Plan Your Great Alaska Travel Adventure!

Great Alaska Travel Adventure

For the ultimate Great Alaska Travel Adventure
don’t just visit Alaska, Experience and Live Alaska!

Lamar Steen lived, worked, and played in Alaska, traveling extensively throughout the state on many Great Alaska Travel Adventures for over 30 years.

Follow him on the ultimate Great Alaska Travel Adventure as he shows you the splendor and beauty of “The Last Frontier” with the intricate details only a 30 year Alaskan Advenurer can provide.

He will also introduce you to some of Alaska’s diversified people, which include many characters, who in themselves are an entertaining story of their own.

You will be fully prepared to live and experience The Great Alaska Travel Adventure on a thrilling and enjoyable trip.

You will get the cherished secrets that Alaskans hold so dear and why they love this magnificent state called Alaska.

Let’s begin the Journey on Our Great Alaska Travel Adventure.
You are in store for the thrill of a lifetime.

First, you will need to plan your trip in advance.
People are always asking “what in is the best time to experience Alaska?” My answer is “that depends on what you’re looking for”.
Most people would prefer to have good weather during their experience so unless you want winter activities, mid-May to mid-September is your only choice. Unfortunately, Alaska is truly diversified with its weather conditions year-round. It can be very warm and dry, very wet and cold, icy, or very very cold and snowy.

I will be addressing several different scenarios throughout this guide that will be directed at all types of reasons to visit Alaska, including just visiting, photography, wildlife viewing, fishing, aurora borealis viewing (Northern Lights), hunting, hiking, campong, skiing etc.

So let’s start by saying most people want the optimum best weather. As I said, Alaska can range to the extremes. So be sure and bring a diversification of clothing especially in the summer. On warm sunny days the temperature can range from 50 to the upper 70s degrees Fahrenheit and sometimes as high as the low 90’s in the interior. Bring clothes to accommodate the variable conditions. It can also be cold and wet, with temperatures ranging from the lower 40s to the upper 50s and rain. So be sure and bring rain gear, layered warm clothing, a good pair of sun glasses and gloves. Cameras of course and plenty of batteries and/or charger. If you plan on hiking, a good pair of hiking boots are needed.

A friend of mine, that owns a company in Alaska, holds a golf tournament every year for his clients. Yes there are golf courses in Alaska-sometimes you have to play around the moose in the fairways. But the scenery is fantastic. Anyway, he actually paid one of the top-notch weather consultants to run a computer program on the best odds to have good weather at a given time during the summer. Interestingly enough, the first through the third week of June, won hands down. And remember I said odds, in other words, it can be changeable without notice and without guarantees.

Wildlife viewing actually is 365 days per year. Moose and other wildlife, even bears, are commonly seen along the roadways including the downtown areas. Always have your camera ready and be on the lookout for wildlife. I will be more specific on the best places for a particular type of wildlife. As we advance through Your Great Alaska Travel Adventure.

Next you need to consider your mode of transportation.

On my initial trip, I drove from Fort Worth, Texas to Alaska,via Seattle, Washington. I wanted to see some of the western United States and Canada, So I made it a 14 day trip. That story will be written in my memoir, “My Great Alaska Adventure” on a separate website.

Flying to Alaska is in itself an awesome, beautiful trip. Try to sit on the right hand side of the aircraft, if possible as most of the scenery is normally viewed from that side of the aircraft. If it is a clear day, most pilots give a great monologue on what you are seeing and what is coming up. You will be able to see gigantic rivers, continuous mountains, valleys, and enormous rivers of ice-glaciers.  Click the following link for video:

Flying To A Great Alaska Travel Adventure

Remember in the summer in Alaska, it is full daylight 18 to 20 hours per day with 4 to 6 hours of very bright twilight. It takes some getting used to, but really extends the time for getting to see everything without being hindered by darkness.

Book your airline tickets as far in advance as possible, unless you want to gamble for low fares, which sometimes drop substantially, up to two weeks before your trip. This is really chancy as I have seen cases where the fares actually increase substantially. Shop around including directly to the airline’s websites. I was quite surprised over the years how buying directly from the airlines sometimes is cheaper than some of the supposed discount websites. Always compare. One website I have come to use is www.farecompare.com. They seem to stay on top of the airline ticket fares and trends. For some reason I have always got my best fares in April.

Automobile rentals definitely need to be booked as far in advance as possible. In the summer, you are traveling during prime time, and you can bet that the best price deals will be booked solid. Believe me, if you don’t book far in advance, you will pay double the rental amount of the more economical rentals. If you can afford it, I always recommend an SUV with 4 Wheel Drive. This is Alaska, and even though you are not supposed to go off pavement by most real companies, sometimes it just cannot be helped. I’ll be discussing some examples as I take you on your Great Alaska Travel Adventure.

Now let us talk about accommodations. Hotels and bed & breakfasts, also will need to be booked far in advance. Do not wait to the last-minute. You will pay a premium, and in some cases may not be able to find accommodations. More later.

To really see Alaska and experience Your Great Alaska Travel Adventure, you will need to plan a 10 to 14 day trip- minimum.

For planning purposes, I will be giving you a detailed itinerary of the places you will be visiting so you can book your accommodations in advance.

Stay tuned as I make post as things and places actually happen with photos and videos.