Alaska Points of Interest and Places to Visit

Alaska's famous drive-in glacier, Mendenhall Glacier, is Juneau's most popular attraction, flowing 12 miles (19 kilometers) from its source, the Juneau Ice Field. On a sunny day it's beautiful, with blue skies and snow-capped mountains in the background. On a cloudy and drizzly afternoon, it can be even more impressive, as the ice turns shades of deep blue. Near the face of the glacier is the visitors center, which houses various glaciology exhibits, a large relief map of the ice field, an observatory with telescopes and a theater that shows the film, Magnificent Mendenhall. Outside you'll find a salmon-viewing platform overlooking Steep Creek, as well as 6 hiking trails, including a short photo-overlook trail to a longer trek up the glacier's west side. Another trail, the East Glacier Loop trail leads through the forest for views of a waterfall near the glacier’s face. Though a little steep, it’s perfect for school-age children.

If you’re sailing north by cruise ship, Ketchikan Cruise Port will be your first port of call on the Alaska Marine Highway. The former salmon fishery town offers visitors a real taste of Alaska’s frontier personality. Cruise boats dock right on the waterfront, so the attractions, bars and restaurants are just a short stroll away. Get a feel for old-time Ketchikan by taking a walk along the Creek Street boardwalk, and shop for Alaskan souvenirs like toy moose and eagles at the port’s many shops. Ride the cable car to a nearby hill for stellar views, visit Deer Mountain to learn about salmon hatching and eagle feeding habits, or take a scenic flight over the stunning granite cliffs of Misty Fjords National Monument. Of course, if you’re into fly-fishing you’ll be in heaven in Ketchikan when the salmon are running. Other visitors take the opportunity to paddle a canoe, or see totem poles at the Saxman Native Village.

Arcing upwards from the waterfront at Juneau’s cruise terminal to the crest of Mt. Roberts, a ride aboard the Mt. Roberts Tramway is one of Juneau’s signature experiences. The enclosed gondolas swing away from the dock to glide over downtown Juneau and up through the rainforest to the 1,800-foot (540m) summit of Mt. Roberts. Panoramic views take in stunning vistas of sea and mountains, over to the Chilkat Mountains to the north, the Gastineau Channel, Douglas Island and Silver Bow Basin. Peering down, you might be lucky enough to spot marmots, deer and even a bear. The ride ends on the top of the mountain at the Mountain House cultural center, picturesquely surrounded by Sitka pines and wildflowers. Visit the nature center to learn more about this beautiful part of the world, or follow one of the hiking trails winding away from the terminal. There’s a wheelchair-accessible trail, and a short mile-loop trail with interpretative signage.

At more than 6 million acres (2.5 million hectares), Denali National Park is a breathtaking wilderness area, which includes North America’s highest mountain. A single road curves 92 miles (148 kilometers) through the heart of the park, leading to off-trail hiking opportunities, abundant wildlife, and stunning tundra panoramas. Wildlife in Denali National Park, including mammals such as marmot and moose, is easy to spot. Caribou, wolves, and brown bears are crowd favorites. The park is also well known for its bird population, especially during late spring and summer. Birdwatchers may find waxwings, Arctic Warblers, and the majestic tundra swan. Predatory birds include a variety of hawks, owls, and the striking golden eagle. Ten species of fish, including trout, salmon, and arctic grayling share the waters of the park.

A white-blue shock tumbling between mountains into the river valley that bears the same name, Herbert Glacier is a popular but still secluded stop for tours to the Juneau Icefield north of Alaska’s state capitol. Though Herbert doesn’t have the wow factor of tumbling into an impressive reflecting pool of its own meltwater like neighboring massive Mendenhall Glacier, Herbert Glacier is deeper inland, boasts a dramatic backdrop of snowcapped peaks and frequently visited by heli-flight. Often combined with fly-overs to Mendenhall and thick Taku Glacier, Herbert Glacier’s flow has several flat landing spots that offer the chance to set foot on its chilly, slow moving mass. Its surface also affords one of the most unique ways to experience a glacier in the region: by dog sled. After landing on the glacier, a team of huskies guided by an experienced musher navigates the glacier’s eternal winter wilds.

