Trip of a lifetime alaska 2018

[keller]

Hello Rocksliders this is my first post I hope it is in the right place.Ive been lurking in the shadows for some time taking in all the good info and have learned a lot.i booked my first sheep hunt with cole ellis aug 10 to 17 2018 and am super stoked.my understanding wife asked when can I go to Alaska?so after much discussion we decided to take the trip of a lifetime or a trip from hell... time will tell?we are going to take 6 weeks and drive from WI to Alaska with our 17 yo daughter and 11 yo son and spend a month in Alaska we rented a house in anchorage from july 22 to aug 23.we intend on taking a guided king salmon trip (if we are not too late) and a guided halibut trip.we would like to do some fishing on our own as well as some sightseeing and camping.i would appreciate any good info I can get on reliable fishing guides,streams,rivers to fish on our own,fishing equipment and tackle needed,places and or sights to see good campgrounds or camping spots...etc.we would like to bring home a decent amount of good eating fish.we are bringing tents and camping equipment so we can travel and stay where the action is.thanks in advance.
john

 

[colonel00]

Buy this book. Use it as you drive around. There are tons of places to fish as you drive the road system.

Highway Angler, Fishing Alaska's Road System, 6th edtion: Gunnar Pedersen: 9781578335961: Amazon.com: Books

Also, Anchorage is ok, but I'd suggest you plan to spend most of your time away from there. Go down the Kenai and hit Seward for a few days. Make your way around to Homer and back. Drive up to Denali for a few days and on up to Fairbanks. Come back down the other side and make your way to Valdez. Spend a couple days there as the pinks will be coming in and you might get some early silvers. Reds should be in some rivers during that time too.

 

[Steve O]

The Colonel give GREAT advice. I’d take a week and take the train up to Denali and spend a few days up there, then take it as far as it goes north, but really, everything I saw north of Denali was a waste of time. I’d also take the ferry over to Kodiak and spend a few days there.

If you do take that train trip, get seats on the Princess Dome cars. Awesome, awesome views.

 

[MTSabo]

I agree great advice given.

Id like to add if you find yourself near liard hot springs in Canada on the way up its a good place to stop. Little camp ground and you can swim in the hot springs to relax after your day of driving.

 

[Ray]

You need to start reading the regulations now. There will be some minor changes come July 1, 2018, but most changes will come from Emergency Orders published on line. Link

King season on the Kenai river runs until the end of July. There are dozens of guides that can give you a chance at a few big fish. With the whole family you can fill a boat and might save a buck or two. See if you can find a guide that will do kings in the morning and then try for reds off a gravel bar or the boat in the afternoon. The red runs are coming in with smaller daily slugs making bank fishing harder than it used to be. But a boat can get you on a good gravel bar improving the potential for red limits.

Drive the Denali Highway and shoot some ptarmigan and catch some grayling. Tangle Lakes is a nice area for camping and boating.

Catch and release rainbows on Montana Creek near Talkeetna. You can find some river bars off Yoder road bridge to camp on. Unless its raining and flooding.

 

[Mjm316]

Also pick up a recent addition of the “Milepost” for your drive up and your trips from anchorage to Kenai etc.

 

[Kevin Dill]

My wife and I did an extensive road trip on our own n 2015. Without getting specific about things to do and places to visit, my main advice is to research the HECK out of every aspect of your trip. Don't go there taking for granted you'll problem solve your way to a great trip. Plan it carefully and you'll be a lot less stressed. Obviously the state is big and the road system is sparse. Traveling overland eats up a lot of time, and that's unavoidable. Another common and understandable mistake is for people to try to accomplish too much on such a trip. Better to do fewer things well and really enjoy them versus cramming too much into a schedule and feeling cheated by lack of time.

We are returning...with good friends...next summer. Six months and change to departure. We've been planning for months and setting up our itinerary. Anchorage.... Talkeetna ....Fairbanks.... Glenallen.... Chitina.... McCarthy.... Seward.... Homer.... Anchorage is our basic route. Our biggest highlight is going to be spending time in Wrangell - St Elias National Park. We will be flying into McCarthy and then doing various things while there, including glacier hiking and some backcountry flightseeing. A river trip is possible. In Seward we plan to do an extended trip into Kenai Fiords. Homer will be about some fishing and relaxing.