For all y'all heading to Anchorage, Alaska - Montana Owners Club

Icehouse · 06-18-2008, 02:15 PM

With so many MOCers on their way to Alaska this summer, I want to give you a heads up on a campground to AVOID if any of y'all are planning an overnight stay in Anchorage. Do not stay at the Golden Nugget Campground on DeBarr Road. You will be sorry. Trust me on this.

Creekside Inn & RV Park on Seward Hwy is good but very tight. Probably too tight for a Montana during the summer season. I have never had any dealing with Shipcreek RV Park downtown but have heard positive things about it from other campers.

Keep having fun and drive safely! I'm looking forward to meeting all of you!
Tammy

DHenry · 06-18-2008, 05:46 PM

Thanks for the heads up.

bob n pam · 06-18-2008, 06:01 PM

Thanks, Tammy. Nothing like local knowledge to keep us out of trouble!

Pam

David and Jo-Anna · 06-18-2008, 06:32 PM

thanks Tammy!!!!!

kwolff7 · 06-19-2008, 04:45 PM

Hi Tammy,

Well we are on our way.......almost turned back a few times. I have one of the worst colds or viruses I have ever had, feels like the flu but started taking antibiotics this morning so hope to get better. All this cold weather does not help when you are not feeling good.

thanks for the headsup.......I have a note to try to book the Stoney Creek RV Park in Seward..........do I have the correct city. Thanks for all your help and plan to meet you when we get there ............which will be awhile at the rate we are travelling. We are in Hinton, Alberta. John just wanted to know how much further because he is getting tired of driving. I told him we probably have at least 1500 miles to Tok, especially is we drive the Top of the World Highway before we get to Tok. I am not sure he knows what he is in for. I am trying to keep him in the dark.........fill him up with good food and rum and coke at night. Karen

exav8tr · 06-19-2008, 05:27 PM

If any of you going to Anchorage have military privileges, you might try staying at Ft. Richardson (1st, FHU and free laundry) or Elmendorf AFB (2nd, No sewers but otherwise ok), both fam camps are located near the BX/PX and other services. In my opinion, there are NO CG's in Anchorage I would stay at. The nice one they HAD got sold out underneath them to Target by the native corp that owned the land. The Ship Creek park is very crowded, unless they have changed since we left last year.

The other BAD park, IF he is still there is John's on DeBarr Rd. Too many homesteaders here and an overall trashy park.

My advice, IF you must stay near Anchorage is to stay at a park in the Matanuska/Susitna valley just north of Anchorage and make day trips into Anchorage. But, as we used to say when I lived there: Anchorage is about 200 miles south of Alaska.

Just a way of life in Anchorage, property is too expensive to be used for RV's.

Don't get me wrong, Alaska is beautiful and certainly worth the trip, it's just that Anchorage is just another BIG city like so many others in the US. If I was to move back, it would be to Seward or Fairbanks. Although Seward can be too wet and Fairbanks Too cold.

If you catch too much fish to ship home, let me know and I will send you my address.......I kind of envy you all for going. OH and the Bush Company is NOT a souvenir shop...........

Icehouse · 06-19-2008, 05:34 PM

Phil, the bush company is NOT a souvenir shop. Too funny! No, it's not!!!!

Karen, yep Stoney Creek RV Park is in Seward. It's one block up the highway from us. We are on Bear Lake Rd and Stoney Creek is the next street up. Stoney is a nice park right on the creek with beautiful views. And you get to feeling better. Just a side note (for all of you) if you are planning to be in Seward during the 4th of July, MAKE RESERVATIONS NOW. Seward explodes with tourists during the 4th because of Mt. Marathon. If you don't make reservations, you could find it near impossible to find a place to stay. Oh, and don't stay at Kenai Lake Resort. That's where we were when we first got here. Avoid it.

Tammy

simonsrf · 06-22-2008, 08:08 AM

Another thought might be to use the State Park just west of Eagle River or the Eklutna State Park near Palmer. I think there is a 3-day limit.

Eagle River Campground - Chugach State Park
Glenn Highway, Hiland Exit Mi 12
Anchorage AK 99524, (907) 694-7982
$$, 57 sites, toilets, water, cfg, table, trails, fish , rafting, May-Sep

Eklutna Lake Campground - Chugach State Park
Anchorage AK 99524,
$, 50 sites, toilets, water, cfg, table, trails, May-Sep

wswebster · 06-22-2008, 03:19 PM

Thanks for the campground info. We're crossing the border in the morning into Canada. Stacy

bob n pam · 06-23-2008, 06:00 PM

Thank you all, thank you all. All of your help and good information is making this trip so much better.

