Archive for category: Avis Alaska

Christmas markets and festivals begin early in Alaska. The first weekend of November alone has five festivals, four of which are just Christmas! It’s a wonderful time of year. You can begin Christmas shopping early in the markets, and get right into the spirit of the season. But be careful – you may end up filling your winter Alaska SUV rentals to the brim!

First week of November

As mentioned, Christmas markets begin the first weekend of November. With your winter Alaska SUV rentals, you may want to hit up many of them!

In Anchorage, enjoy the Holiday Food & Gift Festival on November 4 and 5. This takes place at Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center and features a range of handmade products and food. If you’ve got kids coming along, Santa and an elf will be there for photos. The market is open from 11 am to 5 pm and 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

Also in Anchorage is the Christmas Towne Bazaar on November 4 from 10 am to 4 pm at South Anchorage High School. There are 130 booths and vendors offering everything from books by local authors and photography, to knitted goods and wood and metal crafts. Here is a perfect place to take the whole family, as there are kids’ activities to entertain the little ones.

Similarly, the Mat-Su Holiday Marketplace from 10 am to 6 pm on Saturday and 11 am to 5 pm on Sunday. The market takes place at the Menard Sports Center in Wasilla. The market hosts more than 100 specialty vendors with a wide range of goods including jewelry, furs, original artwork, fleece, pottery, glassware, and many others. It’s a great place for bespoke Christmas gifts!

The Shop Til You Drop Holiday Bazaar in Chugiak on November 4 from 10 am to 4 pm at the Chugiak-Eagle River Senior Center. You’ll definitely leave with your winter Alaska SUV rentals much fuller! You can spend the whole day there, with coffee and lunch available in the vendor. There are plenty of gifts that are great for everyone. You really can shop til you drop!

Second week of November

The fun continues into the second weekend of November starting with the Fairbanks Holiday Marketplace starts on November 10 and runs until November 12. It will be held at the Carison Center. This market is a great place to look for fashion items like shoes, earrings, and clothes. Home décor, photography, handmade soaps, and art also hold a prominent place at this market. Free parking available for your winter Alaska SUV rentals.

The Juneau Farmers and Crafters Market will be held on November 11 from 10 am until 3 pm at Glacier Highway. This is a great spot to get food for your Thanksgiving suppers and the other holiday festivities. This market boasts Juneau’s best of fresh eggs, produce, flowers, plants, herbs, teas, honey, syrup, wild local food, baked goods, jams and more. You’ll leave happy and full! Make sure to bring your grocery bags in your winter Alaska SUV rentals.

Anchorage, ever the bustling city, has two more markets this weekend: The Anchorage Holiday Craft Bazaar at Bayshore Clubhouse and The Alaskan Christmas Bazaar at Anchroage City Church. Both offer arts and crafts, but only the Alaskan Christmas Bazaar will have food for sale.

There are simply far too many markets to go through them all in detail! Other markets this month include:

• Fairbanks Holiday Bazaar: November 18, Pioneer Park Civic Center, 10 am to 4 pm
• Anchorage Arts and Crafts Emporium: November 18 – 19, Dena’ina Civic and Convention Center, Saturday from 10 am to 6 pm and Sunday 11 am to 5 pm
• Anchorage Noel Bazaar and Bake Sale: November 18, Anchorage Senior Activity Center, 10 am to 5 pm
• Black Friday Holiday Bazaar: November 24-25, Kenai, Challenger Learning Center, 10 am to 5 pm
• Juneau Public Market: November 24-26, Public Market in Centennial Hall, Friday noon to 7 pm and Saturday-Sunday from 10 am to 5 pm
• Colony High School Christmas Bazaar: November 25, Palmer, Colony High School, 10 am to 5 pm

Get out there and enjoy! But don’t forget to book your winter Alaska SUV rentals early for your holiday shopping!

There are plenty of ways to see Alaska. While many people love to camp and hike across the state, this isn’t always for everyone. Alaska is a beautiful place for exploration in nature, but that doesn’t mean you have to sleep outside too. If you’re more of a comfortable bed and warm meal type traveler, then a bed and breakfast may be better for you. Of course, you can still spend the week exploring the state in your Alaska airport car rentals to see the wilderness but come home to comfort!

