I am curious about why bigger, slow moving calibers are the top choice for bear defense in Alaska, or in general. For example, 44 magnum or say a .460 S&W. I know there are a lot more but I can't say I am well versed in handguns. Is it because bigger, slower moving calibers are readily available in handguns? I have never seen a 30-06 or .308 handgun. Is it in part because you don't have to worry as much about how far the projectile flies if you miss? For example, 44 magnum. Quickly looking at ballistics, a .44 magnum comes nowhere near a .270, .308, 30-06 as far as muzzle velocity and hitting power. A 12 gauge slug gun has pretty good ballistics compared to a .44 magnum as far as hitting power/ft pounds of pressure. Now the .460 magnum well that's a different story. Of course, with the .460 magnum well there's probably a lot of recoil. Anyway, just curious. I am a rifle person so when I initially thought of the .44 magnum I thought of a Henry lever action rifle, not a handgun. Then I thought about handgun calibers vs rifle calibers. I also don't live in Alaska, I just like Alaska.

Hello all! I’m getting flown out for a job interview in Anchorage from 12/17 through 12/22 and wanted to know what the must sees are. Especially if I’m considering moving here over the next coming summer.

1. Are there any good hikes/ trails with equipment rental options near by. I

know how to ski/cross country ski/ snow shoe. But I

1. don’t want to have to drive somewhere treacherous in a rental car.

2. Top Food spots - I’m not picky I like trying everything!

3. Other cool winter things to check out or other must knows I should investigate before committing to moving to Anchorage

Thanks!

Hello, I know there are a million of these posts. Sorry but I am going to have to do a million and one more.

My buddy and I want to go on a trip to Alaska next year. We are thinking May but can leave earlier if need be as we can take a starlink and laptop for business work. We must be back by mid-June and are busy with work till about November.  We are planning to take the ferry from Seattle area to Alaska there and back. We realize that will take up 5 to 10 days so we want to plan that into the length of stay.  Is taking the ferry both directions worth it, or would you recommend ferry one way and driving the Alaska Highway the other especially this earlier in the year?

We have also decided on taking our vehicle with us. It is a Rav 4.   We have a list of stuff we would like to do while up there but would love any input from people who know the area.   My buddy went to Alaska once with his dad before he passed away. I have never been though it has been my dream place to go.

So far, we have decided we would like to go Salmon fishing, Halibut Fishing, Gold mining (we have our own claim in the lower 48 but would love to get the chance to get some Alaskan gold), feast on King crab, see the glaciers, see the wildlife. I would love to do things up there that can’t be done down here. Any tours or places to see that can provide a bit of history is cool too.  We have talked and I think we figured we would end up spending about $5k per person. Can anyone confirm if this is a realistic plan? Any advice on things we can do, places to go, when to leave, and any other info that you believe would be pertinent for us would be great.  What are the "must-do" experiences for first-time visitors? Any advice on what you believe the perfect itinerary would be would be amazing.

Edit: I think I have my buddy convinced to fly if need be so now we need to figure where to go to get as much of this stuff done as possible.

Hello all, I’m planning a trip in June next year. I am definitely doing Seward for about a week and probably driving out from there to other places for day trips like the national park. We were planning on after a week in Seward flying to Ketchikan for another few days. Is Ketchikan worth the trip?? It’s adding quite a few $$. The only thing I’m worried about doing/ seeing is snorkeling/diving, nature and wildlife. With that in mind is Ketchikan worth the extra money to see what it has to offer in those categories! thank you!

I mean, I’m sure it’s just like the rest of the U.S., but you know, being in the arctic and all, how does that impact your day to day living?

I saw something about the senate race this year being a certain kind of ranked choice voting. How does it work, especially with 2 candidates who have the same name?

So.... a major part of Alaska is seasonal work and tourism... it makes sense given how massive the state is and relatively small the population is compared to the land.

I'm curious if there's ever been serious public dialouge about how to make Alaska a more ro ust year round/economic state or if it is simply not likely to the extreme weather and location of the state- IE- maybe your average person simply doesn't want to live so far from the lower 48 and with the extreme winters, etc...

We would love to have you. You’re surrounded by Canada as it is.

#draingang

Hi everyone!

I'm involved with a law club at UAA, and we're discussing the possibility of hosting a fundraiser toward the end of March. One idea we're considering is a community bake sale or homemade food sale, where club members could contribute baked goods and other homemade foods to sell to raise money for future club events.

I'd love to see if there's interest from people outside the university, too! The idea would be to make this a welcoming opportunity for the wider Anchorage community to stop by, support a student organization, and enjoy some homemade food.

We're still in the brainstorming stage, so there isn't a confirmed date or location yet. Before we move forward, I wanted to ask:

• Would you be interested in attending something like this?
• What kinds of homemade baked goods or foods would you be excited to see?
• Would you prefer a traditional bake sale, a variety of homemade foods, or a combination of both?

