Our 49th state, also known as “The Great Land,”
or “The Last Frontier,” is
an incredible place. You can see the continent’s tallest mountain, one of the country’s longest rivers and America’s national symbol all in one trip. The caribou outnumber people (by nearly 2:1) and there are more active glaciers here than
in the rest of the inhabited world. Alaska is so different from any place on earth and the list of “must do and see” is so impressive that
the dilemma is: Where do you begin? Alaska has more than 47,000 miles of coastline, which is more than the rest of the United States combined. With so much shoreline, cruising can be a good introduction to Alaska. There are many itineraries available from Seattle or Vancouver, British Columbia, that offer an abundance of natural wonders.
Many large cruise lines and smaller specialty-ship companies
sail round-trip or one-way through the Inside Passage and the Gulf of Alaska. The typical cruise season is May through September. The varied terrain and geographic diversity make Alaska very interesting. The towns along the coast are small, quaint and easily manageable for the traveler. However, there are areas of the Last Frontier that are not accessible by road. For example, Juneau—Alaska’s capital and the gateway to Glacier Bay National Park—is nestled between towering mountains and the
tidewaters of Gastineau Channel. It is a lively mix of modern architecture and quaint Victorian homes, but it is only accessible by sea or air—another reason why cruising is a wonderful option. But to see more of the wildlife and the rugged far north, you should opt for a cruise-tour, or a tailor-made tour which gives you more time on land. Rail and motor coach will cover distances in comfort, from casual to first class. The Alaska
Railroad gracefully winds through breathtaking landscapes and offers unique double-decker, glass-domed cars that let you take full advantage of the scenery. A number of tour companies
provide motor coach services for visitors during the summer. Some companies focus on point-to-point transportation, while others specialize in day trips or longer excursions.
GEOGRAPHY To understand how tour patterns are constructed, it helps to understand Alaskan geography. Alaska’s two largest cities, Anchorage and Fairbanks, are linked by the Alaska Railroad and the George Parks Highway (via the Glenn Highway). In between lies Denali National Park, home to a variety of wildlife, including grizzlies, Dall sheep and moose. Virtually every land tour includes this main corridor, which runs north-south through the center of the state. It is becoming very popular for tour operators to offer multiple night stays in the Denali area, so visitors can participate in many outdoor activities in the region without straying too far from the main transportation network. These
activities may include hiking, kayaking, sportfishing, river rafting, flightseeing and other soft-adventure sports. At the height of the summer season, travelers converge on these popular areas, so the farther you venture from the main tourist spots, the farther you’ll be from the crowds. But, keep in mind that Alaska is a very big state—one-fifth the size of the continental United States and more than twice the size of Texas. So in order to see the vast outlying areas, you will have to add these components to the basic Anchorage-Denali-Fairbanks corridor, which could typically result in a longer and more expensive trip.
UNTAMED ALASKA Alaska remains the most rugged, unspoiled state in the union. People come here seeking something totally different from their everyday lives, something bigger and grander. Visitors come to see mountains so high they create their own weather and forests as tall and majestic as skyscrapers or cathedrals. For most of us, the high point of any trip to Alaska is to see wildlife in their natural habitat.
Eagles Alaska has more than 30,000 bald eagles, which is more than any other state in the union, but habitat loss is still a threat. Because bald eagles feed on fish, they nest near the water, typically choosing the tallest tree around. These raptors can be found all along the coast, but your best bet is near Haines from October through January, when more than 3,000 of them converge to feed on late-run salmon in the Chilkat River in southeastern Alaska. The 48,000-acre Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is accessible by road on Highway 7 or via the Alaska Marine Highway System’s ferry or by cruise ship. Visitors enjoy watching and photographing them as they feast. Golden eagles are roughly
the same size as and often confused with the immature bald eagles, whose white head and tail feathers haven’t yet grown. However, golden eagles live farther inland, feeding on small animals and birds instead of fish.