Pam

GOFNUTS · 07-03-2008, 08:53 AM

Tammy, thanks for the info. I had remembered you said to stay at Stoney Creek, but forgot the part about the 4th of July. I called this morning to see if there were any spaces available for this Sat (5th) for about 5 nights. Nothing open until the 10th, so we'll have to change plans a little! Hope to meet you both a little later this month!!
Renee & Michael

Icehouse · 07-03-2008, 08:57 AM

You are right. There is absolutely nothing available in Seward for days and days. I heard the latest prediction that we are expecting something like 40,000 people for the 4th of July! There's less than 3,000 of us who live here full time. Wow! Bernie and I are going downtown tomorrow to watch the ruckus and then we are going to head back to the rig. A friend of ours said it took her 1 1/2 hours to get home from downtown Seward to Stoney Creek last year. That's only 6 miles from the bay to Stoney Creek Rd. Tells you how crowded we will be. I'll go see it once, then no more!!!
Can't wait to meet you!
Tammy

David and Jo-Anna · 07-03-2008, 09:06 AM

Go to Seldoltna and stay in Fred Myers for free (up to 3 days) - the Homer spit is about 1 1/2 hours from there and you can dry camp for $15. Then go to Seward after the 4th. We are here on the spit - it is fabulous and Bob and Pam are now parked next to us. Bob and Pam leave Sunday for Seward.

Life is good

Jo-Anna

HamRad · 07-03-2008, 09:24 AM

Jo-Anna,

Did you guys check out the expensive RV park? I read the thread about the crowds in Alaska at this time of year. The poor locals must really love this time of year. Of course it is a two edges sword. They need the crowds to run their businesses.

Keep enjoying.

Dennis

David and Jo-Anna · 07-03-2008, 09:41 AM

Heritage RV Park is right next to us. I think our view is better! We pay $15 and dry camp, we have our air card for internet and we have about 7-8 TV channels -- they pay $78 and have full hook ups, wifi and cable TV.

Most business people we've talked say that business is MUCH lower than usual.

Jo-Anna

bob n pam · 07-03-2008, 04:27 PM

Hamrad, the Heritage RV Park doesn't have a fishin' hole like the Spit does either!!

Pam

simonsrf · 07-03-2008, 05:48 PM

Michael and Rene / Doug and Sharon,

What Jo-Anna says sound like a good plan especially around the 4th.

As a past resident of Alaska, I can tell you that the roads they have there are not equipped to handle the types of traffic encountered during such affairs as what happens in Seward. Go to the other end, down the Cook Inlet and to Soldotna, Clam Beach or Nilnilchik. It is all beautiful on that road, and the best part is that it leads to Homer.

When in Homer, the spit is the place to stay (dry camping). As I remember, there was a pretty good eating place on the spit too. That was way to many years ago, maybe David and Jo-Anna can comment on the food.

DHenry · 07-03-2008, 08:36 PM

We were going to go to Seward on Saturday but found it is really a little to busy there right now so we changed our plans to go to Ninilchik on Sunday for a week, then go to Seward on the 13th. We will use Ninilchik as a base and do day trips from there.

exav8tr · 07-04-2008, 03:53 AM

For those of you that might be in Seward now, You have got to go to the base of Mount Marathon and watch the folks run up that darned hill, actually the fun is watching them run DOWN that darned hill. Cathy and I did a few years back and it is the funniest thing I have seen. Grueling, to say the least, but some of the costumed runners make it a HOOT!!!!! Get on out there and have a great time. The year we went it was in the 90's that day and people were passing out all over the place......

David and Jo-Anna · 07-04-2008, 07:30 AM

Doug--we will be leaving Homer Saturday morning to head up to Sterling, where we'll spend two nights dry camping while we visit Kenai. Let's see if we can touch base as we cross paths--where will you be at on Saturday? And which of the campgrounds in Ninilchik do you plan to stay at when you get there?

As for restaurants in Homer, Captain Pattie's on the Spit has some good seafood, and there is a good pizza place (that Bob and Pam found) on your right just as you are about to come down onto the Spit. Plus, the freshly caught halibut from a friend's fishing expedition can be wonderful. HHHHHMMMMMMMMM!!!!!

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