$100 Hamburger ALASKA

[GAHorn]

Post your favorite airport eating places (and contact numbers) here for Alaska/Far Northwest.

[BobK]

Talkeetna, Alaska - Swiss Alaska Inn
Best damn breakfast Ive ever had, hands down. Awesome French toast, and some crazy Swiss hashbrown-type thing (cant remember the name...) that is just incredible ! HIGHLY recommended.

[futr_alaskaflyer]

OK, I'll bite. Talkeetna Roadhouse breakfast. Leave the airport, turn right on the spur road, left on main street, a couple of blocks down. Communal dining atmosphere i.e. large tables sit down and converse with your neighbor while you wait for your food.

My second home on the weekends in the winter In the off-season available on Saturday Sunday only, 7 days a week "in season." Hint: unless you motored in from Canada without eating, get the 1/2 portions.

[hilltop170]

Talkeetna has several good places. From the airport turn right on the Spur Road and walk into town in about 10 minutes and take your pick, all on Main St. Ones that come to mind;

Mc Kinley Deli

Nagley's Store and Cafe, "www.nagleysgeneralstore.com/index.htm"

Latitude 62 is a bar that has good burgers. From the airport, turn left on the railroad tracks or the Spur Road and walk away from town 1/4 mile. It used to be smokey inside but with the new smoking laws that may have changed.

[BobK]

Anywhere else besides Talkeetna ??

I just got my private ticket 2 weeks ago, so I'll be out and about looking for more $100 hamburger spots... At least one more comes to mind.

Skwentna Roadhouse - Skwentna, Alaska. I haven't been to Skwentna in a plane, only by snowmachine a few years back, so I don't know what its like out there. I'll have to go and check it out again !

Keep em coming !

Hasta ~

Bob K.
Anchorage, AK

[mit]

Manley H.S. roadhouse.......

[hilltop170]

The Kenai Peninsula has a few good $100 hamburger spots;

Seldovia always has someplace to get a good meal but they open and close on a regular basis so you just have to ask when you get there. It's a nice walk into town and a good winter lunch flight because it's usually warmer there than in Anchorage. Seldovia looks like a little New England fishing village. The ravens always cluck and clack at you as you walk into town.


Homer has a couple of cafes within walking distance if you taxi to the terminal side of the airport and go thru the chain link combination re-entry security gate on the north side of the terminal ramp and walk toward town. The airport cafe is open only at lunch, sometimes. It is below the "tower" where Homer Radio/weather briefing (but not flight service) is located.


Seward has some great seafood restaurants down by the harbor open year-round. That's where I took Ina for our first date on a CAVU June day in 1998 (don't know if she liked me or the flying more). It's a bit far to walk but you can sometimes find someone to give you a ride and the taxis are plentiful with phone numbers posted at the airport. Walk around the harbor and look at boats and hit the shops along the waterfront. It will be a memorable trip.


Kenai has a cafe in the terminal. I haven't eaten there in a long time. Or you can walk into town in 10 minutes.


Quartz Creek strip is on the north side of Kenai Lake where the Sterling Highway hits Kenai Lake about 75 miles east of Kenai. There is a roadhouse with ok food on the highway. Park at the south end of the 2200' strip and walk west down the road 5 minutes to the roadhouse. Very scenic area with mountains and beautiful glacier lake.


Summit Lake Lodge 10nm NNE of Quartz Creek strip is on a nice lake next to the highway but is only accessible on floats or skis in the winter. Even though it's legal to land on roads in Alaska if you don't obstruct traffic, the road in front is not landable. The food is good and there is an ice cream shop next door open in the summer. The views are great as it is at the top of a pass with mountains all around. The lake is shallow next to the shore by the lodge so you'll need to bring about 100ft of line to be able to tie off to the shore properly. You'll also need hip waders for yourself and piggyback your passengers to shore unless they like to wade in cold water.


Whittier, about 40 miles southeast of Anchorage is a beautiful place on a good day and has steadily improved in the past few years as far as eating is concerned. With the one-lane tunnel now open to road traffic and railroad traffic (at alternating times) and with the increase in tourism and glacier boat tours, the food options are good. It's a 15 minute easy walk to town on a paved path. Just be careful about landing there.

The strip is long enough, it's 1500' gravel at sea level, but watch out when the wind is blowing more than 10-15mph because it gets really turbulent. The strip points right at and is right at the foot of Portage Pass on one end and is right at the waters edge of Passage Canal on the other, no room for error on either end.

The wind usually blows out of the pass toward the water which is good and bad. The good part is the approach from over the water toward the pass is unobstructed. The bad part is taking off toward the pass is tricky because a 170 won't climb fast enough to depart straight out. A climbing right turnout over the fuel tank farm is the recommended departure but in high winds it gets rough with lots of wind shear. Not enough room to make a left turn any time.

