Anchorage?

[Skunk]

Guys,

I have the opportunity to go to Anchorage for a couple years but don't know anything about it. What is living up there like? Housing, schools, cost of living, winters, etc...

I'm very drawn to the adventure of it all. However, part of me looks at it like it would just be an extra move in between where we're at and where we ultimately want to be.

Any insight?

 

[kraigWY]

I spent 20 years as a cop in Anchorage. Anchorage is just like any other mid size city (250-300K pop). Traffic sucks. Schools are good. You can pretty much find anything you want in Anchorage. Crime rates are what you'd expect from cities of the same size.

Fishing isn't bad but its crowded. You're going to have to drive a bit though. Forget hunting unless you are rich. There are some pretty good shooting activities. Alaska's problem is the road system is limited so you cant get to most of the state. Get a boat, it will open up a whole new world. But the rivers and lakes are dangerous. Best know what you're doing.

Don't plan on buying acreage in Alaska, what little there is, is priced out of sight. Everything is owned by the Feds, Natives, or State.

Good restaurants. Several malls and such.

Alaska has a low population but about half of what they have lives in the Anchorage Bowl.

Winters arnt that bad............sometimes. What's bad is when you get lots of freezing weather before you get snow fall. When that happens things really go to poop. You get moisture in mild weather, then the ground freezes it making everything slicker the snot. I remember spending a whole twelve hour shift at one intersection which had a steep road coming down to a cross road. I did over 100 fender binder accidents.

Then some years you get so much snow they run out of places to put it.

There is wild life in town. Moose destroy landscaping. Plus moose are lazy like the rest of us. Come winter they don't want to walk in deep snow so they use the roads, meaning lots of vehicle/moose accidents. I've had to put down several over the years do to encounters with vehicles. Tow trucks make a mint of such accidents. Cow moose are extremely dangerous in the spring when they have calves at their sides.

Use to get a lot of bear calls also. Spent a lot of time hanging around school bus stops to keep bears away from kids.

If you like town life, Anchorage will do, if you like rural life, Anchorage isn't it.

Beautiful scenery around the area.

The cost of living in Anchorage isn't that much more then Seattle.

I'm not sorry I left there. The first two years I lived in Alaska I lived in a little 12X18 Cabin I built in Lignite, about 3 miles north of Healy. That was different. Also while I was with APD, I was also in the AK NG, spent a lot of time as a company commander in an Alaska Native Guard Unit on the Bering Sea on the Seward Penn. That was different, I really enjoyed that area of the state.

If I was to go back to Alaska I'd live in the Bush, along one of the major rivers, Tanana or Yukon. But I wont go back, not to live anyway.

I left Wyoming in '72 looking for greener pastures. Except for the first two years, I realized everything I went to Alaska for was better in Wyoming so when I retired I beat feet back here.

 

[Deadshot2]

I never lived in Anchorage but traveled there frequently (like every 10 weeks) for work. One thing I noticed is that people tended to not give a crap about what their homes and yards looked like in Anchorage. Crap that accumulated all summer was just covered and forgotten under the winter snow and then the next spring more crap was added.

Dirt and dust everywhere. Beware of pot-holes during "Break-Up" (the spring thaw). What you think might be a puddle could be a Tire Busting, Wheel Bending, Parts breaking, hole a foot or more deep. Especially bad when there's a little ice on it and it doesn't look like a puddle until you hit it and then end up finishing your trip on a tow truck.

There are also two seasons when it comes to the roads. Winter and Construction.

There are great places in Anchorage for all seasons but there is also a lot of alcohol and drug abuse. With it go the usual problems like drunk/impaired drivers and crime.

Would I live there? Only if I divorced my wife because there's no way she'd go with me.

 

[45.308]

Military?

