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Alaska

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About Alaska

Alaska is the largest state by area in the United States (1,477,261 km²) and is home to over 3.5 million lakes. Marshlands and wetland permafrost cover 487,747 km² of this, while glacier ice covers some 41,440 km² of land. The Bering Glacier complex near the south-eastern border with Yukon, Canada covers 5,827 km² alone. Alaska has the longest coastline of any state in the USA with the Gulf of Alaska and the Pacific Ocean to the south, the Bering Sea, Bering Strait, and Chukchi Sea to the west, and the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean to the north. The southern coastal region is the population centre for the state. Southeast Alaska with the capital Juneau has tidewater glaciers and extensive forests. The Alaska Interior has Arctic tundra lands and large braided rivers, such as the Yukon River and the Kuskokwim River. The Alaskan Bush is the remote part of Alaska with 380 native villages. The Aleutians, the island chain extending west from the southern tip of the Alaska Peninsula, has many active volcanoes. Alaska has a large native population including Eskimos, Indians, and Aleuts.

Good to know

• Capital: Juneau
• Climate: Extremely varied weather throughout the state. Damp, rainy and somewhat mild in the south, southeast and central, while the far north is extremely dry and very cold (Arctic).
• Timezone: UTC -9
• No. of inhabitants: 655,435 (2004)
• Travel alert: EnjoyYourWorld strongly advises you to take necessary precautions for a safe travel. For more info please follow this link

Highlights

• Juneau the largest city in area in the United States with the spectacular Mt. Juneau and Mt. Roberts close by. Juneau is not accessible by road.
• Barrow-the northernmost town in the United States.
• Denali National Park with more than 6 million acres of sub-arctic wilderness with grizzly bears, wolves, Dall sheep and moose. The park accommodates wildlife viewing, mountaineering, and backpacking.
• Lake Clark National Park and Preserve stretches from the shores of Cook Inlet, across the Chigmit Mountains, to the tundra covered hills of the western interior. The Chigmits are awesome with two active volcanoes, Mt. Redoubt and Mt. Iliamna. Lake Clark, 64 km long, offers excellent fishing and wildlife viewing.
• Sitka National Historical Park totem pole collection with some spectacular scenery along the park's coastal trail
• The Katmai National Park with millions of acres of pristine wilderness, with wild rivers and streams, rugged coastlines, active glaciers and volcanoes. Brown bear and salmon are very active in Katmai.
• Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, northwest of Juneau
• The Chugach, Wrangell, and St. Elias National Park-a spectacular park, a day's drive east of Anchorage, with glaciers and of peaks above 4,875 m. Mount St. Elias (5,489 m) is the second highest peak in the United States.
• Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve-with reminders of the Yukon River during the 1898 gold rush. The Charley, a 160 km long wild river, is considered by many to be the most spectacular river in Alaska.
• The Arctic National Park & Preserve is of exceptional natural beauty with glaciated valleys, rugged mountains and arctic tundra. Moose, caribou, Dahl sheep, wolves, and grizzly and black bears inhabit the land. This park is for visitors that appreciate solitude, wilderness travel and adventure.
• The Bering Land Bridge National Preserve-one of the most remote national park areas, located on the Seward Peninsula in northwest Alaska. It was across this Bering Land Bridge that humans first passed from Asia to the Americas.
• The Aniakchak Caldera crater, nearly 10 km in diameter, with lava flows and explosion pits

Getting Around

• If you are in a hurry take the Alaska Highway, the principal route out of the state through Canada
• Consider taking the Alaska Railroad that runs from Seward through Anchorage, Denali, and Fairbanks to North Pole, with spurs to Whittier and Palmer.
• Alaska has a well-developed ferry system, known as the Alaska Marine Highway, which serves the cities of Southeast and the Alaska Peninsula.
• Alaska has a very well-developed Bush air service
• Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a major hub. From here many flights leave for regional hubs like Bethel, Nome, Kotzebue, Dillingham and Kodiak.
• The world's busiest seaplane base is Lake Hood, located next to Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, with flights bound for remote villages.
• Last but not least: the dogsled!

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