Do you hear that hissing sound? That's the air leaking out of the glorious balloon known as summer. The weather rolls in. The temperatures dip. It's getting dark at night. Face it: Winter's coming.
Still, there are some great days ahead, particularly in the first half of September. So layer up and check out more deals for traveling around Alaska.
The Alaska Railroad offers a "value season" for their trains between Anchorage and Denali. Ride the rails Sept. 1-13 for $129 each way. Compare that to the high-season rate of $163 each way in Adventure Class. There is an additional 20 percent discount for Alaska residents.
If you're looking to travel on the weekly service between Anchorage and Fairbanks during the winter, here's a tip: Take the train to the Alaska State Fair. Inside your ticket envelope, you'll find a two-for-one coupon for the wintertime Aurora Train to Fairbanks.
If you want to combine your rail ticket and your hotel, consider Princess Alaska Lodges' two-for-one deals. Tour "S2A" features round-trip rail from Anchorage to Denali on Princess' private cars. Then, stay two nights at Denali (either the Denali Princess or the McKinley Chalets). Only a few departure dates are available: Sept. 1, 11, 12 or 15. The price is $352 per person, double occupancy for the whole package.
Combine a ride on the Princess railcars with accommodations at the Mount McKinley Princess, north of Talkeetna on the banks of the Chulitna River. Depart on Sept. 13, 14 or 15. The package includes round-trip rail between Anchorage and Talkeetna, bus transfer up to the lodge and two nights' accommodations. The cost is about $180 per person. Call 800-426-0500 to book and refer to tour "S2E."
If you just want the hotel, the McKinley Princess is offering a two-night stay for $157, available on Sept. 3, 4, 10, 13 or 14. Up in Denali, the hotel-only special is available for $256 for two nights, arriving on Sept. 12, 15 or 16.
Speaking of Denali, if you were lucky enough to get a ticket to drive the Denali Park Road, the Denali Park Village is offering a $99 per night special between Sept. 14 and 21. There is a two-night minimum. Although the special is designed for road-trippers, you don't have to have a road lottery ticket to get the deal.
Over in Whittier, catch a ride on the Klondike Express with Phillips' Cruises and Tours. The "26 Glaciers Cruise" is operating through Oct. 3 this year. Alaska residents can sign up for the "Klondike Club" and get a $30 discount off of the list price of $149. Signing up is free. Just call Phillips Cruises at 907-276-8023.
There is no shortage of airfare deals from Anchorage south to the Lower 48 going into the fall. Between Anchorage and Seattle, the lowest fare is $177 round-trip on JetBlue through Sept. 21. After that, the fare rises — but not by much. Delta offers a $197 round-trip fare going forward until Dec. 14. Even the holiday season fares are lower because of the battle between Alaska and Delta. From Fairbanks to Seattle, Delta and Alaska are charging $260 round-trip. The same $260 fare applies for travel between Juneau and Seattle on either Alaska or Delta.
The airfare between Anchorage and Los Angeles has been low all summer long, in part because of JetBlue's nonstop flights to Long Beach. Those deals are gone, but Delta is offering Anchorage-L.A. round-trip fares for $253 via Seattle. Alaska Airlines offers nonstop flights between Sept. 20 and Oct. 6 for as little as $267 round-trip. From Fairbanks or Juneau, the fare to Los Angeles/LAX is as low as $269 round-trip on Delta.
Fares are dropping to Las Vegas, too. Fly between Anchorage and Las Vegas for as little as $278 round-trip on Delta. Those rates start on Sept. 10, although you have to fly via Minneapolis to get the best rate. From Fairbanks, the rate is a little higher: $311 round-trip on Delta, starting on Sept. 9. Fairbanksans also must travel via Minneapolis (there's a nonstop from Fairbanks to Minneapolis) to get the best price.
If you're headed from Anchorage to the East Coast, Boston is your cheapest gateway. There are several dates in September available for $424 round-trip, but I found one date (Sept. 21) where Delta is charging just $406 round-trip via Minneapolis. Starting Oct. 18, travelers from Fairbanks can fly to Boston for as little as $425 round-trip on Alaska Airlines.
I love the Alaska Airlines deal from Anchorage to Honolulu. It's nonstop, for just $377 round-trip. That's a great price between Sept. 7 and Oct. 20. You must purchase by Aug. 31.
Headed to Florida? Delta has a fare from Anchorage to Tampa for as little as $468 round-trip, starting Sept. 26. That's the lowest I've seen it all year. Anything to Florida from Anchorage for less than $500 round-trip is a good deal.
Since Frontier Airlines pulled out of Anchorage, the fares to Denver have crept up, up, up. But starting in mid-September, you can fly on Delta for as little as $372 round-trip. Alaska Air is charging $402 round-trip.
Of course, airfares change all the time. As September approaches, I expect fares to drop further.
So whether you're angling for one last weekend fling or you're planning a trip south this fall, there are plenty of deals. Believe me when I tell you, though: Fares and specials change quickly and the best deals are not always available on every day or on every flight. Happy hunting!