Top Five destinations in Alaska

Denali
Seward
Anchorage
Fairbanks
Prudhoe Bay

I have talked with quite a few Alaska visitors. And by and large they have all named the top 5 places to visit in Alaska are:
1. Denali National park
2. Kenai (Pronounced “keen-eye”) Fjords National Park
3. Anchorage
4. Fairbanks and
5. Prudhoe Bay

By a very large margin, Denali is the number one attraction for Alaska visitor. The main reasons being Mt. McKinley, the tallest mountain in North America and the famed wildlife. If you plan to visit Alaska, don’t miss Denali. And ones there don’t miss a day trip into the Park. Unless you are staying inside the park, like at Denali Backcountry Lodge, I would highly recommend you take the full day trip, Denali Backcountry Adventure. This one trip will get you to the very end of the road and give you the best opportunities to see both the Mt. McKinley and the famous wildlife of Denali National Park.

Kenai Fjords National Park is the second most visited place in Alaska. The two major reasons for that are the calving salt water glaciers and the sea life. Again the best thing to do is a full day boat tour such as the Major Marine Tours but if you are the kind that gets sea sick easily, make it a half day trip. The full day trip will take you very close to the calving glaciers and give you time to hear the grinding sounds of the glacier as these rivers of ice slowly move down hill finally calving. It’s a great experience to watch the huge icebergs splitting off the Glacier. The crew might even manage to lift up one of the smaller iceberg and make you a drink from the glacial ice. This is the not the opportunity you get every day.

Anchorage and Fairbanks are the two main gateway cities and there are plenty of activities available at each of them. I would recommend you come into one gateway and leave from the other. Most Airlines will let you do that without any extra charges. They call this the open jaw and treat is as though it was a round trip. So all your discounts, normally available for the round trip, stay intact for the open jaw.

In Anchorage, one could do the city tour. Fly out on a bush plane for bear watching, visit the Prince William Sound, or the Museum of Art & History. Visit the Alaska Heritage Center or any of the host of other activities, depending on your time frame and budget.

Fairbanks likewise and many choices; the famous Stern Wheeler boat “River Boat Discovery”, the tour of an active gold mine, visit to University of Alaska Museum
and/or the Famous Oil Pipe line.

Arctic Circle (and receive a Certificate to that effect), Dip your toe in the Arctic Ocean see and hear about the oil rigs and the interesting technologies of today’s oil drilling. If you have slightest engineering inclination, you will love this one. Generally, you will fly one way and ride the famous “Haul Road” the other way. Attigan pass is a great sight and the vastness of the ‘North Slope” is unbelievable. Along the way, you will see wildlife such as the Musk Ox and the Caribou herds.

Allow your self about two weeks to do all that. You need two to three days for days in each location. For most of us, Alaska is once in a lifetime trip, so don’t rush. Take your time and soak it in.

Sam Mature