Bears There are three kinds in Alaska:
grizzly (or brown) bears, black bears and polar bears. Grizzly bears can be found all over the state, but you can be certain to find them on the outer coast of the Katmai National Park and Preserve, where they are plentiful and (thanks to an abundant supply of salmon) can weigh as much as 1,400 pounds. Photographers will enjoy
numerous opportunities to capture them on film, and several bears can often be seen simultaneously. Compared to grizzlies, black bears are small. The male doesn’t grow much beyond 220 pounds. Most black bears are black, but some may have lighter-colored coats similar to the grizzlies. The easiest way to identify a bear is
to look at its back. A grizzly will have a hump. Polar bears, of course, are white and live in
the Arctic. They’re very closely related to the grizzlies and are almost as large.
Whales Whales can most often be spotted from tour boats. Gray whales are a bit less common, since they summer farther north, in the Chukchi and Bering Seas. But, if you’re on a Gulf of Alaska cruise in early May or late September, you may have a chance to see them. The humpbacks (the ones that slap the water with their tail flukes as they dive) are the stars of the show, both for their visibility and their behavior. Generally, you’ll see them gliding through the water, then arching their backs and waving their flukes. But, if you’re lucky, you might also see them breaching, jumping straight out of the water and then crashing down on their sides. It is an amazing display, when you consider that humpbacks typically weigh between 25 and 35 tons. They are seasonal residents, feeding in Alaska from June through September, and then heading south to winter in Hawaii or Mexico. Orcas, known as killer whales, are year-round Alaska residents and are also one of the animals featured most prominently in native mythology and art, along with ravens, eagles and bears. If
you take a cruise around Kenai Fjords National Park, you will have a very good chance of seeing some of these whales. As you drive along Turnagain Arm near Anchorage, keep an eye out for the smaller, pale beluga whales. They have distinctive bulging foreheads and beak-like noses.
Dall Sheep Barely visible from the Denali shuttle buses are tiny white specks on the distant Chugach Mountains ridges—the magnificent Dall sheep. There isn’t much likelihood you’ll see these sheep up close be-cause they are extremely wary and rarely descend below the tree line. The only exception is if you are a serious Alaska Dall sheep hunter and have acquired a special hunting
permit that allows you to hunt in one of the “Big Three” areas: Chugach State Park near Anchorage, or the Delta Controlled Use Area and Tok Management Area in the rugged Alaska Range. Once there, you’ll see quite a few sheep and legal (mature) rams.
Salmon All five of the Alaskan salmon species—chinooks, cohos, sockeyes, pinks and chums—hatch in freshwater lakes or rivers, make their journey to the sea and eventually return to their birthplace to spawn and die. Sportfishers can find king salmon (chinooks) from May through July, along the Nushagak and Kenai rivers. Silver salmon or cohos are popular from Southeast Alaska to the Chukchi Sea from mid-July to November. Fishing for reds (sockeye) is most popular along the Kenai and Russian rivers on the Kenai Peninsula and also on the Copper River. You can never miss a pink salmon—just look for the hump on its back. They are the smallest of the Pacific salmon, averaging
3.5 to
4 pounds. Fishing for pinks occurs between late June and mid-October. Chum salmon are also known as dog salmon because they are often fed to sled dogs since they are so abundant and easy to catch. They are smaller than kings, ranging from 4 to 30 pounds. and are a very subtle green and purple tint in color.
Halibut The latest trend in Alaskan sport fishing focuses on one of the state’s biggest fish: halibut. Anglers are flocking north for the opportunity to hook halibut on a fly rod. The hotbed for halibut fly-fishing is on Kodiak Island, where access to relatively shallow waters and desirable weather conditions make success more likely. Kodiak, the second largest island in the United States and Unalaska, on the Aleutian Chain, is an hour’s flight out of Anchorage. It is a fishing smorgasbord not only for halibut, but also steelhead, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden or salmon. Whatever kind of fishing you like—roadside stream fishing, ocean fishing, lake fishing, fly-in fishing or river fishing—Kodiak has it!
Caribou There are nearly a million caribou that range throughout northern Alaska and as far south as Denali, where you’re sure to see them in huge, migratory herds. They are the only members of the deer family in which both the males and females grow antlers. Caribou typically grow to the height of a small pony and have shaggy beige coats.
