| GLACIER
VISITATIONS |
© Mike Affleck, Alaska Division
of Tourism |
Alaska’s
glaciers run the gamut from the very small to the enormous.
Glaciers cover approximately 29,000 square miles of Alaska,
almost five percent of the state’s total area. The greatest
concentration of glaciers is found around the perimeter of
the Gulf of Alaska in the St. Elias and Chugach mountains,
and in the Wrangell Mountains and the Alaska Range.
|
| Traveling to view glaciers is part of enjoying the Alaska experience. Many are easily accessible by bus, car or foot, including the Mendenhall, Matanuska, Worthington, or Portage glaciers; boats carry passengers along the Inside Passage to Glacier Bay, Tracy Arm and the Columbia Glacier, and others. Planes and helicopters fly over ice masses like Sargent Icefield, the St. Elias Mountains, Harding Icefield, Juneau Icefield, and the Alaska Range. |
| INSIDE
PASSAGE |
© Mike Affleck, Alaska Division
of Tourism |
Cruising the
Southeast portion of Alaska (the Inside Passage) by either
state ferry or cruise ship continues to rank as one of the
most popular things to do in Alaska.
Visitors enjoy
the blue-green
waterways and forested islands that boast magnificent scenery
(see "glaciers" above), picturesque communities
and abundant wildlife.
|
| In the late 1800s, side and stern wheelers and steamships brought tourists from west coast ports to the scenic wonders of the state, and took gold-seekers to Skagway and Dyea en route to the gold fields of the Klondike. Today, visitors can catch a glimpse of those early days with a trip through the Inside Passage. |
| NATIVE
ARTS AND CULTURE |
© Alaska Division of Tourism
|
Whether it’s
the ivory carvings of the Inupiat or the wooden totems of
the Tlingit, the beadwork of the Athabascan or the dances
of the Yupik, Alaska’s Native art and culture is as varied,
interesting and as beautiful as its terrain and continues
to be one of its most sought features.
|
| Throughout the state there are Native attractions, cultural centers and museums. These inlcude the NANA Museum in Kotzebue, the Totem Heritage Center in Ketchikan and the World Eskimo Olympics held annually in Fairbanks. |
| WILDLIFE
VIEWING |
© Rex Melton, Alaska Division
of Tourism |
A trip to Alaska
would not be complete without the opportunity to see wildlife.
Moose, bear, mountain goat and caribou are among the most
frequently seen mammals, along with the occasional coyote
or wolf, Dall sheep, beaver, otter, mink or hare.
|
Bird-watchers will delight in the eagles and many kinds of hawks, owls, song birds, grouse and ptarmigan (the state bird), as well as the superabundance of migratory waterfowl and shorebirds that come north to nest each summer.
There is a tremendous abundance and diversity of marine mammals found along Alaska’s 47,000 miles of coastline. Some of these species can be found year-around, but others are migratory. Dolphins, Pacific walrus, porpoise, sea otters, eight varieties of seal and seal lions live, for at least part of the year, in Alaska for at least part of the year along with many species of whales. |
| HISTORIC
MINING TOWNS & AREAS |
© Danny Daniels, Alaska Division
of Tourism |
In addition to beautiful scenery and abundant wildlife, a major
draw to Alaska is its history --- one rich with stories of gold
strikes and gold rushes. Today these historic mining towns and
areas including Skagway, Nome and Kennicott continue to attract
visitors interested in learning more and, in some ways, reliving
Alaska’s glamorous past. |
| MUSEUMS |
© Alaska Division of Tourism
|
Although nearly every town and city in Alaska has a museum,
three perennial favorites are found in Alaska’s largest
cities: The University of Alaska Museum in Fairbanks with its
extensive collection of pioneer relics, Native artifacts, and
notable displays of wildlife (Blue Babe, a preserved 36,000
year-old bison, is a star attraction); Anchorage’s Museum
of Art and History which houses many rare artifacts of Native life and arts & crafts, |
| and displays permanent and revolving fine arts collections; and the Alaska State Museum in Juneau with a collection that highlights the incredible diversity of the state including Native art and artifacts, gold rush memorabilia, Russian relics and wildlife displays. |
| SPORTFISHING |
© Robert Angell, Alaska Division
of Tourism |
For the outdoor
enthusiast, sportfishing continues to be one of the primary
reasons for visiting the state. Alaska's coastal waters are
abundant with salmon, halibut, red snapper, lingcod and rockfish.
Cutthroat, rainbow, and Dolly Varden trout are found in streams
and lakes along with Arctic char, grayling and pike.
The Alaska Department
of Fish and Game provides free pamphlets on sportfishing and
hunting seasons, bag limits, licenses as well as tag fees,
and tips on the best angling areas. Find
their links here.
|
| TRANS-ALASKA
PIPELINE |
©Kristen Kemmeding, Alaska
Tourism Marketing Council |
The impact of this 800 mile, 48-inch pipe on Alaska’s economic
and social conditions has been enormous and the pipeline is
on many visitors must see list. Winding from the Arctic region
around Prudhoe Bay to the ice-free port of Valdez, the pipeline
is visible near Fairbanks, Glennallen, Delta, Valdez and along
the Dalton Highway, also known as the "Haul Road."
This road which winds from the Yukon River to Dietrich Camp,
was recently opened to the public. It is an all-weather, gravel
road that is not maintained regularly and is still heavily used
for hauling supplies to the North Slope oil fields. |
| RUSSIAN
HERITAGE |
© Alaska Division of Tourism
|
Russian fur traders were the first Westerners to settle Alaska.
Today, no trip to the state would be complete without a visit
to at least one of the communities that still bears the vestiges
of these early settlers. Sitka, Kodiak, and Ninilchik are among
the places where onion-domed churches still grace the skyline
and the rich Russian past is still very much a part of the present. |
| NATIONAL
PARKS & MONUMENTS |
© Craig Lindh, Alaska Division
of Tourism |
Alaska might well be considered one large campground. From the
7-million acre Tongass National Forest in Southeast to the six-million
acre Chugach National Forest in Southcentral, (and of course
our national parks such as Denali, Glacier Bay, Katmai, and
Wrangell-St. Elias, to name a few), Alaska parks and monuments
offer extensive recreational possibilities including hiking,
camping, kayaking and wildlife viewing. Numerous vantage points
offer views from which to photograph wildlife and enjoy breathtaking
scenery. (Not surprisingly, Alaska’s state park system
is America’s largest, boasting almost 3.2 million acres
of land and water.) |
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