Destination Guide: Alaska

The Aleut people called it Alyeska, the great land. Alaska is one of the world's special places, full of exotic wildlife, magnificent mountains, glacier-carved valleys and steep, rocky coastlines.

Alaska is bigger than life, its sheer mass hard to comprehend. The distance from Barrow, on the northern coast, to Ketchikan, at the southern edge, is more than 1,350 mi/2,174 km—about the same as New York City to Miami. Alaska has six distinct climatic regions, the tallest mountains, the biggest glaciers, the most plentiful fishing and the wildest nature preserves on the North American continent.

Visitors go to Alaska for the fishing, hiking, hunting or camping—Denali National Park is a big attraction. Some go for the northern lights, or to whale-watch while cruising the Inside Passage. Some even go to Alaska for the Iditarod dogsled race.

Even as Alaska vacations become more accessible, distance creates costs. Per-day expenses in remote parts of the state are comparable with those in major urban centers. The abundance of spectacular scenery and wildlife, however, should more than compensate.

Alaska's main attractions include spectacular scenery, wildlife viewing, camping, skiing, the northern lights, volcanoes, Inside Passage cruises, hiking, riverboat rides, fishing, canoeing, river and sea kayaking, friendly people, Alaska Native and Russian cultures, totem poles, glaciers and dogsled rides.

Most people will like Alaska, but the state has special appeal for nature lovers and the *adventurous*.

Location

There's nothing quite like experiencing the Last Frontier from a cruise ship: Icebergs and rugged islands glide by, porpoises play in the ship's wake, and whales breach off the side. In Alaskan towns along the way, you can shake a gold pan in a rushing stream and watch native carvers at work on a new totem pole. You can raft down whitewater streams and fly to (and land on) glaciers.

The state is so big, its extremes of climate and geology so great, and its wildlife and history so fascinating that Alaska delights (and uses up film and camera capacity) like few other places on Earth. In fact, with so much to choose from there, it's easy to become overwhelmed. A cruise simplifies some of the decision-making.

Ship lines offer a wide variety of Alaska cruises, so there's an itinerary to satisfy almost everyone. You can ride on a megaship with more than 2,000 passengers and all the comforts of home, and then some, as you visit the state's main ports. Or you can cruise aboard an exploration ship (with 100 other people) that can slip into the narrowest of fjords and get close enough to watch a brown bear snatch a salmon out of the water.

The big cruise lines usually offer a choice of two routes, both of which take you through the Inside Passage, the protected waterway between the mainland and the coastal islands. The emphasis is different, however. The trips known as Inside Passage cruises usually begin in Vancouver, British Columbia, include stops at such southeast Alaska ports as Ketchikan and Juneau, turn around in Glacier Bay and return to Vancouver. Gulf of Alaska cruises (sometimes called Glacier Route cruises) usually run between Vancouver and Seward, with connections through Anchorage so you can add excursions into the interior of the state.

Both routes often include stops at Ketchikan, Juneau and Skagway—one of the most visited ports along the Inside Passage and the main jumping-off point for tours into the Yukon Gold Rush area. Small ships combine the best of both routes, offering stops in smaller ports, visits to hard-to-reach landmarks and more personal attention.

dog mushing — Fun Facts

Alaska is from an Aleut word meaning "great country" or "what the sea breaks against."
The state of Alaska has 33,904 mi/54,585 km of coastline, more than the rest of the U.S. combined.
Dog mushing is the official state sport of Alaska.
Generally, mid-May to mid-September is the preferred time to visit (with June-August being the best), but not all of the state is as unbearably cold and miserable year-round as a lot of people believe.

See & Do

Visitors can choose from a variety of ways to see Alaska. Water lovers should take a cruise through Glacier Bay and the College Fjords glaciers, fish for salmon and halibut or go whale-watching. Adventurous types can combine a helicopter flight with dog sledding on a glacier or participate in a blanket toss in Barrow. Some hike the historic Chilkoot Trail or hop on the Alaska Railroad. There's so much to see and do in Alaska that it may take several trips to experience it all.

Alaska's museums are vital parts of many Alaska communities, and are as diverse as the state they chronicle. They celebrate the state's gold rushes, wildlife, geography, pioneers, aviation, fishing and Alaska Native heritage.

Be sure to sip an internationally acclaimed beer from one of Alaska's excellent breweries.

Dining

Alaska's justly famous seafood includes crab, shrimp, scallops, salmon, cod, steamer clams, oysters and halibut. Few people who live in the Lower 48 have ever tasted truly fresh Alaskan king crab—it's a delicacy not to be missed. The same is true for fresh or smoked Alaskan salmon and halibut. Alaskan salmon—unlike salmon from Norway, Chile and many other areas—are almost entirely wild fish, not farmed in pens. The flavor of the fish is noticeably better and the flesh is firmer. Often your server will be able to tell you where the fish were caught and the name of the fishing vessel, too, if you ask.

Travelers often have an opportunity to taste reindeer sausage, caribou, smoked salmon jerky and lox, which are available commercially throughout the state.

If you are a microbrewery fan, Alaska is the place to go. Anchorage is home to half a dozen award-winning breweries and brewpubs. Several of them also happen to be best-loved restaurants of Alaskans. You can also find internationally known microbreweries in Skagway, Juneau, Haines, Homer, Kenai, Ketchikan and Fairbanks.