Winters start first two weeks of Oct and break up comes first week of April, April and May or very dirty months with rain, June is summer, July not bad but rain starts end of the month, Aug it starts to cool, Sept is cool and wet right into Oct. I lived mid side hill side Campbell creek and coldest temp at my house was -54f. Most snowfall was in one storm 45-48". I have seen 3" snow hit the ground mid Sep and 8-10" third week of May. I have had snow in my yard till mid June, some summers the snow patches in the chugach hillside stay all summer, other years gone. Do not be fooled by official temps that are now taken from the airport on the inlet that can be 20 higher than east side and less snow. winter bring pineapple express with 80mph winds and 40 temps at least once a winter. Main road are scraped and not bad all winter but still icy, secondary roads can be like a hockey rink all winter. Snow plows will not go around your car but have the right away and will plow your rig. They pile snow in your yard and its your responsibility to accept it.

Schools are broke down into ethic classes, west is islander, east in black, dimond is Asian, service was all upper class white but boundary changes brought east siders, south is white upper class. Gang violence is high in Anchorage, a couple hundred Katrina victims were relocated by Begich and well its here. Stay out of fairview period, mountain view most areas do not visit, spenard is hit and miss, kind of funny up through late 60s all city politics took place in a local restaurant in spenard and a great area to live, bay shore, hill side, south, are all very white and high dollar cost to live. Education programs are above national average and unlike south 49, some teachers are not super liberals but not UAA / UAF but Alaska is invaded from left coast and has changed dramatically since Gov Knowles in the 90 right into Begich. Local police cannot find qualified applicants so they went to the big cities of Cinninati, Detriot and hired them up here and they brought their brand of LE to Alaska, its changed for the bad.

The valley is full of meth and pot heads, crime is very high too. Sutton, Chickaloon area is easy live but the drive is bad, some winter snow falls mean staying in town or 4-5 hour drive. Stay off KGB living. Near Palmer is my home, same snowfall but temp touched -60. Quite and slow paced, do not change it.

Make sure your house is south facing and not in a valley hidden from the south winter sun, you have been warned. Summer sun rises and sets in the north with 5 hours of dusk, winter its in the south with 5 hours of light.

No more room to build new housing in anchortown so track housing has become popular but the first built are small and congested and code had to change. Good house in a good area around $400K, 2 bed room rent in a good area $1100.

Food for us $700. Elec $400 gas $300 in winter, wood heat will help.

Cost to play is outrages. You see hunters with 60k trucks, two machines, trailer, etc all for 500 pound of moose meat, cub is round 50k, TC is a poor mans cup around 30k now. Regs have become stupid. Do not think your moose camp is free from intruders and theft, you will not be alone. Fishing is plain stupid now, Tourist do what they want breaking regs and just try that yourself and FG will have you in cuffs. What most find out is, its not that easy to hunt, a full day or two to reach your camp and then home, how many employers let you have a full week off or more in hunting season? Moose, bou, sheep??? Suicide runs during fishing, you get off work, jump in the rig, drive 100+ miles, fish all night or day, drive home just in time for work. Happens all run. Combat fishing is real and I have seen 44s pulled over a stupid red.

Either you and your wife will love it or hate, very little in between. Understand you cannot get in your rig and drive a few hours to be somewhere, driving is 5 days to the states, flying is not cheap and takes a full day to reach somewhere.

Gun laws are great, open carry at 14, CC at 21 all with no permit, the second is alive and the state Constitution has way better current day wording and meaning so the anti cant twist it. Meet an alaska LE and good to go, meet a detriot LE and good luck, some do not change.

This is not a Jack London novel, anchorage is just like any big city in the states as is the whole state these days. Its not all bad but understand as many who come up do not, its not what you think or want Alaska to be, those days are long gone.

 

[kraigWY]

45.308 is probably a bit closer to reality then I. I left there in '94. Its changed and not for the good the way I understand it.

I will address LE. APD use to be a premium LE Agency. That all changed. The city police has destroyed that. Now its like 45.308 says. I keep track of Vintage APD. The old guys, my understanding is they get some great cops, but they don't stay.

