Flying to Barrow, AK

[chperplt]

The wife wants me to take her to Barrow, AK next summer.

We're looking on the web and found some great info on the city. What we haven't found is if the city is welcoming to tourists.

Anyone have some info to add about the city?

Does anyone from Alaska Airlines know if the flights in and out of BRW are very hard to get on as a non-rev?

Thanks

 

[tired_pilot]

barrow ak aug 2004

I did the trip with my gf last summer. Excellent trip...the flights on an old 737-200 combi with 50 seats...plane was only half full both ways. I would do the trip in conjunction with a couple days in ANC..drive down to alyeska..its a nice 2 hour drive from ANC.
As far as Barrow..its a neat village. The people are very very welcoming to tourist. During the winter the sun doesnt come out for about three months...opposite in the summer. Top of the World hotel is the place to stay. They take care of everything..pick you up at airport where you start a tour for most of the day. I think we paid 149 for all day tour and night at hotel. In the evening (which is is still bright sunshine) we did a humvee tour on the ice cap to find some polar bears.. we didnt see any but did see alot of wild life. On the day tour they concentrate on normal cultural stuff...plus whatever happens to be going on. We were driving through a neighborhood and people were skinning seals...so they stopped the bus and we watched that for a while. Anyways its a neat trip..we took the morning flight up from ANC and flew back to ANC the next morning..24 hours in Barrow is about right. pm me if you need anymore info..have some pics of the sights if your interested...

 

[Gulfstream 200]

A good day trip out of PANC is go to Whittier and do a Glacier criuse. Well worth the money.

The drive from Anchorage down to Whittier/Portage is one of the best going, IMHO.

Another good few day trip from PANC is talkeetna. Stay at the Talkeetna lodge, a very fine view of the mountain and a neat little town. It serves as a great step-off point for Denali also....the lodge is a fun place and beats the bustle of Anchorage Marriott or the Capt. Cook.

Have fun!

 

[AK737FO]

Barrow or Bust

There are more and more tourist going to the Arctic each year. I think you would find the town reasonably open to outsiders. Just don't expect first class digs if you stay a few days.

We fly a few tourist "groups" into BRW during the summer, but I see more of these groups going to SCC (Deadhorse). Seems like the folks in Alabama want to see where all that oil comes from and look at the "beauty" of the north slope.

I'll jump on my box for a minute here - nothing wrong at all with tourist going to the slope, we love to have there $$$ in our state. What drives me nuts is the whole political mess we have gotten our country into over a piece of flat, baren, waste land known as ANWAR. And before anyone jumps in here from the tree hugging, bear petting, sandle wearing, latte drinking group - let me say this. If you have not been there and looked at it with your own eyes, you have no idea what you are talking about. If the Govt wants to test nukes in country - here are two great locations - Nevada and the Arctic - because there is nothing there you can hurt - its already a waste land. Ok, off of box, I sure feel better now.

Back the the topic at hand. You can non-rev, but you better check loads before you plan your trip and don't travel around any holidays. There are two flights to BRW each day. One AM and one PM. The all go ANC-FAI-BRW-FAI-ANC. The FAI portion can fill up most flights but that is not such a big deal as there are lots of ANC-FAI flights. The BRW legs can be full as well, but with a little planning you could make it. Keep in mind, the jet is always in Combi configuration, usually 2 pallet and 72 seats, or 3 pallet and 56 seats.
Enjoy your trip.

 

[2000flyer]

If you end up driving south, just as well make a day of it and go to the end of the road (HOMER). Quaint village and if you hit it at the right time of the season you'll see more Eagles than you have your entire life. If memory serves me, its about a 5 hour drive from ANC. The Alyeska hotel / ski resort is about 45 minutes south of ANC. Great skiing in the winter, fantastic hiking in the summer.

If you plan on driving to Whittier, get a schedule from your hotel as the tunnel is one way at varying times during the day. Also note the time before coming home or you'll end up a POW (Prisoner of Whittier....a local told me that one). I've flown to some lakes NE of Talkeetna but never driven past there.

Best advice is to do your homework. Alaska has enough to see and do to take up several months.

Regards,

2000Flyer

 

[chperplt]

If the Govt wants to test nukes in country - here are two great locations - Nevada and the Arctic

Come on now... Not all of Nevada is a waste land. I happen to live in a thriving metropolis and we would rather not test nukes here.

Thanks for all the info fellahs!!

 

[tinman]

Come on now... Not all of Nevada is a waste land. I happen to live in a thriving metropolis and we would rather not test nukes here.

Thanks for all the info fellahs!!

I thought they still tested in downtown Vegas. Looks like it everytime I go down. I was down on Sat. to pick up my truck that was stolen the previous week. I got to see the little known oasis in the desert referred to by the locals as W. Lake Mead Blvd and Losee. I didn't even want to leave my other truck outside the impound yard to go in the office.

 

[chperplt]

Tinman,

Yea, you weren't in the nicest part of town. I know that area and I stay the heck away!!

 

[psysicx]

Henderson is awesome.

 

[chperplt]

Henderson is getting old. The west and southwest portions of town are the most modern. Summerlin and the Rhodes Ranch area are very popular.