So where are the best B&Bs in the state? There are quite a few. And we’ve done the looking for you so you don’t have to deal with the hassle.

Upscale and natural: Bear Paw Adventure Lodge & Cabin

If you’re looking for something that offers ultimate comfort, check out the Bear Paw Adventure Lodge & Cabin. A traditional Alaskan cabin in an upscale style near Anchor Point on the Kenai Peninsula, you’ll get the wild landscape and the comforts of laundry, satellite, Wi-Fi, and full kitchens.

Around the Peninsula, experience supreme fishing opportunities, bear viewing, marine tours, dog sledding, horseback riding, kayaking, and hiking around the wild. If you want to escape the bustle of urban centers without going too far out of the way, this is the place for you. Right close to Homer, you can still take your Alaska airport car rentals into town for restaurants, shopping, and tours.

Turnagain View B&B

Also on the Kenai Peninsula, the Turnagain View B&B provides a great opportunity to explore the wilderness of Turnagain Arm far from the urban centers. Here, you’ll have the choice of three different suites to stay in comfort after a long day of exploring.

Close by is an old mine, Indian Valley Mine, that will help you learn about the gold-panning in Alaska. You can even try your hand at panning for gold!

And of course, it wouldn’t be a bed & breakfast without scrumptious food. The bed and breakfast offers delicious food, and even an opportunity for your kids to gather eggs from the chickens in the yard.

Pearson’s Pond Luxury Inn and Adventure Spa

Located in Juneau, this offers another luxury experience in Alaska to make sure that you have a chance to relax after a full day exploring the Mendenhall Glacier. Hike around the area and kayak the rivers, between ziplining and fishing. On offer is also flightseeing and biking, as well as whale watching. You’ll be able to park your Alaska airport car rentals and enjoy the wilderness in comfort.

This is also a great venue for events and weddings. Fall is a great time to gather with loved ones, and where better place to do it then in the middle of the wilderness with great food?

Beary Patch Bed and Breakfast Inn

Situated in Homer, Alaska, Beary Patch Bed and Breakfast Inn offers delicious food surrounded by incredible views. There’s nothing like waking up to a hot pot of coffee and reindeer sausages followed by berry-nut breads! A truly Alaskan meal.

Pack your fishing equipment in your Alaska airport car rentals so you can enjoy one of the salmon or halibut fishing trips that can be arranged for you. Like many other BnBs, you’ll be able to enjoy kayaking, hiking, horseback riding, snowmobiling in the winter, and wild-life tours around the area. Beary Patch is right on the sea, so you’ll get the fresh, salty smells wafting across the yard to clear your head and calm you down.

Explore Alaska’s wilds and bed & breakfasts. Reserve your Alaska airport car rentals today to from Avis for a comfortable trip around the state.

Fall has always been the perfect time for photos. To add to an already beautiful time of year, Alaska is a stunning backdrop for photography. And when you have Alaska SUV rentals, it’s easier to get to the most remote areas where some of the most beautiful photographs can be shot.

But where are these places? If you’re new to Alaska, you may be less familiar with the places across this great state that are perfect for photography. It can take some prompting and research to figure out where you’ll get the right shot for your photography shoot, or even just for Instagram. Look no further – we’ve done the work for you, and found the best places to take a gorgeous photo. All you have to do is hop into your Alaska SUV rentals and get there!

Arctic National Wildlife Refuge

The Arctic National Wildlife Refuge is a stunning example of nature’s overpowering ability to amaze and capture our attention. The refuge offers spectacular views of the mountains towering over coastal plains. Residents of the plains include grizzly and polar bears, wolves, moose, musk oxen, and even the largest herd of caribou in the state.

If you visit the refuge, though, expect to stay for a day or two. It’s difficult to get to, situated in the northeast corner of Alaska. There aren’t any shops or hotels in the vicinity, so you’ll be able to get a little camping in while taking your photographs. Make sure to head out before winter hits in full!

