Alaska Travel Guide

Alaska is the Last Frontier - enormous, remote and staggeringly wild, with mountains, glaciers and wildlife on an epic scale.

Why go / don’t miss: North America’s highest peak Denali, the glaciers and whales of Kenai Fjords and the Inside Passage, the capital Juneau, the gateway city Anchorage, and the winter northern lights around Fairbanks.

Areas: Southcentral (Anchorage, Kenai, Denali); the Inside Passage (Juneau, Ketchikan - cruise country); and the Interior/Arctic (Fairbanks, the aurora).

Getting around: fly into Anchorage; then rent a car, take the Alaska Railroad, or join a cruise - many areas are boat/plane only.

When to go: Jun-Aug for the long days, wildlife and open roads; winter for the northern lights.

Where to stay: Anchorage as a base, plus a lodge near Denali or a cruise.

Dining: wild salmon, king crab, halibut and reindeer sausage.

Local tips: it’s far bigger and more remote than it looks - don’t try to see it all; pick a region.

Alaska is a land of extremes: vast mountain ranges, sprawling boreal forests, tundra, an intricate coastline and tens of thousands of glaciers and lakes that define its scale and character. The state contains many of North America’s highest peaks and an ever-changing Arctic environment where immense wilderness meets roaring rivers and tidewater ice.

Cities and historic towns are gateways into that wilderness - Anchorage is the transport and service hub, Juneau is the coastal capital accessible by sea or air, and Fairbanks sits deep in the interior as a base for aurora hunting and northern culture; from these points you can reach iconic parks such as Denali National Park and Preserve, Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve and Kenai Fjords National Park. Small communities like Homer, Ketchikan and Girdwood (home to Alyeska Resort) offer local color, fishing ports and easy access to dramatic coastal and mountain scenery.

Outdoor life is the main attraction: summers are for glacier cruises, whale watching, salmon fishing, hiking and paddling through fjords; winters invite dogsledding, snowmachining, cross-country skiing and spectacular northern-light displays. Much of Alaska is best experienced by boat, small plane or on foot - wilderness travel and guided outings are part of the rhythm here.

Food and drink are shaped by the sea and seasons - wild salmon, halibut and king crab dominate menus, while local game and Native foods such as akutaq (Eskimo ice cream) reflect long traditions; a lively craft-beer scene and roadside bakeries round out the tastes you’ll find after a day on the trail or a boat cruise.

Visit Alaska for staggering, near-empty wilderness and wildlife encounters you won’t find elsewhere - stand beneath Denali National Park and Preserve’s peak, cruise among tidewater glaciers in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve or watch marine mammals and calving ice in Kenai Fjords National Park while cities like Anchorage and Fairbanks provide easy jump-off points.

Alaska’s climate varies from maritime coastlines with milder, wetter weather to an interior and Arctic north with long, cold winters and warm, bright summers; choose timing based on whether you want midnight sun, auroras or whale and glacier seasons.

Visitors typically combine rental cars, ferries, scheduled and charter flights (including bush planes), cruise ships and guided tours to move between Alaska’s widely spaced destinations.

Major Highways

Major overland routes include the Parks Highway (connecting Anchorage and Fairbanks), the Seward and Sterling Highways (linking Anchorage with the Kenai Peninsula), the Glenn Highway (toward the interior), the Richardson Highway (Valdez to the interior), the Dalton Highway (to the Arctic and Prudhoe Bay) and the Alaska Highway (the Alcan route into Canada); for many coastal towns the Alaska Marine Highway ferry system is the principal connector.