Moose Moose are the largest members of the deer family. They stand from five to seven feet at the shoulder, are covered in thick, coarse brown fur, and the antlers that grow only on the male, can measure six feet from tip to tip.
Most people think moose look disarmingly goofy, but be careful. They can move with surprising grace and amazing speed. More visitors are injured each year by irritated moose than by bears, partly because they’re big and also because they’re everywhere—along hiking trails, highway medians and even in some backyards in Anchorage. They can also be found along the coast, in Homer and Cordova, along the Kenai and near the larger rivers in mainland southeast, such as the Alsek, Chilkat and Stikine.
NATIVE ALASKA But there is much more to Alaska than just the fascinating wildlife and nature. Though most visitors know not all Alaskan natives wear polar-bear parkas, live in igloos and rub noses to say “hello,” the vast majority of the state’s 100,000 natives still live in villages and follow traditional ways. Modern conviences—to the regret of some traditionalists—have crept into their lifestyle, with many using snowmobiles and motorboats instead of dogsleds and
kayaks.
These technologies have undoubtedly made life a lot easier for the natives, but they struggle to maintain a balance, retaining their own culture while taking advantage of what 21st-century society has to offer. In many rural villages and communities throughout Alaska, you
can learn about the native lifestyle through guided tours and cultural centers. Authentic native arts and crafts, including ivory carvings, totems, beadwork and baskets are widely sought as gifts and souvenirs. Traditionally, these products were produced for ceremonial purposes, but today many natives craft their items for selling.
In Southeast Alaska’s main cruising area, the powerful Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian native tribes once ruled, crossing the waters of the Inside Passage to hunt and trade. Their cultures are still very much alive and strong, influencing most facets of Alaskan life from business to the arts. Their totem poles dot the landscapes and the new generation of artists tell the stories of their tribes. About 15 percent of Alaska’s
population is composed of distinct indigenous cultural groups, including Eskimos, Aleuts, Indians and numerous subcultures. Alaska natives are interested in sharing their cultural traditions with visitors. Try these activities to learn more:
Visit the Alaska Native Heritage
Center, a “living museum” in
Anchorage.
Take a guided tour to Barrow,
site of the Inupiat Heritage Center.
Go to the Alutiiq Museum and
Archaeological Repository in
Kodiak.
Join a tour to Kotzebue, featuring
the Museum of the Arctic and
Culture Camp.
Tour the famous totem exhibits
in Ketchikan.
EXPLORE RUSSIAN AMERICA By the time America bought the Alaska Territory (for about 2 cents an acre), Russians had been living here for more than 120 years. Sitka was the capital of Russian-America and Alaska’s first state capital. The Russians also had headquarters in Kodiak and outposts all along the coastline. The strength of Alaska’s Russian heritage is still visible in the onion-shaped domes of Russian Orthodox churches that rise above many Alaskan towns. You can:
Visit museums with exhibits exploring
Russia’s role in the span of Alaskan history.
Visit museums with exhibits exploring
Russia’s role in the span of Alaskan history.
Join historical tours in towns and regions
with strong Russian connections.
Walk among old Russian buildings, and learn
about Russian and native cultures at the Sitka
National Historical Park.
KNOW BEFORE YOU GO You can fly to Alaska in just a few hours. It is just as affordable as flying to any other favorite vacation spot, with many direct flights available from a variety of major cities. Alaska has its own time zone, which is one hour earlier than Pacific Standard Time. The westernmost Aleutian Islands are on Hawaii-Aleutian Standard Time, two hours earlier than Pacific Standard Time. You’ll see many familiar businesses that you know and trust, including nationally recognized stores, gas stations, restaurants, banks, hospitals and hotels.
Whenever and wherever you travel in “The Great Land,” clothing is always a primary consideration. Emphasis should be based on comfort because the dress code is informal and casual. A layered technique is works very well here. Temperatures in Alaska during the summer range from 60 to 80 degrees. Nighttime and early mornings are cooler, from the 40s to 50s. You could encounter cooler temperatures and slightly fewer hours of sunlight if you visit in late August or September, as fall arrives early at these latitudes.
All photos provided by Alaska Travel Industry Association.
