Alaska Vacation Ideas
There are so many Alaska Vacation Ideas.
Alaska is truly the land of plenty. If you are expecting ice and snow, igloos and natives living in the last century you would be far off from the truth.
Alaska is truly a place of wonder and adventure whether you are searching for it's a world-record 97-pound, 4-ounce king salmon or a massive 20,320-foot-tall mountain (Mount McKinley) to climb, Alaska is a unique, amazing place to view nature in all its glory.
It is full of great scenery and in the summer has a surprisingly mild temperature.
So much can be done in Alaska including cruises to take, flight and railroad sight seeing, fishing and there is plenty of camping and backpacking to be done.
Here is a Backpacking Checklist to print out.
There are many state parks to see all with their own unique flavor. Here is a short list to tempt your appetite for adventure.
Alaska is a great opportunity to teach yourself and the children about the planets and the night sky. One of my favorite things to do is look for constellations and for just a few dollars you can pick up a star finder. It's not hard to do and it is a lifetime of knowledge and fun for everyone.
Northern Lights
It often appears as a greenish glow or sometimes a faint red, as if the sun was rising from an unusual direction. The Northern Lights also known as Aurora Borealis are natural colored light displays in the sky, usually observed at night.
Even though the electromagnetic activity that creates the aurora occurs all year high overhead, the lights are visible only at night. Fortunately for Alaskan's winter nights last almost 24 hours, making for good viewing.
The aurora may not be visible every night in the winter and it isn't visible in the summer before mid to late August.
Here is a Base Camping Checklist to pring out.
Denali National Park
Created in 1917 Denali National Park (then known as McKinley National Park) is best known for Mount McKinley. At 20,320 feet it is the tallest peak in North America.
In 1980, the park was expanded to 6 million acres (9,375 square miles) and the name was changed from Mount McKinley National Park to Denali National Park.
This Massachusetts size park gets 360,000 visitors a year to see the pride of the Alaskan Mountain Range. If that was not enough there is also the bears, caribou and wolves that live in the park.
Glacier Bay National Park
"Glacier Bay National Park is a refugee from the ice ages: tidewater glaciers calving into frigid seas, cliff-flanked fjords and plants creeping up scoured valleys where glaciers retreated." says Alaska.com.
Retreating glaciers created Glacier Bay during the Little Ice Age just a few hundred years ago when glaciers swept across the land.
This is truly one of the most amazing sites to see in the world.
As a World Heritage Site, Glacier Bay is only a part that includes Wrangell St.Elias National Park (the nation's largest) and Canada's Tatsenshini-Alsek Park and Canada's Kluane National Park. Glacier Bay is part of a 24-million-acre block of protected land. I dare you to see it all!
Glacier Bay National Park, Wilderness and Preserve sits at the northern end of the Alaska Panhandle.
This area is a favorite spot for Kayakers and river rafters there are plenty of rivers and scenic spots to explore.
If you love wildlife Glacier Bay is the place for you. Humpback and killer whales own these waters, and the five species of Pacific salmon can also be found.
There is more to Glacier Bay than water and Ice. On land you can watch for many different types of bear. There are also wolverines, moose, wolves' and Sitka deer.
Kenai Fjords National Park
Kenai Fjords National Park is a kayakers dream with glaciers and bays that harbor humpback whales and sea lions to see in their element.
The park and Resurrection Bay are known for their seabirds, sea lions, seals, sea otters, killer (orca), humpback and gray whales. Black and brown bears also live in the park.
Bird watchers will also be happy to find Puffins, Cormorants, Murres and Bald Eagles living in the cliffs of Resurrection Bay.
Kenai Fjords encompasses 587,000 acres of the mountainous Kenai Peninsula.
There is plenty of things to do here. Rangers at Exit Glacier lead nature walks in the summer. Wildlife tours by boat, fishing from charter boats, kayaking, hiking.
Bear Glacier and Aialik Bay are also great sites. In Seward there is the Alaska Sea Life Center, shopping, museums and restaurants.
Before you plan your trip you should brush up on your Compass and Map Reading skills.
There is much more to see in Alaska than what I have mentioned. Take the time to look for deals on crusis and flights but don't be suckered in on those 3 day and 4 night deals, there is way to much to see. Take your time when you go. So good luck and have a great adventure.
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