Travel to Alaska

[matt819]

I checked the Alaska and Travel groups, but they don't seem to see much activity, so I thought I'd post this here.

Need recommendation on best travel from Seattle to Valdez, AK. I realize that "best" is relative. Factor in time, safety, cost. I also realize that options include air, road, and maybe boat. In other words, lots to consider.

Time of year - late January.

So, some questions:
-- Should I just rule out completely the prospect of traveling by road up Rte 97 into the Yukon and then west into Alaska?
-- The ferry sites are not particularly helpful. Do the ferries run in January?
-- Is the Richardson Highway out of Valdez generally passable in winter?

I'm probably making all sort of assumptions about travel in Alaska, but I haven't been and so don't know.

Thanks.

[kairos12]

1. I have driven the Richardson Highway out of Valdez in January. Wasn't a problem.

[PasadenaTrudy]

2. Try looking on Tripadvisor.com

you may have better luck finding info

[matt819]

3. Thanks

I popped in there and got some really good info.

[Blue_In_AK]

4. They keep the Richardson open,

but it can be kind of dicey through Thompson Pass which has some of the highest snow totals in the country. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thompson_Pass Plus we've been having a lot of wind and rain, so it's questionable. I believe the ferries do run in January, although not as often as in the summer.

I think your best bet would be either fly into Valdez, or Anchorage/Fairbanks and drive over, but definitely be prepared for anything. We've driven to Fairbanks from Anchorage in the winter on the Richardson, but didn't see another soul for miles, and although it was beautiful, it was rather hair-raising.

As far as driving up through the Yukon, it's really pretty but a very long time to drive. We haven't done that trip from Seattle, but did go from Anchorage to Haines and then down to Juneau and Sitka in May a few years ago, and it was gorgeous. But long. You would need to get to Glennallen and then drive down to Valdez. There really aren't many roads around here.

Good luck.

[elleng]

5. Contact Blue in AK,

an active participant in the Photography group and elsewhere.