Encompassing 17 million acres, the Tongass National Forest is the largest forest in the United States. Originally the Alexander Archipelago Forest Reserve, a project of Theodore Roosevelt started in 1902, the park was developed and renamed in 1908 to pay homage to the Tongass Clan of the Tlingit Indians. Visitors to Tongass National Forest have an enormous array of activities and experiences to choose from: bird-watching, trekking, fishing (there are five species of salmon here, among other fish), camping, visiting glaciers, lake canoeing, off-roading and just relishing pure fresh air and pristine natural beauty. In fact, there are 17,000 miles (27,359 kilometers) of lakes, creeks and rivers to enjoy within the forest. Wildlife is also prevalent, with chances to view otters, brown and black bears, wolves, eagles and Sitka black-tailed deer.

Encompassing 1,047 square miles (2,711 square kilometers), the Kenai Fjords National Park is named after the many glacial-carved fjords, or glacial valleys that sit below sea level. These fjords run down the mountains and into the iconic Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States with 40 glaciers flowing into it. There are many ways to experience the park’s beauty, like taking an aerial tour, kayaking on the fjords, hiking to the top of the Harding Icefield Trail or exploring the trails around Exit Glacier. You can also fish for salmon and Dolly Varden within the park’s backcountry. For those interested in wildlife spotting, the parks icy waters and dense woodland are home to a number of creatures like mountain goats, black bears, bald eagles, Steller sea lions, puffins, Dall's porpoises, and humpback and orca whales.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline is a 48-inch oil pipeline that traverses 800 miles (1,300 kilometers). It was built by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in 1977 to transport crude oil from Prudhoe Bay’s oil fields to a port in Valdez to be loaded onto tankers and shipped to U.S. refiners. The cost to construct the pipeline was $8 billion, making it one of the largest privately-funded construction projects in Alaska. Moreover, it’s one of the largest pipeline systems in the world, and because much of the ground that it is laid on is frozen sections of the pipeline are either built above ground or buried and insulated. It’s astonishing that the pipe has withstood the harsh Alaska weather for so long. Today, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is a popular tourist attraction, especially for those who want to get a photograph of themselves touching it.

Extending from Seward to beyond Fort Wainwright in Alaska’s interior, the Alaska Railroad provides commuters access to popular tourist stops like Whittier, Fairbanks, Anchorage, Talkeetna and Denali National Park. While its mainline runs for more than 470 miles (760 kilometers), there are also secondary lines providing over 500 miles (800 kilometers) of extended service. Not only is the Alaska Railroad a great resource for getting around Alaska, it’s also a scenic journey allowing you to enjoy and photograph pristine Alaskan wilderness right from your seat. In fact, many consider riding the Alaska Railroad an attraction in itself, especially as the railroad offers special train journeys and day trips and even slows down when passing particularly scenic locations. Commentary is provided, and opportunities to spot wildlife like black bear, porcupines, bald eagles, moose and Dall sheep are abundant.

The Dalton Highway runs for 414 miles to Alaska’s northernmost mountains in the Brooks Range and nearly all the way out to the Arctic Ocean. Running through valleys surrounded by jagged peaks, the highway connects Interior Alaska to the Prudhoe Bay oil fields and is technically part of the northernmost highway in the U.S. Also one of the most remote, the Dalton Highway parallels the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Visitors who take the drive themselves will need to note that much of the road is still mostly gravel. Unless you’ve appeared on Ice Road Truckers, you might want to skip the ride in winter. Public access ends at the small town of Deadhorse, just before the Arctic Ocean, and if you want to reach those last 8 miles of private road out to the coast, it’s possible to join private tours from Deadhorse.

