Not sure where to go during your vacation in Alaska? Don’t worry, we got you. Alaska is bigger than people realize. Alaska is one of the best and most beautiful places in the world. The landscapes, wildlife adventures, and raw beauty are some of the things that add to the experience. It is a big country with amazing places to explore. One of the largest and most populated States in the United States– inhabitants here appreciate this place called home.
Best Places To Visit in Alaska
1. Anchorage
2. Denali National Park and Preserve
3. Kenai Fjords Park
4. Juneau
5. Ketchikan
5 Best Places To Visit in Alaska
If you love traveling and enjoy learning and unlearning new things, Alaska offers you plenty of history and rich culture to make your vacation a memorable moment.
1. Anchorage
This is where the journey begins. Anchorage is the largest city in the country, and almost the entire population of Alaska lives in Anchorage. Anchorage might not be among the prettiest cities, but it is such an interesting place to explore the city and check out its surroundings. A trip to its museum, the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, is a place to learn about Alaska’s history, native people, and their culture, and experience unique exhibits of contemporary art. Another place to visit here is the Alaska native heritage center, where you not only learn about the different indigenous people of Alaska but also their culture and way of life.
The main airport hub in the region is the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, Alaska’s largest and most trafficked airport in the country. The local restaurant here offers the best fresh seafood, and the hotels give more than comfortable beds. Some of the things to do here include flightseeing tours, affordable day cruises, bear viewing tours, parks & trails, places to shop for souvenirs or Alaska art, great dining and nightlife, winter activities on vacation, and scenic drives to enjoy the coastal view and roadside glaciers in the valley.
2. Denali NationalPark and Preserve
If this park is not on your travel bucket list, let’s fix that. This National Park can be found halfway between Anchorage and Fairbanks. Denali Park is one of the most popular places to visit in Alaska as it is home to Mount Denali, the highest mountain in the US. This park holds breathtaking views and picturesque landscapes with a great experience for any taste and budget. It also serves as home to many incredible animals as they roam freely within the acres, far from where visitors travel. The creatures prefer solitude, making sightings feel like a lottery.
If you’re an avid hiker, one of the best things to do is to see the stunning views of Mount Denali. Mount Denali is one of the world’s seven summits, rising above the plain that surrounds it. There are many trails to hike in Denali National Park and Preserve, and beautiful Alaskan wildlife you can see to admire in all its glory. The highlights at the Denali National Park and Preserve include flightseeing tours, guided hiking on the front country trails, rafting tours as you paddle down the glacial river around the park, winter activities, bear viewing tours, glacier tours, horseback riding, bicycle date tours, and dog sledding, among other fun-filled activities you might want to engage in.
3. Kenai Fjords Park
Situated on the Kenai Peninsula, this park is famous for its impressive views and magnificent landscapes that include mountains, ice fields, and the ocean. Located outside of Seward, Kenai Fjords is one of the most unspoiled and interesting places to visit in Alaska. There are plenty of activities to do in this Park: hiking, kayaking, mountaineering, fishing, cross-country skiing, and spotting wildlife. The Kenai Fjords park is home to many black and brown bears, sea otters, migratory whales, and more than 190 species of birds. For a better view of the landscape and wildlife, you should go on a cruise. But if you are likely to suffer from sea sickness, it is advisable to go with some tablets. At Kenai Fjords, you will experience the melting glacier or hike the Harding Icefields trails, which are at the top of Exit Glacier.
4. Juneau
Many travelers find their way to Juneau every summer, and some of the reasons are that this gorgeous city is the highlight of an inside passage cruise and a jumping-off point for solo travel within southeast Alaska. This beautiful place is home to 30,000 inhabitants without any road connection to the outside world; boats and airplanes are the only means of getting away. Juneau is full of opportunities to satisfy all types of travelers; whether you are looking for outdoor activity, culture, food, or an all-around experience, there is something for everyone.
If eating out is your way to explore a new place, there are tons of restaurants where to can explore the local food. If hiking is your thing, find your way to Nugget Falls – one of the largest waterfalls in Alaska. Expect a large crowd if there is a cruise ship at the port. There are plenty of activities to do at this beautiful place: glacier tours, sea kayaking tours, gold panning tours, winter activities to enjoy the breathtaking ocean views, canoeing tours, rafting tours, and small ship cruises.
5. Ketchikan
Surrounded by rich coastal temperate rainforest, granite cliffs, and skyscrapers of stone, this is a perfect place to start kayaking, climbing, or a small boat trip into the surrounding wilderness. Ketchikan is quite famous for its persistent rain, with an average of 141 inches of rain per year. What makes this location unique in its own way is that it is only accessible by air or boat. The good news is that it’s only a short ride from the airport on Gravina Island to downtown Ketchikan.
It houses a lot of maritime industries and a shipyard that stops in Ketchikan’s port. Within the Ketchikan community were the Alaskan natives from the Haida, Tlingit, and Tsimshian Nations. This place is also known as the salmon capital of the world for its numerous fishing opportunities. There are plenty of things to do here: hiking, fishing, ATV tours, kayaking, biking tours, enjoying the beautiful art scenes, and exploring Ketchikan’s rich history and culture. There are also plenty of great places with excellent dining experiences that offer delicious seafood dishes too tempting to resist.
Conclusion
If, after reading this post, you are still wondering “is Alaska worth visiting?”, this is an assurance that it definitely is. There are many amazing places to visit in Alaska, and it’s such a big country that it can take you months of exploring as you won’t be able to see it all in one trip. There is so much to see and do in this beautiful place in the world.