That started a few years after I lift. It got so back they tried to hire us old retired cops to come back to balance the new crop. Had to change state and city laws to allow us to keep our retirements while working for the second. Some did, I wouldn't have anything to do with it.

I'll probably go back there bear hunting, maybe this spring. Other then that I will stay away.

Forget the Alaska Reality Shows that flood the TVs now, they are all about drama and as far from reality (of bush life) as the CSI shows are to police work.

 

[45.308]

Forgot property taxes, stupid high in anchorage as is the business tax, one of the highest in the nation.

Since someone will say, the PFD. No its not free gov money but in plain speak to understand, it comes from the oil tax and is invested in the stock market and every year depending on the market, a portion of that money is paid out in a dividend. Every state could do this with their tax money but dont.

1979 I think it was, Alaska voted to secede from the union (more than once) and lost by just a very few votes. Not first time but the closest as many life long true Alaskans know our entry into the union was under lies, false guises and illegal. Now Alaska is full of outsiders who do not know or care so.......

Kraig, liberal Gov Knowles changed AK forever just about the time you left.

For that care, up to 1972 AK was AK but then all changed in the 70s, all but ruined AK until things got turned around by 1980 and up to 1992-3 was good then all broke loose.

 

[ArcticLight]

Anchorage is a great place to work because within 1 hour you can be in no mans land, forget about the city, think NORTH.

I'm planning a move back to Fairbanks in the next year or two after daughter graduates high school, going back to be Arctic Light
Lot of mountain areas up there, hunting, fishing, all good. Too crowded for my liking around the city, enjoyed trips up to Wasilla and some of the other outlying towns.

Take a trip down to Seward, Portage bay, see all the sights you can see, get up in the mountains at night and see the Aurora Borealis.
(Fairbanks doesn't have as much light pollution)

And yeah take a weekend and drive up to Fairbanks/Fox area - NASA has a rocket launching site up there for weather/atmospheric testing.

If you do not hunt Delta Junction has a phenomenal meat dealer up there, you can buy almost anything, Bison, Beef, you name it. Good prices and damn damn fine meat......

Forget the politics mentioned above, get out and SEE Alaska, you won't care about politics once you do. It's beautiful up there.

 

[45.308]

I do not want to argue but 1 hour drive from anchortown will not get you into alaska wilderness...no mans land. This is exactly want I want to say to those coming north. There is a conception that alaska is void of people and civilization, it is not along any road paved or not. From anchortown to sheep creek north is all housing and established living areas, not much different than any city south 49. Weekend traffic is bumper to bumper snails pace. From there through alaska state park, is different than federal park some isolation can be found but it is being developed right now. The entry around denali fed park looks like disney land. From denali north again its being developed to squarebanks. South all the way to Sewerd and Homer same, housing and lodges bumber to bumper 40mph. All summer traffic is stopped by alaska speed bumps, RVs from outsiders.The kenai is overcrowded beyond believe now. Like I said for easy slow paced living, east along the Glenn to around chickaloon is still isolated somewhat and then from chickaloon out to Glennallen but its growing development. Palmer is still sleeply little town and it must stay that way. Some areas hunters and fisherman cannot find a place to park.

Beautiful absolutely but the question was not beauty but whats it like living here now and there is a huge misconception that hunting and fishing and isolation abound. Can it be found, yes but isolation is not easy to find these days and hunting is so convoluted and permits now. Fishing is over run by tourism. Too many come north to find alaska was not what they envisioned.

 

[Skunk]

Wow, this is pretty disappointing. I don't care anything about local politics or fishing, but I would like to hunt without too much trouble. Are hunting licenses outrageous or is it just hard to find a spot that isn't packed with people?

Kraig, what did you mean by "the rivers and lakes are dangerous...?"

I would like to live outside town a bit. Maybe 20-30 miles. Would that make the drive/commute too time consuming?

I'll admit, I thought I'd be able to come up there, buy a little house, and venture out into the wilderness on the weekends without having to drive all day....

