Alaska
Introduction
Alaska is the USA's Frontier State and is a world away from the mainland or tropical Hawaii. You can reach the state with dozens of flights, but to experience the remoteness it is much more enjoyable to drive your way through Canada in a few days.
Geography
Cities
Sights and Activities
Mount McKinley
Mount McKinley is the highest mountain in North America and is situated in the central part of Alaska. It's the showpiece of the Denali National Park, one of the most popular national parks in this northern state.
Although Mount Everest is the highest mountain above sea level, Mount McKinley has the highest rise from its base at about 5,500 metres up to the summit, compared to Mount Everest's rise of about 3,700 metres from its base which is already 5,200 metres above sea level. While Mount McKinley is not as high as the ones in the Himalaya or even Andes Mountains, it's a very tough climb. Only about half of the expeditions made it to the top and over 100 lives have been taken by it. It is a technical climb but the main drawbacks are the cold weather at the top and the lack of oxygen – so much lower compared to a mountain of similar height at the equator (almost 50% less!). Both the temperatures and lack of oxygen are a direct result of its latitude.
For non-climbers, the view of the mountain when there is clear weather in Denali National Park is fantastic already, especially in late winter and early spring when most of the mountain is still covered in snow and conditions are good with blue skies and less rain (or snow).
- Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) is an amazing area in the far north of Alaska. It is also the source of much controversy over its proper use due to oil and natural gas reserves under its pristine soil.
- Denali National Park
- Kobuk Valley National Park
- Glacier Bay National Park
- Gates of the Arctic National Park
- Katmai National Park
- Kenai Fjords National Park
- Lake Clark National Park
- Wrangell-St. Elias National Park - *While Wrangell-St. Elias is truly a wilderness park with few marked trails or backcountry facilities, there are great opportunities for alpine hiking. From Kennicott, the old mining roads lead in 3 directions for at least 5 miles.
- For unique hiking in Alaska, visit the McCarthy Kennicott area
- Experience the thrill of Alaska wilderness whitewater rafting on the glacier-fed Kennicott River in the largest National Park in the United States.
- The Kennicott and McCarthy Alaska area is great for mountain biking - there are plenty of old mining roads to explore, with little or no traffic.
Events and Festivals
Weather
Alaska is the coldest state of the US and a visit from October to April is not really recommended because of the cold and miserable conditions. It is possible though, but you have to come prepared. Winter temperatures can drop to below -50 °C, even in bigger towns like Fairbanks. Average daytime temperatures from December to February are between -10 °C and -20 °C and nights between -20 °C and -30 °C.
Summers are short but surprisingly warm with average temperatures in the interior around 20 °C or slightly more. Nights are still cool though, so bring warm clothes even in summer. To the north, even summers are cool to cold, with temperatures in the extreme north averaging below 10 °C during the warmest months. In the south, for example in Anchorage, winters tend to be less cold and summers a bit cooler compared to places more inland.
Precipitation is highest in late summer and early autumn when it falls in the form of rain. During winter and early spring most of it comes down as snow, though much of the time it is dry while it is simply to cold to get any precipitation at all.
Getting There
By Plane
Anchorage is the main gateway to Alaska, but Fairbanks has quite a few flights as well.
- Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) is located about 7 kilometres southwest of Anchorage. Alaska Airlines has flights to/from Chicago, Portland, Denver, Fairbanks, Honolulu, Juneau, Los Angeles, Nome, San Francisco and Seattle, as well as some smaller regional airports in Alaska. Northwest Airlines serves Detroit and Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Air Canada has flights to Vancouver, American Airlines to Chicago and Dallas, Continental Airlines to Houston and Seattle and Delta Airlines to Atlanta and Salt Lake City. US Airways serves Phoenix and further away there are flights to Frankfurt with Condor and to Taipei with China Airlines. Also, Japan Airlines has flights to/from Fukuoka, Nagoya, Osaka and Tokyo, and Korean Air to/from Seoul.
- There are regular direct seasonal flights to Fairbanks International Airport from Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Salt Lake City, Dawson City, Denver, and Seattle. Daily jet service is available from a few US cities and there are scheduled or charter service to Europe and Asia. Japan Airlines offers seasonal flights to Fukuoka, Nagoya and Tokyo, and Frankfurt-based Condor Airlines offers weekly direct flights during summer.
By Train
By Car
You can drive through Canada/Skagway to get to Alaska.
By Bus
By Boat
Getting Around
By Plane
Alaska Airlines offers most flights, between places like Anchorage, Fairbanks, Barrow, Prudhoe Bay, Nome, Kodiak Island and Dutch Harbour on the Aleutian Islands. There are many smaller airlines that offer numerous flights to tiny settlements, including those in the high arctic and islands to the west and south of Alaska. Some of them are with waterplanes.
By Train
Princess Tours offers trains between Anchorage and Fairbanks in season, stopping Denali National Park as well. Trains continue south to Whittier and Seward.
By Car
Many international rental companies have a wide selection of rental cars and these include Hertz, Avis, Dollar, Thrifty, Enterprise, Budget and Alamo/National. Most companies will require you are at least 25 years of age, although younger people might be able to rent cars at slightly higher rates and with some insurance differences as well. A national driver's license is usually enough, but an additional international one is recommended. Also note that it usually costs more to include lots of other extra things. For example extra drivers, GPS, the first full tank, SLI (Supplemental Liability Insurance), PAI (Personal Accident Insurance, usually covered already at home), road assistance/service plan, and drop-off costs for one-way rentals.
If you want to book a car, it is recommended that you book your car before arriving in the USA. This is almost always (much) cheaper compared to just showing up. Also, try and book with a so-called 'broker', which usually works together with a few or many car rental companies and can offer the best deal. Some examples include Holidayautos, Holidaycars and Sunny Cars. Some of the cheapest deals to book from Europe, includes Drive-USA, which also has a German version.
For more information and tips about renting cars and campers, additional costs, insurance, traffic rules, scenic routes and getting maps and fuel it is advised to check the USA Getting Around section.
Alaska has a number of National Scenic Byways which offer a great way to explore the state crossing beautiful landscapes. Mostly, there are lots of national parks, state parks or monuments along the way and it's generally a better alternative than the faster but boring Interstate Highways. The George Parks Highway links Fairbanks to Anchorage.
By Bus
By Boat
Cruises around Alaska: Amongst the top spots in Alaska, the Inside Passage, the Glaciers and the Bering Sea are the ones which contain hidden treasures such as massive glaciers, waterways, Native settlements near the Gulf of Alaska and the Aleutian Islands respectively. On board activities to warm people up are always available in the cruises.
Eat
Drink
Sleep
Hotel and Motel Chains
There are dozens of hotel and motel chains, ranging from budget to top end. Allthough they are not the most charming accommodations, they usually have a very decent midrange service with good rooms and are generally good value. At least you know what to expect and in some cases they are either the only or the best option in the area. Some of them include:
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This is version 21. Last edited at 15:05 on Feb 18, 11 by Utrecht (+99). 33 articles link to this page.
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