When the wind blows from the water, approaching straight-in over the pass to land toward the water is almost too steep to make even with big flaps. A left circling approach from over the tank farm works best but the strip ends at the Whittier Tunnel Road on the pass end and is 20 ft below the road level so at best you use up 200-300ft to touchdown. Departing over the water is a piece of cake but the wind doesn't favor that way too often.

Just use good judgement and you won't have a problem. The local rhyme, referring to the weather, "It's sh#ttier in Whittier" holds true a lot but when it's nice there is no more scenic spot. When the weather is bad go to Quartz Creek strip instead, 35nm southwest.


Look up all these places on "Google Earth" and you can get a good lay-of-the-land before you go.

[hilltop170]

Eastern Alaska $100 hamburger spots are more spread out;

The Northway Airport Lodge (CLOSED IN 2010 and may never re-open) is usually good and a convenient lunch stop on the way to Dawson City or Whitehorse. Typical "bush Alaska" rooms and ok place for transient stop overnight. Clarence, the old Customs guy who retired about 10 years ago used to always let me buy him a piece of pie and cup of coffee once he said "Welcome to the United States". I haven't eaten there lately but it's still open.


Maclaren River Lodge is one of my favorite spots. It's a little east of half-way between Cantwell and Paxson on the Denali Hwy where it crosses the Maclaren River. You can eat one meal or stay in the cabins overnight to get the real feel of being in the bush. Land at their 1500ft strip up on the hill above the lodge or if the traffic is light, land on the road next to the lodge west of the bridge. In winter they keep a strip groomed on the river for ski traffic. Winter is another special time to be there if you go prepared with the proper gear.


McCarthy is an old ghost town and mine left behind by the Kennecott Copper Co. back in 1935 or so when the price of copper fell. They just loaded up the train and left everything behind including tools, furniture, homes, equipment, and all the mine facilities. It never really died as a town but got close. Today it is a great tourist attraction and the old town is slowly resurecting itself. The mine, about 3 miles up the old railroad grade from town has been taken over by the National Park Service and they are slowly trying to preserve what's left of the warehouses, power plant, processing plants, and assorted buildings. It's really more of a weekend trip than a $100 hamburger lunch but you can do either. The airport is about 1 mile from town and you can walk to town via a nice trail thru the woods at the south end of the runway or catch a ride with someone. There are also shuttles back and forth to the mine. Even if you're only there for lunch, go up to the mine and snoop around for awhile. You can either eat in town or up at the mine at the Kennecott Glacier Lodge which is a great place to stay for a day or two. The views are fantastic overlooking the glaciers and mountains.


Cordova is another scenic little fishing town overlooking Orca Inlet, a beautiful fiord-like arm off the Gulf of Alaska. Land on floats at Eyak Lake or on the gravel runway beside the lake and walk 20 minutes into town to one of several restaurants and cafes depending on the season. It's another good wintertime spot that is typically warmer than Anchorage. The flight across Prince William Sound is National Geographic quality on a nice day but don't try it unless the weather is excellent, go somewhere else.


Again, look up all these places on "Google Earth" and you can get a good lay-of-the-land before you go.

[futr_alaskaflyer]

The McCarthy airport is actually pretty nice , great long gravel runway just watch out there are so many strips concentrated in that area you may have a hard time distinguishing the airport <g> If you are lucky you might catch Paul Klaus stopping by in his turbine Otter. Maybe.

McCarthy Lodge in "downtown" has some good eats. I highly recommend it. Long walk but doable, and worth it.

[futr_alaskaflyer]

Currently the best restaurant in Talkeetna for lunch or dinner is probably the Wildflower Cafe, open summer only for now. Main street just past Nagley's General Store.

[hilltop170]

The Hangar at the west end of the runway at Big Lake Airport is a restaurant and lounge open from 3:00pm to 10:00pm. It's an ok place to eat or stay overnight in the Big Lake Lodge co-located with The Hangar. If you overshoot the runway landing to the west you could run into the place.

[marathonrunner]

I vote Fast Eddies in Tok for a good burger and the Talkeetna Roadhouse for good breakfast. The pancakes grow as you add syrup. Great after a 10 mile run. Fast Eddies also has a great selection of pizza.

[170C]

You guys are making me hungry Sounds like I need to take Ole Pokey up to Alaska for part of a summer and check out some of these places. Bet that would make them much more than $100 burgers Add one to the bucket list

[cessna170bdriver]

I vote Fast Eddies in Tok for a good burger and the Talkeetna Roadhouse for good breakfast. The pancakes grow as you add syrup. Great after a 10 mile run. Fast Eddies also has a great selection of pizza.

Talkeetna Roadhouse...Been there, done that, on the way to the Anchorage 170 convention in 2000, only didn't have time for the 10-mile run beforehand. 'Bout time for another stack.

[hilltop170]

Miles, Frank, et al, y'all come on up and we'll make the rounds. If we eat enough of them, the price is bound to go below $100.