Barrow, Alaska Reviews and Ratings

we wnet to Barrow as a side trip of going to Anchorage and Seward. A local Eskimo guide named BUNA took us around Barrow and to see a recent whale kill. Then another guide by name of JOHN took outside of the city limits and onto the ice; my wife stood on the Chukchi Sea side of Point Barrow and I stood on the Beaufort Sea side. Didn't see polar bear, but did see tracks. Filmed a snow owl in the local cemetery hunting for rodents. Ate at local diner which was originally used by whalers from MA.

I worked on the North Slope, Alaska, from May to September of 2005, and flew in and out of Barrow August through September. First and foremost: Eskimos are some of the most personable and hospitable people I have ever met, and I have lived and worked 27 years International. The comments I use are simply to describe my experience and to educate, not to criticize. 1: Reservations should be made 3 to 4 months in advance. Barrow is a heavy duty oil support town April to September and many rooms are simply booked so many days a week every week for crew changes from the outer camps like Cape Simpson and others, and I saw many travellers arrive and have no rooms to stay in. Their only option is to go out to the university research center on the Peninsula and beg rooms. On unscheduled flight I had to sleep in my aircraft. 2: Pilots, it's worth the trip outside the airport property to see the Memorial to Will Rogers and Wiley Post. Also, aircraft such as old DC 4's and DC 6's, Beavers, planes on floats, all types of helicopters, a pilot's dream. 3: Take the bear watching trips, but realize that you won't always see the Polar Bears. They don't drink Coke and they don't carry timetables. You may see 4 and have a great experience, or you may not see any. Enjoy the ride, and take pictures of the Northernmost Mexican restaurant, the people, the crystal clear nights, the seals and ice pack. 4: Space for everything on flights are limited and expensive, so we crammed as much as legally possible into every opening. This makes for an uncomfortable flight to tourists used to their comforts. Also, remember that many Eskimos and some non-Eskimos spend 8 months indoors with many other people during the winter, so as a matter of conservation you won't see a lot of bathing and waste of water. I love the culture and had no problems, however a couple of passengers had some problems and made comments best left at home in Dallas or where ever. 5. Hotel rooms are Spartan