The refuge isn’t accessible via Alaska SUV rentals. You’ll need to take a chartered bush plane in, and explore the rivers and wilds from there. If you are unfamiliar with the Alaskan wild, we’d recommend hiring a guide service such as Arctic Treks or Arctic Wild.

Gates of the Arctic National Park

The Gates of the Arctic National Park is similar in many ways to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. The John River offers an incredible place to take pictures in the setting sun. While you can access the park by bush plane, you may also be interested in the hike into the park from the Dalton Highway. You can park your Alaska SUV rentals in a safe place, and hike into the Brooks Range.

Good spots to see around the park include Agiak Lake or Arrigetch Peaks for incredible mountain scenes. Noatak River provides wildlife and landscapes that offer traditionally gorgeous views of Alaska.

Tongass National Forest

If you’re looking for forest views, Tongass National Forest is definitely the one you want to see. One of the best ways to get close enough to see the forest is a cruise with one of the many small-ship companies around the area. The Alaska State Ferry is another great option for more independently planned trips.

The National Forest provides plenty of opportunity for wildlife and landscape sights. Admirality Island is home to brown bears and old-growth forest with trees that are older than we can begin to comprehend. Tongass can boast about being the home of Hubbard Glacier, which is the largest tidewater glacier in North America.

In Tongass, you’ll have a chance to explore indigenous culture before setting out to glimpse whales, seabirds, and salmons abundant in the tides. You’ll still catch sight of the mountains around this beautiful park.

Denali National Park

Denali National Park is well-known with and without Alaska. It’s a popular spot for tourists and residents to explore the wildlife and natural landscapes that this great state has to offer. Fortunately, this park is much easier to get to, as its accessible by Alaska SUV rentals for the first 12 miles. However, the single road that goes deep into the park requires shuttle reservations to access. There are spots to park your vehicle, but make sure to reserve a spot.

However, you can also hike in and backpack around the park. Denali is a beautiful spot for camping and hiking to see the wildlife, like Dall Sheep. Definitely don’t miss the Polychrome Pass that provides picturesque views of the Alaska Range or a view of the mountain from Wonder Lake.

Get some stunning photographs by touring around the state with your camera in your Alaska SUV rentals. Reserve from Avis today.

The hunt is on! Alaska is known for its supreme hunting. Anyone who has a license and follows regulation can take part. Of course, now you just need an Alaska truck rental to get you there!

Hunting regulations are important. They’re not just for teetotalers, but ensure that the species that we hold so dear for our subsistence are maintained rather than depleted. Regulations are not arbitrary laws decided by paper pushers, but rather a carefully constructed mandate set out by those who understand the ecosystem, the species within it, and their breeding and living cycles. With these, officials can create a regimented limitation on hunting that ensures the growth of a species at the same rate its being hunted. After all, you can’t hunt if all the caribou disappear!

As you may know, August and September creates the prime caribou-hunting season. You may have already taken your Alaska truck rental out for a hunt! But unless you’re following regulations, you will come across hefty and unwanted fines.

So, to help you avoid that, we’ve outlined some important tips and rules to remember about hunting to let you stay worry-free in your Alaska truck rentals.

Types of hunts

The date that you’re allowed to begin hunting depends on the type of hunting license you have. Subsistence hunters began on August 1 in the Nelchina region Unit 13, while Tier I followed on August 10. The rest of us who decided to try our hands at the drawing hunt had to wait until August 20. Fortunately, caribou is good for hunting throughout September, as well.

Don’t forget also to reapply for a draw hunt next year if that’s the route you choose to take. Application period, as you may already know, is November 1 until December 15.

Where to find caribou

Hunting caribou can actually be quite relaxing and leisurely, if you know what you’re doing. Unlike many animals, caribous like a little sleep in. That means that early afternoon, with the sunning beaming, is the best time to find caribou roaming the plains. You’ll find them picking at cotton, forbes, fireweed, and dwarf birch leaves. So that means you can pack proper camp breakfasts in your Alaska truck rentals for lazier than normal mornings.

