Seeking firsthand information about Alaska

[GoodDaughter]

Particularly the Juneau area. Would like firsthand experiences please, no speculation. Need to know mostly about access like unpaved roads, unimproved roads, etc.

Please reply by p.m. if you have information.

[flatwater]

I was there in 1970 What roads ? All I saw was one main road through town and a couple of very short dead end dirt roads. May have changed since then

[huckelberry]

i lived in alaska the last 15 years...there is every type of road there same as anywhere,4 lane highways and trails so rough they are barely passable.....southeast alaska is a wet rainy place a real rainforest...360 days a year of rain....any questions for me ...i will try to be helpful... :)

[flatwater]

Hay Huck she said the juneau area. Have they put in a bunch of roads since I was there in the 70's

[huckelberry]

i havent been there but have been close ..sitka and ketchikan...it is an island so there cant be too many .even the islands in the aleutian chain have paved roads now...an the way uncle ted was bringin home the bacon....ill bet there have been some major changes since 1970 ;)

[JeffColorado]

Almost moved there in the mid 80”s. Was recruited by a company there and took the job, put in my notice and started putting together a plan to get there. Got all kinds of information from the chamber of commerce with all these beautiful pictures, blue skies, sunny, lush forest and mountains.

Then I couldn’t find a route to drive there – no internet back then, went to the library and started doing some serious research, still couldn’t find the road to the place and found some real hum dingers of typos about the weather.

So I call the guy I’ve been talking to and asked about the road to get there – none, nope all the roads stop at the edge of town, just drive to Seattle, sell the car and take an inner waterway ferry up – since there’s no roads, no need to have a car. You take the ferry back down to Seattle a few times a year to get provisions such as meat, “cuz nothing here by fish, hope you like fish.”So I nervously laugh and tell him about this typo I found in the library about the place getting something like 360 inches of rain a year, and he says – “yep, sounds about right, if it ain’t raining, it’s snowing – every day, mostly all day.” I make mention about the flyers I got from the chamber and he laughs about how the business community “waited nearly a full year to get that picture, sure was nice for a little bit”. And about it having the highest per capita rate of suicide in the world? “probably so.”

Needless to say, I didn’t go. But I’m sure it’s changed by now – especially with all the global warming, internet and all. (Honestly, I’m sure it’s a nice place, just didn’t sound like my cup of tea)

[zbery1]

I was in Juneau last week, I live near there. What do you want to know? Not many roads, most all access to wilderness by vehichle has been blocked off. If you want to get out in the woods plan on walking. No place to use ATV's.