 

[kraigWY]

Skunk:

The rivers are slity from glacier run off. You can't see snags and sand bars. You have to know how to read rivers. Also some, break off into sloughs and other channels. They change every year so you really have to pay attention. And fast. Take the Nenana for example. It runs allow the Parks highway by McKinley Park (and healy & lignite where I use to live). In early summer its about 3 foot higher in the middle then it is near the banks. It will dump you in a heart beat, it got me more then once.

The lakes are large and the winds come off glaciers. High winds that will give you waves 4-6 high or better. And it only takes an instant for the wind to come up. More then a few bought the farm trying "to make it" when they should have put to shore.

The Cook Inlet, Knik Arm, and Turnigan are pledged with bore tides. The tides come in high and fast. When the tide is out, you can easily get stuck in the mud. But when the tide comes in, the silt turns to concrete. Its got a few duck hunters.

20-30 miles out side of town: Girdwood to the south. Not much there but Ski Lodges and cabins. Gonna be pricey at best.
North, you get past Ft Richardson you get Eagle River (use to be another town but legaly its part of Anchorage, Peter's Creek and Chiguak beyond that, then the Eklutna flats. Cross the Knik River you get into Wasilla/Palmer. Lots of people there commute to Anchorage and its a cluster going and coming.

As to hunting you'll not find a place that isn't packed with people anywhere on the road system. Unless things change, licenses aren't too bad, but do to pressure, anywhere along the road system is going to have restrictions.

Gone are the days of Moose hunting from Aug 20 to Sept 30, then cow season the first week of Oct. Followed by another month of either in November.

Alaska still has a lot of good hunting. But you have to fly out and its pricy. Talk to 45.308 I believe he guides.

Also I retired and left there in '94. It was getting bad then. I've been back a time or two and it seems to be worse each time I go.

I'll go back, but just for bear hunting. I have a real good friend in Glenn Allen who has good places to hunt Grizzlies and Blacks. He's been trying to get me up there. You have to have a guide or relative resident to hunt browns and Grizzlies. One of my son's still lives there and he'll be my guide.

If you're into water fowl, its excellent across Knik arm from Anchorage, the south end of the Palmer hay fields. You can limit out on ducks and geese in a heart beat, but you have to be careful do to the tides.

The first year you're there you'll have to get a non-resident hunting license.

If you have a choice, I'd recommend taking a week or so and visiting the area.

 

[thejeep]

Best way to see Alaska is to live there. My wife and I spent a summer and fall waiting tables at the Denali park entrance when I finished school. Backpacking in the park 4-8 days most weeks. We saw 2 other people in the backcountry.
All of the Alaska cities are kind of shitty from an outsiders view, but 20 min out of town and it's pristine. It's neat not being on top of the food chain, sometimes.
Check it out.
Worst case you leave.

 

[Maggot]

Best way to see Alaska is to live there. My wife and I spent a summer and fall waiting tables at the Denali park entrance when I finished school. Backpacking in the park 4-8 days most weeks. We saw 2 other people in the backcountry.
All of the Alaska cities are kind of shitty from an outsiders view, but 20 min out of town and it's pristine. It's neat not being on top of the food chain, sometimes.
Check it out.
Worst case you leave.

Just one question, Jeep. how did you hike 4-8 days a week if there are only 7 days in a week?

Sorry, had to.

 

[Krav69]

Is it true that non-residents must have a guide in order to hunt Alaska? (That would get really expensive in a hurry).

Is Wyoming better than Alaska? (Consensus opinion would be okay).

Some of the t.v. shows about Alaska, and the things I've heard lately, and read in this thread, are really disappointing me. I've always wanted to live there for a spell....

 

[kraigWY]

Non residents have to have a guide for Brown/Grizzly, sheep and goats. A guide or family member, (first degree of kinship, father mother son, daughter, brother sister).

I went to Alaska seeking greener pastures. It was alright in the early years, but not so later.

