Alaska
Alaska Cruise Deals [link]
Quicklink to Alaska Cruise Bookings.
Alaska Photo Gallery [link]
A photo gallery of Alaska: www.wildnatureimages.com/Alaska.htm
Anchorage Hotels [link]
Quicklink to Anchorage Hotel Bookings.
Fairbanks Hotels [link]
Quicklink to Fairbanks Hotel Bookings.
Juneau Hotels [link]
Quicklink to Juneau Hotel Bookings.
ALASKA - wild and awe inspiring
No other region in North America possesses the mythical aura of ALASKA ; even the name – a derivation of Alayeska , an Athabascan word meaning “great land of the west” – fires the imagination. Few who see this land of gargantuan ice fields, sweeping tundra, glacially excavated valleys, lush rainforests, deep fjords and occasionally smoking volcanoes leave unimpressed. Wildlife may be under threat elsewhere, but here it is abundant, with Kodiak bears standing twelve feet tall, moose stopping traffic in downtown Anchorage, wolves prowling through national parks, bald eagles circling over the trees, and rivers solid with fifty-plus-pound salmon.
Anchorage - When to Go
Warm temperatures and long evenings of midnight sun draw visitors to Alaska from June through August.. July and August are the rainiest months in South Central Alaska (including Anchorage) and the Interior. Mosquitoes enjoy the summer rains, so come prepared with repellant.
Anchorage City Information
Population: 254,000. Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city with 42 percent of the state’s population.
Elevation: 118 feet
Anchorage, Alaska's Largest City
The atmosphere of Anchorage is relaxed. There is less of a feeling of urgency than in many other metropolitan centers. Perhaps it is the majestic beauty of the mountains, or the profusion of flowers throughout the city or the pink and lavender light that reflects on the winter snow that consistently draw the attention of resident and visitor alike away from the pressure of business at just the right moment and toward the true heart of Anchorage.
JUNEAU
The sophisticated and vibrant city of JUNEAU is unlike any other state capital in the nation. Accessible only by sea or air, it is exceptionally picturesque, hard against the Gastineau Channel , with steep, narrow roads clawing up into the rainforested hills behind. Gold features heavily in its history. In 1880, two prospectors – one of them Joe Juneau – made Alaska’s first gold strike in the rainforest along the banks of the Gastineau Channel. Named Gold Creek, the camp grew rapidly. Until the last mine was shut down in 1944, this was the world’s largest producer of low-grade ore – all the flat land in Juneau, stretching from downtown to the airport, is landfill from mine tailings.
SITKA
One of the highlights of an Inland Passage ferry ride is negotiating the 46 tight turns of the 22-mile-long Wrangell Narrows between Wrangell and the “Norwegian” fishing town of Petersburg on the route north. At times it feels like you can reach out and touch the steep-walled shore, and at night the ferry has to negotiate a slalom course of navigation lights.