Alaska is a grand American vacation destination. The diversity of wildlife and terrain is like no other state in the U.S. The open space, mountains and forest make for beautiful tourist spots. The sparse population makes for an abundance of wild life throughout the state. One of the best ways to visit Alaska is on a cruise ship. A cruise though Alaska will take your though the Icy Strait Point, Juneau, Skagway, and Anchorage (Whittier). After you sea portion of the cruise, you have options to take advantage of some land tours, including the popular Denali National Park and Mt. McKinley. Lets dive deeper into these wonderful locations and what there is to do in each.
Icy Strait Point
The Icy Strait Point is an outdoors person’s paradise. Where else can you go searching for grizzly bears! The Icy Strait Point is a great spot for salmon, which attracts the bears and gives tourists an ideal chance to spy one. Another large animal to keep a look out for are whales. The ideal time to see these massive animals are May through September, which just so happens to be the ideal time to visit Alaska. But don’t forget to look around and notice Glacier Bay National Park. With 3.3 million acres, you will be in one of the largest internationally protected Biosphere Reserves in the world.
Juneau, Alaska
Juneau is Alaska’s state capital, which makes it more populated that other areas in Alaska and provides much to see and do. Surrounded by ocean, glaciers, ice fields and mountains, Juneau is a great place for wildlife and adventure. You can have a great time walking this great city, or you can take a team of huskies and go dog sledding through the beautiful mountains. If you are looking for more to do, you can jump on a helicopter where you will be taken to go a remote glacier to hike and tour icefields. You can also head to Mendenhall Glacier, a 12-mile-long, half-mile wide and from 300-1,800 feet deep glacier that will make anyone feel small.
Skagway, Alaska
Skagway is primarily a tourist city now, but still offers a great deal of history and color with it’s wooden sidewalks and brightly painted, resorted buildings. One of the most popular activities for tourist to do is to hop on the White Pass Railway to travel by train to the Summit of the White Pass, a 2,865 foot elevation with breathtaking views of waterfalls, glaciers, and scenic vistas. Another fun thing to do is to emerge yourself in the Gold Rush history. Skagway was the starting place for more than 40,000 gold-rush stampeders who headed to the Yukon. You can tour the camps and pan for gold.
Anchorage (Whittier), Alaska
Anchorage lies between the mountain and the sea, yet brings you back to city life with restaurants, museums, theater and a great music scene. Hiking Chugach State Park is a great way to enjoy this destination. Or you can visit Prince William Sound with the most tidewater glaciers anywhere in North America which attracts a host of rich marine life.
Denali National Park
Denali is the highest mountain in North America, and a challenging mountain for most experienced climbers. It is located towards the middle of Alaska and the Denali National Park and Preserve offers alpine terrain with a vast amount of wildlife. Glaciers cover 1-million-acres of this 6-million-acre park while the Nenana cuts north through the mountains alongside Denali National park, making for great whitewater rafting.
