ALASKA A VACATION OF A LIFETIME
BY CLAY
LARROY
If you're looking to get
away from it all with a trip away from home, don't forget to travel smart. Regardless of
whether you are traveling to a nearby location for the weekend or taking a
week-long destination vacation, you are always going to benefit from some tips
and ideas on how to make the whole process, more fun and less stressful.
Take
time each day to alleviate stress while traveling or vacationing and you will
thank yourself for it when you get back home. When you want to plan a vacation contact me!
Alaska
Travel Guide
Known,
appropriately, as the Last Frontier, Alaska is a land of unfathomable naturally
beauty, a state so vast and wild that parts of it remain unmapped today.
Everything about Alaska
nudges the extreme end of the scale. The largest state in the USA, it boasts
some 3 million lakes, 3,000 rivers, 100,000 glaciers and 17 of America's 20
highest peaks.
These untamed landscapes harbor
a diverse range of wildlife, including Kodiak bears, giant moose and the iconic
bald eagle, whose shrill call echoes the grandeur of this state.
For adrenaline junkies,
Alaska offers a big hit. Mt McKinley, the highest point on the continent, rises
6,194m (20,320ft) in Denali National Park and tempts climbers from around the
world to tackle its snowy peak.
Elsewhere, kayakers paddle
beneath jumbo glaciers with humpback whales, while skiers and snowboarders
whoosh up the Chugach Mountains by helicopter and glide back down on virgin
powder.
Sailors favor the
legendary Inside Passage, a scenic coastal route that is becoming increasingly
popular with cruise passengers, who can moor up at aboriginal villages and dock
at the former Russian city, Sitka. Further afield anglers hunker down in rustic
fishing lodges, hooking Pacific halibut and king salmon for supper.
Whatever visitors come
for, most kick off their trip in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, home to 40%
of the state's population. But it's not long before they are lured away from
the lights and into the vast wilderness, which brings out the trailblazer in
even the most sedentary traveler.
Things
to see and do in Alaska
Bear spotting
Visit
Kodiak Island (www.kodiakisland.org), home of Alaska's largest
fishing fleet. View its Russian legacy at the Baranov Museum (www.baranovmuseum.org),
and the island's native people at Alutiiq Museum (www.alutiiqmuseum.org).
The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge (http://kodiak.fws.gov)
is a protected habitat for Kodiak brown bears.
Columbia Glacier
Experience the most
popular excursion, Columbia Glacier, a 6km- (4-mile-) wide piece of ice. This
world's fastest-moving glacier can be reached via day cruises, charter boats,
flight-seeing tours and the state ferry.
Denali
National Park
Explore
Denali National Park and Preserve (www.denali.national-park.com),
famous for its panoramic views of the Alaska Range and Mount McKinley, highest
mountain in North America at 6,194m (20,320ft). You can take a popular day
excursion through the wilderness to see caribou, grizzly bears, wolves and
moose.
Fishing
Head off by float plane on
a hunting or fishing expedition, and stay in a fly-in wilderness lodge.
Gold rush trail
Follow the 1890s gold rush
trail from Skagway to Whitehorse (Canada) along the 177km (110 mile) Klondike
Highway.
Hiking
Hike in Juneau on one of
the many scenic hiking trails. Just a short walk or ride from downtown,
enthusiasts can be scaling mountain peaks, rock climbing, walking across
glaciers, hunting, biking, fishing or kayaking. There are many opportunities to
view whales, bears and eagles.
Hot
springs and icy seas
Soak in
Chena Hot Springs (www.chenahotsprings.com), 97km (60 miles) east of
Fairbanks, and visit their year-round ice museum, or brave the icy waters in
the annual June Polar Bear Swim (www.visitnomealaska.com)
in Nome, on the Bering Sea.
Husky sledging
Sign on
for sled-dog racing. The official sport of Alaska is dog mushing. Visitors can
take a team of spirited huskies on a sled-dog tour or watch the experts at work
in one of the many annual sled-dog races. Cheer on your favorites during the
annual Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race (www.yukonquest.com),
held every February. Covering 1,600km (1,000 miles) between Whitehorse, Yukon
Territory and Fairbanks during the depths of the Arctic winter, the Yukon Quest
is the 'Toughest Sled Dog Race in the World'.
Iditarod Race
Watch
March's world-famous Iditarod Race (www.iditarod.com),
which traverses 1,851km (1,150 miles) of rugged terrain from Anchorage to Nome,
on the Bering Sea. The K-300 (www.k300.org), out of Bethel in the Yukon Delta,
puts up the largest purse for a mid-length 300-mile sled dog race every
January.
Inside Passage
Cruise the world-famous
Inside Passage and visit cliff-hugging coastal towns, see glaciers calving,
whales leaping out of icy waters, sea lions and seals basking on ice floes, and
spot eagles and enjoy an amazing variety of birdlike.
Museums
Delight
in the wealth of local history that can be seen at the Heritage Library and
Museum, the Anchorage Museum of History and Art (www.anchoragemuseum.org),
the Oscar Anderson House Museum, and the Alaska Native Heritage Center.
Northern Lights
See the Northern Lights
(aurora borealis) dancing across the cold winter night skies between
December-March.
Pan for gold
Try your
luck panning for gold nuggets at Crow Creek Mine (www.akmining.com/mine/crow.htm),
an hour's drive south of Anchorage on the Seward Highway.
Totem poles
See the world's largest
collection of totem poles at Ketchikan, nestled between oceans and mountains.
Infamous Creek Street's bars and bordellos of fishing and silver-mining days
are now galleries and restaurants.
Valdez
Choose from the many
available outdoor pursuits (such as hiking, rafting and fishing) in Valdez,
situated on the edge of the Prince William Sound.
Wildlife
Tour the
local wildlife museums including Anchorage's Alaska Zoo (www.alaskazoo.org),
the Imaginarium (www.imaginarium.org) and Potter's Marsh, where up
to 130 species of waterfowl can be viewed from a boardwalk.
REFERENCE SITES:
To the lover of wilderness,
Alaska is one of the most wonderful countries in the world.
John Muir
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