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Satellite photographs taken at night show much of the populated world as a thick network of lights. Cities and highways stand out clearly. The same view of Alaska, however, reveals just a couple of bright spots; the rest of the land appears as a vast, velvety blackness. Just to give you an idea of the scope, Alaska has 100,000 glaciers and 10 million lakes.
 | Don't come to Alaska to see certain sites or objects. You never know when you may encounter wildlife — these meetings can't be scheduled. Moreover, each of the regions you're likely to visit boasts fabulous mountains, glaciers, wildlife, hikes, boating, rafting, sea kayaking. Although the following can provide reference points, don't get too caught up in ticking off a list of "the best." Instead, focus on the experience, and in doing so you'll find your own, unique "best" that belongs to no one else. |
The best glaciers
A glacier looks like land, but it flows like water. Glaciers can be larger than a state, and yet they move constantly, sometimes suddenly, and they can bulldoze straight through mountains. Nothing else looks like a glacier. They're white, gray, and fluorescent blue. They drape gracefully through the mountains, but they also crack in enormous shards.
- Prince William Sound Glaciers (Whittier): Less than two hours from Anchorage, the port town of Whittier provides access to northwestern Prince William Sound, one of Alaska's most beautiful and heavily glaciated waterways. Day cruises from Whittier, easy to do as a day trip from Anchorage, compete on price, food service on board, and number of glaciers you see in a few hours (up to two dozen).
- Kenai Fjords National Park (Seward): Here you'll find Exit Glacier (one of the few glaciers you can walk right up to) and the magnificent glaciers still carving the fjords, reached only by boats from Seward. This forbidding and untouched area, where mountains shoot a mile high straight out of the sea, is also among the best for seeing marine mammals and birds.
- Ruth Glacier (Denali National Park): Forget the traditional image of glacier ice falling into the ocean — this is a chance to land on one of Mount McKinley's glaciers in a ski plane, get out, and look around. These flights, mostly going from Talkeetna, are among the most spectacular experiences a visitor to Alaska can have.
- Juneau Ice Field (Juneau): Helicopters from Juneau fly over the immense ice field that lies beyond the mountains bordering the town. Visitors can just look, or join guided hikes on the ice, or even get in a dog sled and go mushing on the glaciers.
- Glacier Bay National Park (Juneau): Passengers on cruise ships and tour boats often see humpback whales before arriving at huge walls of ice. Sea kayakers get a much closer and more intimate view of the land and wildlife.
The best bear viewing
Bears can turn up almost anywhere in Alaska — even in an urban city park in Anchorage. Alaska's thriving populations of black, brown (or grizzly), and polar bears are seen frequently when the season is right.
- Homer: The salmon-filled rivers in this part of Alaska, south of Anchorage, attract fish-loving brown bears through much of the summer.
- Denali National Park: Even more remarkable than the scenery is Denali's status as one of the greatest and least expensive wildlife safaris you can experience. The limited-access bus system allows every shuttle passenger an excellent chance of seeing brown bears.
- Pack Creek (near Juneau): For decades, the brown bears that converge here have nonchalantly allowed humans to watch them from nearby platforms.
- Kodiak Island and Katmai National Park: These remote lands host some of the biggest salmon runs and, therefore, the biggest and most plentiful brown bear population anywhere on earth.
- Barrow: Point Barrow, the farthest north you can go in the United States, is the best place to see polar bears in the country. However, this choice is an adventurous one: your tour will be in a four-wheel-drive vehicle, offered casually by locals.
The best Gold Rush towns
The Klondike Gold Rush of 1898, when the non-Native population arrived all at once in search of riches, is the biggest event in Alaska's short history. Many towns owe their existence to it.
- Fairbanks: These days Fairbanks is a city, but it still acts like a town. Gold mining goes on today, and you can see it demonstrated and tour historic gold mining museums.
- Skagway: Although frequently overrun with cruise-ship visitors, this may be America's best preserved Gold Rush boomtown, the scene of legendary Wild West times when Klondike stampeders got off the boat here bound for the gold fields.
- Nome: Nome's Gold Rush stories top all. Although most of the historic structures are gone, the town feels more like a gold rush boomtown than other more tourist-oriented places. Small-time prospectors are still at work here, too.
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