which of the 3 locations

[Floridascuba]

been debating which section to put this, decided since I prefer fishing over anything else put it here since that will carry the biggest weight.

Which of the 3 locations would you prefer to live in order? My options are Kodiak, Juneau, and Valdez.

Things to consider

Wife - new to outdoors
Love to fly fish
like to hunt

will be bringing a 17 whaler

[DRIFTER_016]

Kodiak!!!!!!! :d

[supern8inak]

Kodiak...Final Answer.

[Hunt&FishAK]

kodiak has deer and grizzly and goats,foxes, ducks, roosevelt elk not far away, lots of good fishin....valdez has alot more hunting opportunity and variety ( moose, caribou, bison, grizzly, black bear, deer, goat,wolves, lots of small game and birds and sheep) and fishing to rival kodiak, but the weather is much more volatile and cold, but its still very beautiful summer or winter, as is kodiak....kodiak has a limited road system, valdez is connected to the the big cities and lots of smaller towns. depends on what you like to hunt for i guess

[kingfisherktn]

Originally Posted by Hunt&FishAK

kodiak has deer and grizzly and goats,foxes, ducks, roosevelt elk not far away, lots of good fishin....valdez has alot more hunting opportunity and variety ( moose, caribou, bison, grizzly, black bear, deer, goat,wolves, lots of small game and birds and sheep) and fishing to rival kodiak, but the weather is much more volatile and cold, but its still very beautiful summer or winter, as is kodiak....kodiak has a limited road system, valdez is connected to the the big cities and lots of smaller towns. depends on what you like to hunt for i guess

Don't forget, Juneau has politicians.

[bigcox]

Kodiak if you love fishing....I'm gonna make it there someday.

Fish On!

[stevelyn]

Things to consider

Wife - new to outdoors
Love to fly fish
like to hunt

will be bringing a 17 whaler

Kodiak. It has nearly everything you're looking for plus it has things a new-to-the-outdoors wife can appreciate such as places to burn your hard-earned money.

[coho slayer]

Juneau has more to offer your wife, probably, but I'd pick Kodiak first from a pure fishing/hunting perspective. Valdez next for the same reasons, but it is at least connected to the highway system so you can drive to the bigger "cities" occasionally. Valdez winters might be a little much for your wife (or you). 27+ feet of snow on average per winter can be intimidating....lol.

[scott_rn]

One complaint I've heard about Kodiak is access. I talked to a kodiak resident recently who said there is only about 40 miles of road and a lot of the land access is restriced by native managed land.

Just a little food for thought.

[hiker]

I'd vote for Kodiak.

[coho slayer]

Originally Posted by scott_rn

One complaint I've heard about Kodiak is access. I talked to a kodiak resident recently who said there is only about 40 miles of road and a lot of the land access is restriced by native managed land.

Just a little food for thought.

Flying in and out can be, ummm...an exciting thing in itself as well. Last time I flew out of there was one of the scariest take-offs I've ever been on.

[sodabiscuit12345]

So the weather in Valdez is worst than Kodiak when it comes to snow?
Is it the same for rain? More rain in Valdez?

thanks

[AK2AZ]

Haven`t looked at the history but my guess is that Valdez has more rain/snow...definately more snow.

I vote for Kodiak, especially for the close-to-shore fishing. Valdez waters look like sewage until you get a few miles out of port.

[coho slayer]

Statistically, Kodiak gets more rain, and way less snow. It is generally just a little warmer on Kodiak, so it oftens rains when it's snowing on the main-land. Valdez gets a crazy amount of snow, though. I wasn't kidding when I said the average was 27 FEET of snow annually....

[HarryHyde]

If fishing is your priority, Kodiak is the deal.

[Daveinthebush]

The snow in Valdez has not been bad for several years now. Yes at times it does snow, crazy amounts once in a while. I have never been late to work on the 14 mile trip because of snow.

I shoveled my 100 yard drive my first 2-3 years here. Stayed pretty healthy too. Now I use a 36" 9 h.p. Honda blower and have only had a plow in once or twice.

Rain..... yes at times. But this year it has been kind of light for our standards. Most creeks right now are very low. The warmth on the glaciers causes more stream rise than the rains.

[Floridascuba]

Kodiak it is. I have been leaning that way, but since the options are there, might as well get feedback from the experts. Thanks for you input. Hopefully, I will get the "good news" soon so I can start picking minds on gear and tackle that I can't find thru the search function.

[markw3]

know that it rains a lot in all 3 locations, and Kodiak gets plenty of wind as well. I love Kodiak, and would love to live there, but you have to understand that you're getting yourself into rain, wind, and limited access. It does, however, have great saltwater fishing basically year round, and you don't have to travel 20 miles to get to the fish. There is also good fly fishing, but you need to figure out how to get to various places because road access is slim. All three communities are pretty isolated, so your wife will need to get involved in the community to enjoy it, because she won't have a short drive to "the city" or anything like that. Hope this helps.

[Floridascuba]

Originally Posted by markw3

know that it rains a lot in all 3 locations, and Kodiak gets plenty of wind as well. I love Kodiak, and would love to live there, but you have to understand that you're getting yourself into rain, wind, and limited access. It does, however, have great saltwater fishing basically year round, and you don't have to travel 20 miles to get to the fish. There is also good fly fishing, but you need to figure out how to get to various places because road access is slim. All three communities are pretty isolated, so your wife will need to get involved in the community to enjoy it, because she won't have a short drive to "the city" or anything like that. Hope this helps.

It does. I grew up with limited access and great saltwater fishing, so I would love that. Wife on the other hand, should be ok. We shall see.

[kodiakbound]

If you hate the sun then move here (Kodiak). I wish I was kidding...