November Day Trip from Anchorage

My husband and I would like some ideas for 2-3 hour each way drives from Anchorage. We will be traveling throughout the area from Nov 9-12. If we head south, what should be go see this time of year? Where could we go snowmobiling and snowshoeing? Any other suggestions? We love the outdoors =)

November Day Trip from Anchorage

Hi, unless something really drastic happens, there won%26#39;t be any snowmobiling in November - if we get snow (there%26#39;s none on the ground anywhere near Anchorage, you might be able to snowshow or cross country. We just had our first frost in my neighborhood this morning!

So what else? You could drive to Girdwood and do some really nice hikes in that area. It%26#39;s about an hour%26#39;s drive but you should allow more time because the drive is beautiful and you will want to stop along the way. Also, there is a tram at the Alyeska Prince Hotel in Girdwood. The view from the tram is truly spectacular on a clear day. It wouldn%26#39;t be hard to spend an entire day in that area but you could go on up the road just a few miles and visit the Portage area or go through the tunnel to Whittier.

If you are set on snowshoeing, you would probably want to head north to Hatcher Pass. It%26#39;s about an hour and a half or two hours north and you climb up to about 5000 feet so you%26#39;d likely have snow. I don%26#39;t know where you could get snowshoes - maybe the ski rental shops here in town also have them. You%26#39;d need to call around. If you%26#39;ve not done snowshoeing, I would not recommend you start in Hatcher Pass as there can be avalanches if the weather gets just a bit warm after a heavy snow so it%26#39;s important to know what you%26#39;re doing.

There are innumerable hikes around the area - you can get maps of hiking trails on the internet. Go to the state website (state.ak.us) and look for the link to visitor information.

The weather is just not reliable this time of year. We had a record setting 64 degrees one day last week! We haven%26#39;t seen a flake yet here in Anchorage and I would be surprised if we have much snow below 1000 ft. by the time you are here!

I know others have a lot more experience with the hiking stuff and, hopefully, they will chime in soon! I hope you enjoy your stay.

November Day Trip from Anchorage

Great suggestions from kileysmom. If you can find my post ';Things to do in Anchorage'; then you may be able to chose what suits your interests. Many of 63 activities I posted are available only in a summer but still there is a lot to do in Anchorage. For the outdoors I highly recommend Eagle River Nature Center. Pack rain gear and warm clothes or just buy everything in Anchorage.