On particularly warm days, look up. Caribou are not fans of bugs and flies, and will move up towards windy ridges in order to avoid them.

Regulations for hunting in Alaska

Regulations on both state and federal levels can be confusing. Your best decision is to read through the regulation handbook carefully. It’s printed annually every June. In this you can find bagging limits, season dates, information on registration hunts, tag types, and information about which hunts are residents only or nonresidents allowed.

This last point is particularly important to pay attention to. If you’re unfamiliar with hunting regulations in the state and you’re a nonresident then it’s important always to check to see if you’re legally admitted to hunt in that region at that period. Because subsistence hunting is common in Alaska, it’s important, as a nonresident, for you to follow these regulations to ensure residents have the food they need.

There are several different types of hunts in Alaska: Tier I and II subsistence permits; drawing permits; federal hunts; registration permits; general season hunts. The best way to figure out which hunt suits you best is by visiting the Alaska hunting regulation website or by reading the regulation handbook. Online information can be found here.

If you need Alaska truck rentals for your caribou hunting trip, look no further than Avis Alaska. Find out more at one of our branches or reserve your vehicle directly with our website.

Brooks Camp in Katmai National Park is known as the bear place. Visitors and residents of Alaska alike visit the park to get a taste of these great creatures in the wild. It’s always been a wonderful way to see bears outside the confines of a zoo or without the risk that comes with accidentally running into one while camping! Take your Alaska SUV and car rentals to Brooks Camp to experience bears, fishing and much more.

Getting to Brooks Camp

Getting to Brooks Camp will take more than just driving out in your Alaska SUV and car rentals. Many people arrive at the camp via aircraft, however you can also access the camp by boat.

Plane services can begin in many of the surrounding towns, including Homer, King Salmon, Kodiak, Anchorage, and Dillingham.

For more information on getting to Brooks Camp, see their webpage on transportation. This will help you plane the route that’s best for you.

Bear safety

If you’re staying at the camp, it’s important you know about bear safety. All newcomers must take a brief training lesson on how to behave in the case of a bear encounter, and how to ensure both yours and our bears’ safety. This is true of even those visiting for a couple of hours. Particularly when the salmon runs plentiful, the odds of seeing bears are quite high. So we need to make sure everyone stays safe and happy.

Though you’ll have your training session when you arrive, it doesn’t hurt to do some research in advance. Brooks Camp has page on bear encounter that is informative and helpful. You need to be aware that you are more likely than not going to have a bear encounter. But it’s up to you to decide how that encounter goes, and how close the bear comes to you. These tips can help you with that. After all, running back to your Alaska SUV and car rentals won’t be an option! So be smart, be safe, be vigilant.

Plan your trip

How long will you be staying at Brooks Camp? Plan your trip, and research the best options for you. If you’re planning on staying a couple nights you’ll have to make the decision between camping and lodging. There are numerous lodges within the park that offer shelter and a bit of glamping. This may be ideal if you don’t want to lug around much camping equipment to and from your Alaska SUV and car rentals.

After that, decide what you want to do. There’s plenty to see in the park besides bear watching – though that’s certainly a must-see!

Fishing is also a major sport within the camp. Here you can find salmon, rainbow trout, and arctic char. After all, why do you think there are so many bears! But remember to stay alert for bears. It isn’t unusual for bears to move toward the sound of splashing fish. That means they may go on investigating your line if you’ve caught on. Cut the fish free, and move to safety on land until the bear continues on their way.

If you’re interested in hiking, there’s definitely plenty around Brooks Camp. Dumpling Mountain, for instance, offers a spectacular view of the area. Hikes range from easy to difficult, so make sure you know your experience level. Speak to one of the guides in the camp to find out which route is best for you. Brooks Camp is big on the safety of their visitors, so they’ll make sure to offer you appropriate guidance.

This is just a taste of Brooks Camp. If you really want to experience the peace and quiet that comes with this natural bear habitat, get on out and enjoy.

Explore the great outdoors with your Alaska SUV and car rentals this summer. Reserve your vehicle today from Avis Alaska for good deals, great cars, and excellent service.