Denali National Park & Preserve Copyright: www.travelalaska.com
If you’ve been tempted to visit America’s most northern state after watching the Discovery Channel’s Alaska: The Last Frontier, here are the top 10 things to do in Alaska.
Alaska Railroad
Offering unparalleled views of mountains, glaciers and two national parks, the historic Alaska Railroad travels through some of the most scenic and rugged territory in Alaska from Seward on the south-central Kenai Peninsula, to the northern “golden heart” city of Fairbanks, stopping at Denali National Park in between. alaskarailroad.com
Flightseeing
The ideal way to experience the magnitude of Alaska, flightseeing is top of the bucket list for visitors to Alaska offering unparalleled views of Alaska’s spectacular scenery. From journeying to Mount McKinley in Denali National Park, landing on a glacier or enjoying a bear viewing experience, flightseeing in Alaska is an absolute must-do.
flyrusts.com / AlpineAirAlaska.com
Glacier Bay National Park
Glacier Bay is one of the most iconic national parks of Alaska, with huge icebergs and spectacular glaciers, ocean coastlines and deep fjords. The marine wilderness of the park is like no other, and visitors can discover a wealth of history. The last of its four glacial periods, the Little Ice Age, began around 4,000 years ago and remnants of that period can be seen today. The southern part of Glacier Bay National Park is dominated by lush rainforest, where herbs and shrubs survive the harsh conditions. This vegetation also means that wolves, moose, mountain goats, black bears and other wildlife can live and be spotted around the park.
visitglacierbay.com
Wrangell St Elias National Park
Wrangell St Elias National Park is a UNESCO World Heritage site and America’s biggest park, larger than Switzerland. The park stretches over 13 million acres, boasting dramatic scenery of snow-capped mountains and majestic glaciers. Within the park are nine of the 16 highest peaks in Alaska, with Mt St Elias at 18,008 feet, Mt Bona at 16,421 feet and Mt Blackburn at 16,390 feet. Visitors can enjoy the sights of glaciers stretching for miles, and icy rivers flowing as far as the eye can see.
Wrangell St Elias National Park
The Iditarod
It has been called the “Last Great Race on Earth,” the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race covers more than 1,000 miles of some of Alaska’s roughest terrain, beginning in Anchorage and ending in Nome. The Iditarod Trail, now a National Historic Trail, had its beginnings as a mail and supply route from the coastal towns of Seward and Knik to the interior mining camps at Flat, Ophir, Ruby and beyond to the west coast communities of Unalakleet, Elim, Golovin, White Mountain and Nome.
iditarod.com/about/
Denali National Park & Preserve
Blessed with North America’s tallest peak Mt McKinley (known to most Alaskans simply as ‘Denali), Denali National Park & Preserve is for some, the beginning of their Alaska adventure offering abundant fauna, 37 species of mammals, ranging from lynx, marmots and Dall sheep, to foxes and snowshoe hares, and 130 different bird species including the impressive golden eagle. Most visitors, however, want to see four animals in particular: moose, caribou, wolf and everybody’s favourite: the brown, or grizzly, bear.
Denali National Park & Preserve
Kenai Fjords National Park
With 587,000 acres of Alaska’s deepest wilderness, the park was created in 1980 to protect some of the most incredible and impenetrable wilderness in Alaska. Kenai Fjords National Park is a 601,839-acre glaciated paradise lying at the foot of Seward. Snow and ice cover 60 percent of the park and crowning it is the 936-square-mile Harding Ice field, one of only four remaining ice fields in the U.S. Swarming with a range of marine wildlife, Kenai Fjords National Park offers multiple opportunities to partake in hiking, paddling and kayaking. Kenai Fjords National Park
Katmai National Park
The site of a volcanic eruption in 1912, the wilderness was turned into a dynamic landscape of smoking valleys, ash-covered mountains and small holes and cracks. Today the park is best known for its brown bear population that tops more than 2,000. At the peak of the bear viewing season in July, throngs of visitors arrive at Brooks River to watch bears snagging salmon in mid-air just 30 yards away. Katmai is also home to the Alagnak Wild River and several large lakes. Naknek Lake is the largest and support all five species of Pacific salmon as well as rainbow trout, Arctic char, Arctic grayling and northern pike, making the park a famed destination for sport anglers.
www.katmailand.com
Prince William Sound:
Prince William Sound encompasses 10,000 square miles of protected waterways, islands, fjords, as well as 10,000 glaciers. The region offers habitat for whales, porpoise, sea otters, sea lions and seals with bear, deer, goats and sheep inhabiting the mainland. Just a short drive or rail ride from Anchorage , Prince William Sound offers a wonderful day trip option for day cruising.
Prince William Sound
Northern Lights
Alaska is one of the best places on earth to see the northern lights – colourful bands of light that dance in the dark night sky. Travellers from all over the world come to Alaska each winter to see this stunning display and take advantage of other winter experiences like snowmobiling, dog mushing, skiing, festivals and sporting events. Aurora activity approached a maximum in the year 2012. This will last about four to five years, which means there will be more auroras visible from locations south of the main aurora occurrence zone than during the solar minimum years. Visitors can track near-term activity by taking advantage of the University of Alaska Fairbanks’ online aurora forecasting tool at gedds.alaska.edu/auroraforecast
See www.travelalaska.com for more
