Glaciers Restaurant. Only accessible via the tram that also takes skiers and snowboarders up for their downhill adrenaline thrill, this is a dining experience not to be missed.

We had planned for our arrival to coincide with what we expected to be the possibility for a nice sunset. Given that the Alaskan weather is not predictable, we were not sure what we might actually experience during our dining visit to Alyeska. With the clear, sunny skies we were treated to a nice view as the sun set over the mountain range in the distance.

While this is a four diamond award winning restaurant, it is like so many others in Alaska with folks dressed from casual (jeans and sweaters) to formal (ties/jackets for the men and dresses for the ladies). We were very comfortable in our day trip touring clothes.

Once seated, our server greeted us and offered the wine menu. Jane is a real wine expert and said she was impressed with their selection and pricing. Since we would have an hour drive back to town after dinner, we both passed on alcohol, although I know she was tempted.

We started with the Artesian Cheese Plate for Two ($20), featuring five cheeses along with fresh and dried fruits, pecans and flat breads. I sure wish I was more of a foodie, as I do not even know what types of cheese we had, but they were all on the more mild side and very good. If an assortment of five is sensory overload for you, there are three and four cheese options available too.

For dinner Jane and I both opted for the "half portion" (approximately one-half pound) of Alaskan King Crab served with linguini with uni cream ($44). It was heavenly. The uni cream had a slight seafood flavor to it which was a nice complement to the crab meat. I couldn't have been more pleased with my dinner selection.

We had been forewarned to save room for dessert, so the house specialty "Baked Alyeska" ($9) was the perfect finale to this nice dining experience. A bit of a take-off of the classic Baked Alaska, even sharing we couldn't finish the entire thing. Here is their full description of the Baked Alyeska: "Caramel Nougat Bavarian with Milk Chocolate Shavings, Caramelized Pecans, Flourless Chocolate Cake Center and Meringue." Mmmm good!

This was a great evening, wonderful company (thanks Jane!) and exquisite food. I would highly recommend dining at Alyeska Resort's Seven Glaciers Restaurant. If you book your reservation in advance, the tram ride ($18/person) is free. We booked via OpenTable.com and everything was taken care of. Upon arrival at the resort, we checked in at the tram ticket counter where they confirmed our dining reservations and provided us with the tickets necessary to ride up the 2,300 feet to the station and restaurant.

Note that currently they are only open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 9:00pm. I would guess their hours vary by season so be sure to check in with them via their website.
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Member Rating 4 out of 5 on March 13, 2025

Seven Glaciers
1000 Arlberg Drive
Girdwood, Alaska 99587
+1 907 754 1111; +1

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