I'd especially love to hear suggestions from people in the Anchorage community. If there's enough interest, hopefully we can turn this into something fun!

Thanks!

Hello everyone,

I want to go work a seasonal job in Dutch Harbor for Westward Seafoods, I don’t mind long hours or extreme conditions. But… I have mild carpal tunnel symptoms, it’s not even a problem if I wear my wrist guard, but that’s the thing.

Would those type of jobs (seasonal seafood processing) allow you to wear a wrist guard on the job?

And if not that’s okay too, because most of my problem is in at night during sleep but I can definitely wear a wristguard then.

I guess I’m worried the workload will be too stressful on my wrist and the symptoms are going to get worst and I won’t be able to finish my contract.

Does anyone have any insight on that topic?

Good day I'm an auto mechanic moving to fairbanks in the next few weeks I will be driving and bringing all my tools. I've read that I need to inventory everything and declare it at the border! Are they really that strict entering Canada and at the Alaskan border? Looking for advice to make the trip as smooth as possible.

Is it true what they say—that it’s very cold inside the homes of people in Alaska because they’re trying to save on heating costs, and that they supposedly walk around indoors dressed in two or three layers of warm clothing? I don’t mean to offend or insult anyone; I’m just trying to find out the truth. Thanks

Going to land in Anchorage with my partner in mid November for 2 full days. Willing to rent a car, would would you recommend doing or seeing? We are open to short hikes and really want to see the Northern lights...

We will be going to Alaska wildlife conservation, are there any viewpoints or stops that are worth it along the way? (I was thinking Byron Glacier Trail and Beluga Point).

Foodwise, I have heard Wild Scoops, Red Umbrella Reindeer, Arctic Roadrunner, Namaste Shangri-La and Long Branch Saloon.

maybe legends or folklore?

Hi All, we are planning a vacation in March and thinking about Alaska. We’ve lived in Florida for 6 years now, but we love the cold, snow, and all sorts of winter activities. We were thinking to do the following:
Fly in to Fairbanks, stay for a few days, hopefully catch the northern lights, do the dog sledding (any ethical companies recommendations are highly appreciated), Chena springs, ice martinis, snowmobiling, etc.
Take the Aurora train to (either Denali or Talkeetna) but I am finding lots of conflicting information about this area, especially how it operates in March, whether I can do the flight around the summit at that time, where to stay? It seems like Denali and Talkeetna are far away for the train stops, but when I’m looking for hotels in Denali, it shows me Talkeetna.
Then either take a train or drive (car rental also doesn’t seem easy?) to Anchorage, stay there a day or do, or use it as a base to take a helicopter to a glacier.
And then a couple of days at Alyeshka Resort.
Anything else to do there in March?

We would welcome all recommendations from the locals as well as from people who have done a similar trip. We are no strangers to the cold, but we are strangers to Alaskan cold. Do we think it is a good trip to do in March or is there a better place to visit in March for winter activities? We have 2 weeks of time, but I’m also thinking if lots of places would be closed, maybe we don’t need that much time or maybe we shouldn’t go at all. Please help us decide, thanks!!

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Hello! I plan on moving to Alaska fairly soon and am curious if I can find any leads on a cabin for rent on a monthly basis. Could be either Fairbanks area or Anchorage as I have job offers in both areas. Im a 29 year old born and raised in Minnesota. I've fallen in love with the state after visiting a couple times in winter and summer. I am planning on buying some land and am very familiar with living off grid. Although i don't want to commit to such a purchase until living in Alaska for at least a year to make sure it's a good fit.

I've looked on a couple of the vacation rental sites and found only a couple options so I figured I would try and see if any fellow redditors knew of some resources! Tyia

I tried searching but had no luck. Hope you can help me out.

We’re travelling to Alaska in July and looking for a rental car. Alamo had always been a hassle-free company which made us look into their offerings. We stumbled upon the SDGR class which offers a Mazda CX-90 or similar.

Which kind of car can we expect and what are your experiences with this type of rental car in Alaska?

Greetings Alaska, just curious who you root for when it comes to NFL football? Are there any Seahawks bars in Anchorage? Go Hawks.

Hi!

If any of you are willing to let me use your photos for references, I would love a photo of Denali to use in a pattern design. A friend of mine out of state recently had a baby and named her after our beautiful peak. I would go out and get a perfect photo myself but its quite a drive for me and I am hoping to finish stitching the project by the beginning of March. So hoping there's someone in the community who has what I am envisioning and will let me use it!

Two things in mind for the vision of it:

\- snowy but able to see the texture of the mountain

\- pink/purple/orange hue sunset (not asking for all 3 just any)

Other than those 2, there's not really anything else preference wise. I have zero intention of ever publishing this pattern since it will be personalized and have the footprints of my friends baby. If there are any questions, please let me know!!

I’m pretty new to Alaska. I’ve only been here since April. My curiosity is, what is the purpose of the bark cuttings on a lot of the birch trees?