For what I like, Wyoming is much better. I'm a short distance for hunting elk, shorter still for antelope, and hunt deer on my own property. I have my own range (400 Yards) and no covenants or zoning restrictions.

My property taxes for my house in Anchorage was $2900+ a year. A med lot. Here I have the same size house but on 29 acres with outbuildings, my property tax is $450 a year.

Gun laws are as good or better then Alaska. Cost of living is cheaper here. I don't have salmon or halibut but I have great trout fishing. I also have horses which would be cost prohibitive in Anchorage.

I could go on but you get the point.

 

[Wildwillalaska]

Alaska is certainly different enough and interesting enough for anyone to enjoy for a couple years. It's not what is seen on TV, but like any place, it's what you make of it. For true wilderness--you'll need to get out of town and then need some means of getting back away from the road system--be it by foot, boat, atv or air plane, there is good hunting within reasonable distance of Anchorage.

I only hit Anchortown few times a year, but have friends that live there and like it. That said, seems they are always looking for reasons to get out of town and end up down in my neck of the woods.

Good work and living to be had. Just like any other city, there are dirty places and eclectic mix of cultures--and is set in some gorgeous countryside.

 

[thejeep]

Just one question, Jeep. how did you hike 4-8 days a week if there are only 7 days in a week?

Sorry, had to.

Sometimes we could get our work days aligned where we could get 8 off without missing a day of work for the week.

 

[Llatikcuf]

Anchorage is Anchorage, a city is a city. A joke going back 30 years (that I know of) is that the nice thing about living in Anchorage is that it is so easy to get to Alaska from there.
I say why pass up the opportunity? Just realize that to see the "real" Alaska you will need to get off the road system. That means a river boat or a bush plane.

 

[Deadshot2]

Anchorage is Anchorage, a city is a city. A joke going back 30 years (that I know of) is that the nice thing about living in Anchorage is that it is so easy to get to Alaska from there.
I say why pass up the opportunity? Just realize that to see the "real" Alaska you will need to get off the road system. That means a river boat or a bush plane.

You reminded me of another "Alaska Joke". When people ask why the Alaska Natives still use dogs rather than snow machines they often get the answer "when a snow machine quits it quits. When a dog quits you can kick the crap out of it and go another 10 miles.

 

[kraigWY]

That means a river boat or a bush plane

Now those can be a lot of fun.

I have taken three fly in hunts. Two to Afognak elk hunting, both un-successful. First one was 10 days of fog where you couldn't see your front sight. The second it turned cold and a skim of ice forced the Coast Guard to fetch me.

The third was a successful caribou hunt near King Salmon.

Rivers, that's another story, I had some great trips. Drifting the Tanana and shooting geese from your sleeping bag camping on a gravel bar. Finding out cold, whiskey, and rivers don't play well together on the upper China. Darn near froze to death on that on. Had some good successful moose hunts rowing across the Nenana from my cabin in Lignite. Also dumped and lost the boat on one of those trips.

Dern near got swamped by the wake of an oil tanker in a cabin cruiser I didn't know anything about out of Valdez while on a goat hunt.

Had some great fishing trips when we took a Huey up clear creek as far as we could get and still float a RB 15 (we called in Military Adventure training.) On one trip one of the rafts (not the one I was on) swamped, and all was saved by a young Sp/4 (who now happens to be the Adj Gen for the State of Alaska).

I could write a book on river adventures in Alaska, I'd have to name it "What Not to do on Alaska Rivers".

Rivers could temp me into going back to Alaska. But Alaska rivers aren't for the faint of heart.

 

[Bender]

Been there. In 96 and 98. Would sell it all to go back. Wife won't hear it.

 

[thejeep]

Just one question, Jeep. how did you hike 4-8 days a week if there are only 7 days in a week?

Sorry, had to.

Now those can be a lot of fun.

I have taken three fly in hunts. Two to Afognak elk hunting, both un-successful. First one was 10 days of fog where you couldn't see your front sight. The second it turned cold and a skim of ice forced the Coast Guard to fetch me.

