Alaska

Alaska is one of the last places on earth where you can immerse yourself in untouched wilderness. The region is so rich in natural wonders and splendor that anyone fortunate enough to visit leaves inspired and amazed.

• Take a cruise and enjoy incredible scenery from a luxurious stateroom
• Sea kayaking through the Clover Pass, where you can see seals and jumping salmon
• Curl up by a fire in a cozy wilderness lodge
• Travel by train to rarely-seen locations in a glass-domed car
• Take a helicopter to the top of a glacier
• View the Northern Lights
• See a wide variety of wildlife including whales, seals, sea lions, otters, grizzly bears, moose, caribou, and eagles and other birds.
• Fishing
• Watch glaciers "calving," or spectacularly shedding enormous chunks of ice into the ocean as they move
• Take a whale watching trip to see humongous humpback whales, killer (orca) whales, beluga whales, and acrobatic white-sided dolphins
• Go bird watching: see the signature birds of Alaska including about 40,000 bald eagles, horned and tufted puffins, the kittiwake, and the red-tailed hawk.
• Visit the 6 million acre Denali National Park and Preserve where you can experience the tundra and see Muldrow Glacier and Mt. McKinley, the highest point in North America at 20,320 feet. See if you can spot "the Denali Big Five:" caribou, moose, gray wolves, grizzly and black bears, and Dall sheep with their characteristic curled horns.
• See the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, north of the Arctic Circle: experience a diverse ecosystem in a maze of glaciated valleys and peaks - and if you visit in June and July, the sun will never set. Mountain climbing, rock climbing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, and cross-country skiing are all popular here.
• Visit the Kenai Fjords, known as "Alaska's playground." View the scenic Exit Glacier, one of the over 30 that surround Harding Icefield. Enjoy nearly every outdoor activity here including kayaking, river rafting, mountain climbing, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, dogsledding, and tours by land, air, and sea.
• Find adventure at Mount St. Elias and Mount Wrangell, an active volcano that erupted as recently as 1911. Mountain biking, horseback riding, sport fishing, and river rafting are all popular in this area, as are visits to the historic Kennicott Copper Mill and flightseeing tours.

• Adak Island is a modern community in the Aleutian Islands strategically situated between America, Asia, and Europe. This area is a support center for commercial, nonprofit, and government organizations working in the North Pacific and the Bering Sea.
• Alyeska is one of the few places where you can go skiing while seeing the sea. You can also golf, enjoy mountain biking, take a tram up the mountain, and hike glaciers.
• Anchorage is the largest community in Alaska, and serves as both a popular tourist destination and as a crossroads for air travel. It is only minutes from recreational areas in the Gulf of Alaska.
• College Fjord is surrounded by 16 ice-blue glaciers, each named for one of the Ivy Leavue colleges.
• Copper River is a spectacular place for the adventure of a lifetime because it is conveniently located and also features vast wilderness and spectacular scenery and wildlife. Rafting, fishing, flightseeing, and hiking are popular in the summer and snowmobiling, skiing, ice fishing, snowboarding, and sled dog racing are popular in the winter.
• Dawson City, the largest city west of Winnipeg and north of Seattle, is a historic gold-mining town that has been beautifully restored and is a national historic site.
• Frederick Sound is known for humpback whales.
• Haines makes Alaskan heritage come alive: experience the artistry of the Tlingit Indians, see lively performances from Chilkat Dancers, learn about the town's gold rush history in local museums, visit the bald eagle preserve (where you can see the world's largest concentration of the birds), take a boat trip on Lake Chilkoot, or take a glacier flightseeing trip.
• Hubbard Glacier is the largest tidewater glacier in North America at 75 miles long and covers over 1,350 square miles.
• Juneau is one of the most beautiful state capitals, set on a backdrop of Mt. Juneau and Mt. Roberts. Visit a vibrant downtown area to experience unique architecture and culture, and see the nearby Mendenhall Glacier on a float trip, hike, or flightseeing tour. The Mt. Roberts Tramway also offers a trip to the top of the mountain where you can get a birds-eye view.
• Skagway is known as the "Gateway to the Klondike" and was a key point for prospectors during Alaska's Gold Rush. Walk its rustic boardwalks, frontier-style storefronts, and historic buildings and enjoy a cozy respite from busy city life. You'll see classic cars and one of the oldest narrow-gauge railways in the world. There are many well-marked hiking trails in this area.