An hours’ drive from Fairbanks, Alaska’s Chena Hot Springs Resort includes an indoor chlorinated pool for families and a natural-rock outdoor lake filled with pure hot spring mineral water for adults. The site was first discovered by gold miners in 1905 and sits at the center of a 40-square-mile geothermal area. The spring waters have to be cooled before bathing; otherwise you’d be dipping into scolding 156° F waters. In winter, Chena is known for its Aurora Borealis displays, and the resort is also home to the Aurora Ice Museum and Ice Bar. The resort has 80 rooms for guests, a restaurant, lounge bar and an onsite cafe. In summer, the site is also a popular base for mountain bikers, hikers and horseback riding, and it’s also possible to go grayling fishing in the local streams.

The Misty Fjords National Monument encompasses 3,594 square miles (5,783 square kilometers) of wilderness and lies between two impressive fjords - Behm Canal (117 mi/188 km long) and Portland Canal (72 mi/115 km long). The two natural canals give the preserve its extraordinarily deep and long fjords with sheer granite walls that rise thousands of feet/meters out of the water. Misty Fjords is well named; annual rainfall is 14 feet (4 meters). Misty Fjords National Monument draws many kayakers, who head for the smaller but equally impressive fjords of Walker Cove and Punchbowl Cove in Rudyerd Bay, off Behm Canal. Dense spruce-hemlock rainforest is the most common vegetation throughout the monument, and sea lions, harbor seals, killer whales, brown and black bears, mountain goats, moose and bald eagles can all be seen there.

Located on the on Alaska’s Kenai Peninsula, Resurrection Bay is a perfect example of pristine Alaskan wilderness. Littered with glistening glaciers, majestic fjords, secluded coves and small islands set against a backdrop of snow-capped mountains, otherworldly rock formations and dramatic fog, this is a haven for those who enjoy striking landscapes. Not only is Resurrection Bay beautiful, it’s also filled with opportunities for outdoors recreation. Those interested in bird-watching and wildlife spotting should be on the lookout for puffins, bald eagles, Dall's Porpoises, Stellar Sea Lions, orca and Humpback Whales, harbor seals and sea otters. Additionally, the waters are popular for kayaking, sailing and flightseeing. And because Resurrection Bay never freezes, the waters are easily navigable for tours.

Not far from the town of Seward, there are nearly 40 glaciers making up an icefield that spans more than 300 square miles, all contained within Kenai Fjords National Park. The largest of these is Bear Glacier. It's not far from Seward to Exit Glacier, the most easily accessible glacier in the park, but it's also possible to reach Bear Glacier from Seward – if you head out on the water. You can go on cruises that visit the many fjords in the park, and you can even go sea kayaking through the fjords. Sea kayaking up to Bear Glacier gives you a chance to see the glacier and its iceberg-filled lagoon up close. You can also choose an overnight adventure, camping near the glacier. Even if you opt for a day cruise, you'll be treated to incomparable glacier views, plus the chance to see puffins, whales, and sea otters.

Alaska is known for its wildlife, and at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center you can see an array of native species in one place. You’ll learn the individual stories of each animal and their species in general from knowledgeable staff members. The animals you’ll probably see—and get surprisingly close to—include bears, moose, eagles, reindeer, elk, musk oxen, wood bison, lynx, caribou, Sitka black-tailed deer and porcupine. The center works to rehabilitate the animals and reintroduce them into the wild. In fact, the center is currently working toward reintroducing the once-extinct wood bison through a breeding program. Make sure to ask staff for a schedule of events, as there are a number of visitor programs and activities such as taking a stroll with Hershey the reindeer, seeing the moose and ox calves get bottle fed and learning about porcupines with Snickers, the center’s resident porcupine.

Taking a ride on the narrow-gauge White Pass and Yukon Railroad is a fun way to see spectacular historic scenery from a train inching up steep tracks that were carved out of the side of the mountains. A number of routes take you through White Pass, which travels from Alaska to Canada on historic trains. You begin your journey on the White Pass and Yukon Railroad in Skagway. The summit excursion takes you 20 miles (32 kilometers) from Skagway to the White Pass Summit, 2,865 feet (873 meters) high. Another trip takes you up to the summit, then down to British Columbia. The historic cars are more than 100 years old, and you’ll definitely get a sense of how travelers in the late 19th century got around. While you’re traveling you’ll see breathtaking mountain and forest vistas – you may even see a bear or caribou frolicking about.