The third was a successful caribou hunt near King Salmon.

Rivers, that's another story, I had some great trips. Drifting the Tanana and shooting geese from your sleeping bag camping on a gravel bar. Finding out cold, whiskey, and rivers don't play well together on the upper China. Darn near froze to death on that on. Had some good successful moose hunts rowing across the Nenana from my cabin in Lignite. Also dumped and lost the boat on one of those trips.

Dern near got swamped by the wake of an oil tanker in a cabin cruiser I didn't know anything about out of Valdez while on a goat hunt.

Had some great fishing trips when we took a Huey up clear creek as far as we could get and still float a RB 15 (we called in Military Adventure training.) On one trip one of the rafts (not the one I was on) swamped, and all was saved by a young Sp/4 (who now happens to be the Adj Gen for the State of Alaska).

I could write a book on river adventures in Alaska, I'd have to name it "What Not to do on Alaska Rivers".

Rivers could temp me into going back to Alaska. But Alaska rivers aren't for the faint of heart.

Op,
Just go!

 

[Deadshot2]

Been there. In 96 and 98. Would sell it all to go back. Wife won't hear it.

There are a lot of guys in Alaska that have sold it all, and just moved there leaving the wife behind


FWIW, if one really wants to live remote but still have "some" connection with the outside, get a piece of porperty that is near the Alaska Railroad. The railroad makes stops along the track to pick up, drop off, people and supplies. Can also get fuel delivered via a truck equipped with "road wheels" so it can ride the rails to deliver gas, diesel, and Propane. Just be prepared to not see many people in your life once you move into the "bush".

 

[ArcticLight]

I do not want to argue but 1 hour drive from anchortown will not get you into alaska wilderness...no mans land.

I have lived there, I understand. I understand traffic is FAR FAR worse than when I lived there. Point being, if there were no traffic you could be out in the woods in less than an hour playing.

Definitely true in FB, 15-20 minutes and you can be out shooting on remote land.
I'm looking at property near Chena Hot Springs road in FB, looking at moving back up there, I say BACK, I still have family there. Anchorage is crowded, too much like Seattle for my likes.

 

[ArcticLight]

Rivers, that's another story, I had some great trips. Drifting the Tanana and shooting geese from your sleeping bag camping on a gravel bar. Finding out cold, whiskey, and rivers don't play well together on the upper China. Darn near froze to death on that on. Had some good successful moose hunts rowing across the Nenana from my cabin in Lignite. Also dumped and lost the boat on one of those trips.
Rivers could temp me into going back to Alaska. But Alaska rivers aren't for the faint of heart.

What you said, EXACTLY. I have canoed the upper Chena, mid/lower Chena, did a river crossing on the Nenana and Jarvis Crk down at Ft Greely.
I've had snow in May at Ft Greely, only to have it melt and hit 65 that day.

We were Pike fishing in a fiord on the Chena river once, and when they tell you to use the STEEL lures they are not kidding! 3-4' Northern Pike took down 20lb test line and an aluminum lure.

This is the Tanana river in winter, saw that they finally build a REAL bridge but I've driven the ice bridge, scary shit!!!!

I need to rescan these in higher res.

 

[sqidd]

I hear the man/woman ratio is horrible.

 

[Bender]

I hear the man/woman ratio is horrible.

Yes, yes it is horrid. So are many of the women. Better have one lined out, or a good porn collection.

 

[Deadshot2]

I hear the man/woman ratio is horrible.

Some of the old "Pioneers" used to say that given time EVERYONE looks like a woman. Scary.

 

[45.308]

Wow, this is pretty disappointing. I don't care anything about local politics or fishing, but I would like to hunt without too much trouble. Are hunting licenses outrageous or is it just hard to find a spot that isn't packed with people?

Kraig, what did you mean by "the rivers and lakes are dangerous...?"