 

[mar]

Eye of the beholder

What drives me nuts is the whole political mess we have gotten our country into over a piece of flat, baren, waste land known as ANWAR. And before anyone jumps in here from the tree hugging, bear petting, sandle wearing, latte drinking group - let me say this. If you have not been there and looked at it with your own eyes, you have no idea what you are talking about. If the Govt wants to test nukes in country - here are two great locations - Nevada and the Arctic - because there is nothing there you can hurt - its already a waste land.

Do I know you? I know a few of your colleagues but I will never understand this attitude.

I simply don't have the time to be eloquent but I *have* been there. Deadhorse, Umiat, Barter, Kaktovik, Alpine, even Old Crow.

Just because it's not the Grand Tetons doesn't mean it's not grand. It doesn't mean it doesn't have value (ecological and social)...

...but if you can't see it then forget it. In other words, if I have to explain it then you'll never see it. Sure, nuke it. That's a valuable sentiment.

Hoping for more in 2005.
'mar'

 

[Pull & Rotate]

Don't know why anyone would choose to go to Barrow. If you do go I would recommend the month of June.

 

[LT. Dangle]

Frontier Flying Service flys to Barrow at least once per day. When I worked there they used to have two flights per day, so you would have to check their schedule. They use a 1900 and you have to make a few stops along the way, but if you're not in a hurry it might be kind of fun. The flight leaves Fairbanks and goes to Barter Island, Deadhorse, and Nuiqsuit before making its way to Barrow. Their website is frontierflying.com

 

[Hovernut]

I went there last May, just after the 24-hour sun started shining. My buddy was flown up there by a local and I j/s'd. Loads were tight from SEA, but the FAI-BRW was a breeze. Nothing like deplaning out of the aft galley with both engines idling with the reverser buckets deployed!

We were there 3 days to evaluate/fix a hovercraft one of the locals purchased to run back to the fish camps during the thaw. We stayed at his house and were treated to a 'local' tour. Never saw so many snowmobile and auto hulks in the yards since my days living in northern NM! They throw nothing away!

My advice to you is to go before the thaw because all the whale meat and caribou in the 'eskimo fridges' (their front yards) will provide quite the ripe experience when the place muddies up. Nothing like eating fresh-killed whale! Nor seeing one butchered in the neighbor's front yard!

A visit to the 'top of the world' is one helluva experience, and if you're lucky on the return trip, the 737 crew will give you an astounding tour of Denali if it's out. It sure was nice to see AK up close and personal after seeing it through a periscope and submarine escape hatch a decade earlier!

www.amphibiousmarine.com my friend's business....might post BRW pics there sometime soon.

 

[coolyokeluke]

I was in Barrow in July for all of an hour. It was about +3C, blowing 20kt and overcast at 100'. We asked a local when the last time it snowed. "end of June". Then we asked when it would snow again. "could be any day now". There was lots of garbage strewn about. I doubt they have access to a dump and it would cost a bundle to haul it out.

 

[OtterFO]

Barrow is a one day trip, come in on the morning jet and leave on the evening jet. If you decide you MUST spend the night, stay at the airport inn. DO NOT stay at the Top of the World Hotel next to the bank.

I arrived in Barrow one January evening and finally escaped just under 3 years later. The average eskimo (Inupiat) displays their wealth by spreading it across their front yard. Watch out for native foods like Muk Tuk (raw whale blubber), Oonalik (Boiled whale blubber). Whaling season is late spring and early fall. If you are there in the middle to late summer the muk tuk is anything but fresh. Trust me, its tough enough to eat when fresh. Ogrook (bearded seal) is usually cooked and a pretty good meat. If someone offers you TuTu (caribou) make sure its been cooked, not prepared. Prepared means frozen raw and thinly sliced.

Trash disposal requires a person take the trash from their yard and place it in one of the 3 dumpsters placed on every street. The borough does a great job of emptying the dumpsters and taking it to the dump on the north side of town... However it requires some effort to actually take the trash to a dumpster.

Don't take any alcohol with you when you go. Barrow is "damp" which means alcohol can not be sold within the city limits and there are strict limits on how much can be brought in for personal consumtion. It also requires a permit. bootlegging is a felony.

Things to do in barrow:

Top of the World tours: all day bus tour of Barrow, including a stop at the Will Rogers/Whiley Post memorial, a tour of Illisagvik College, the native cultural center (worth an hour or two) Also a tour of the StukPak (grocery store) Hang on to your wallet.

Arctic Adventures: Tours of Point Barrow, Uses a couple of ford econoline vans with lift kits and 36" tires. Bunna, the lead tour driver is native and spent almost his whole life in Barrow. He is also a hell of a cribbage player....
Stay away from the guys doing point tours in the hummers, they sit too low to the ground and have lousy views.

Eat at Pepe's mexican reastruant. Its a step above Taco Bell, and not cheap. But you will meet Fran Tate who once gave Johnny Carson an Oosik (walrus penis bone) on live TV.....

If the Brower's Cafe is still open you get great views of the beach with your meal.

If you can get a feel for the old culture of the Inupiat Eskimo stick with it. Because almost all of that is gone. Spend a little money and purchase a handmade Baleen Boat or a seal skin hat.

good luck, what ever you do, dont get the erge to move up there......

 

[dtoften]

Don't forget to do the glacier tours in Prince William Sound.

AK737FO, you read my mind about people who have never been there telling Alaska what they can or can't do.