Starting in the Yukon-Tanana Upland, 57 miles from the town of Fox, the Tolovana River is known for its grayling and northern pike fishing and flows southwest for 116 miles through the Tolovana Valley and its abundance of birch and spruce trees. With little to no light pollution, the area surrounding the Tolovana River is a particularly good place to see the Aurora Borealis, and while you’re in the area, look out for typical Alaskan wildlife, including moose, bears, eagles, and martens. Tucked into the mountains near the river, you can also visit Tolovana Hot Springs. The most remote of the region’s “big four” hot springs, the site is only accessible via cross-country skiing, hiking, dog-sledding or helicopter.

If you’re staying in Anchorage and reading about the glaciers that are so much a part of Alaska, then head to Portage Glacier, just a little more than an hour outside of the city. Portage Glacier is truly worth the drive. Once you’re here, you can watch for huge chunks of ice to break away and crash into the lake. Sitting inside the Chugach National Forest, Portage Glacier is breathtaking to say the least. You approach it by boat, and you’re rewarded with a stellar view of the glacier. The visitor center features a number of programs on the historical and natural wonders of the valley. A film, Voices from the Ice, provides a spectacular view of many glaciers and wildlife. The visitor center also houses exhibits demonstrating how glaciers move and gives insight into the retreat of Portage Glacier.

One not to miss experience when traveling to Juneau is visiting the Juneau Icefield. The fifth-largest icefield in the Western Hemisphere at 3,900 square kilometers (1,500 square miles), it’s home to over 140 interconnected glaciers. This is where you’ll find Juneau’s most popular tourist attraction, Mendenhall Glacier, a 12-mile (19-kilometer) long drive-in glacier. There are many ways to explore the Juneau Icefield and Mendenhall Glacier, some of which include a whale watching cruise, kayaking, a rafting tour, and trekking on and/or around the glacier. Another popular glacier to visit in the Juneau Icefield is Taku Glacier, touted as the world’s deepest and thickest glacier at 4,845 feet (1,477 meters) thick, which is also possible to hike on.

Visitors flock to Chichagof Island in Juneau for a peek inside of raw, rugged and untouched Alaska. Measuring in at 75 miles long and 50 miles wide, this island is the fifth largest in the United States. Chichagof, also know as Shee Kaax, acts as a port for cruise ships, boasting panoramic views and fresh mountain air. Most are drawn to the island for the untouched landscape and wildlife; Chichagof has the highest population of bears per square mile of anywhere in the world! While the population of the island is quite small — less than 2,000 inhabitants, the activities offered are numerous, including sightseeing, fishing and guided hunting.

What remains of the most powerful recorded earthquake in U.S. and North American history is best viewed from the beautiful Earthquake Park. The 1964 Anchorage earthquake lasted roughly four minutes, registered a 9.4 on the Richter scale, and slid a whole section of south-central Alaska into Cook Inlet. Now the trail into the park offers guests unparalleled views of the Coastal Trail, Anchorage, Cook Inlet and Mt McKinley (otherwise known as Denali), and is a preferred resting spot for a day in the wilderness or an afternoon picnic.A well-loved day hike and quick escape from Anchorage, the Earthquake Park is not to be missed.

Remotely located in Southwestern Alaska near Kodiak Island, Katmai National Park is one of the foremost places to see Alaskan brown bears, which come to feast on summer salmon runs. Covering more than 4 million acres, the park has one of the largest populations of brown bears in the world. There are 15 different volcanoes to explore, some of which are still active and releasing steam. In fact, the park was established to preserve the area round Mount Katmai and the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes after volcanic activity devastated the land in the early 1900s. Hiking, kayaking, and canoeing among the crystal-clear waters are coming activities here, and bear-watching is best at the park’s Brooks River Falls. The many wild rivers and lakes not only draw bears but also sport fisherman, both of which are after the area’s five varieties of Pacific salmon as well as pike, rainbow trout, and Arctic char.