I would like to live outside town a bit. Maybe 20-30 miles. Would that make the drive/commute too time consuming?

I'll admit, I thought I'd be able to come up there, buy a little house, and venture out into the wilderness on the weekends without having to drive all day....

I hope you do not think I am saying do not move up, come on up if you desire. What I am saying is, too many outsiders who move to Alaska thinking its something from a novel or wide open land with game everywhere, plenty of access to hunting and very little to no other people. I wanted to let you know its not necessarily that way.

25 miles is not realistic, Alaskan view milepost and time not so much miles when talking getting somewhere, 100 miles one way is considered a day trip to have fun. Within 25 miles north is Peterscreek, Birchwood and Eklutna. From here is across the flats into Palmer or Wasilla. Wasilla has and is growing from anchoragites moving out. The drive is the worst part, heavy traffic and when its snows, your 45 min drive may take 4 hours. Palmer is a farming town from the 1950s when the gov moved farmers from the upper midwest to farm. It is still slow, sleepy, not very crowded, cheap but again, you still have to drive to work in Anchortown and the drive is quite bad, there is only one hwy. Stay out of the the Butte area.

Not many areas to live south from Anchorage and its very expensive all the way to Girdwood "girdweed" a very liberal community. This is the community that allowed the tree people community to live for years. Up crow creek from girdweed and its a very hostile anti living area.

I would look at Palmer, Chickaloon or Sutton but within these areas, not so much Palmer, are still antis. Alaskan are rouge, its why we live here, not as bad as the past but many of us are still stay away from me. leave me alone and my property especially when dealing with cheeks.

Hunting, you have to be a resident for one full calender year, I would suggest arrive in June, hunting license is $25. Where things have changed and I know you said you do not care about the politics but this is what changed alaska with tony knowles in the 90s. Most of the old prime hunting areas are permit now. You will have to drive hours to hunt. Not really but beware of the masses like knik and KGB. Fort Rich, the hillside have highly sought after moose permits, these are in town. If you can drive there by your 4x4, 300 miles from Anchortown, the trail head will be a congested parking lot to include dirt roads miles from the Glenn, Parks, Richardson. 13 is where most hunters go and its over hunted, 15 and 16 are next. From the trail head, its a wheeler trail for miles, some hunters pull trailers toting 50 gal of gas to reach 100 miles from the trail head. Many seasons as we sat in our camp once in complete isolation, here comes the buzz bombs right to and through our camp. This is why back pack hunting in Alaska is what I prefer. Our family moose camp and fishing hole behind the house is a housing complex now. There are walk in only areas and these are tuff, hard but rewarding but its not for every one or the soft.

I would suggest instead of like most Alaskans, not buy a ford rig, camper, trailer to pull your wheeler but instead, use the 75K and fly out to hunt. You can find more isolation but not always, depends on who flys you in and will they stack you into the area, the unit you fly to, etc.

Good luck

 

[FourFans]

Skunk,
You've been given alot of sound intel on Anchor-town, the reads on the hunting/fishing are spot on. I've been here since '91, arranging an Air Force transfer right after getting out of the sandbox for 7 months. Anch was awesome by comparison, Alaska even better. I've lived now in Alaska longer than anywhere else in my life, And my read is this....
Anchorage SUCKS, I only drive thru it to go to work 4 times a week,, grab some crap on the way out of town etc. etc.

But here's the kicker,, my personal and professional travels take me to the lower 48 alot. And without exception I look at where I am and think "I couldn't live here". I've lived, been stationed, and visited a lotta lotta places, and this is HOME. It's got problems, no doubt; but what I see in the lower 48,,, wow.
I won't bore you with the cute sayings, but the fact is: Get in / Get out, Get what you need in Anchortown and then go home to ALASKA. And yeah, I only live 15 miles out. Take a few years and get the "lay of the land", you'll be hooked.
All the best,,
--FF of F

 

[rdinak]

I lived there six wonderful years. It was AWESOME. Do it!