Alaska is America's final frontier. It boasts the United State's longest coastline, highest mountains and vast wilderness expanses teeming with wildlife. Along with being the United State's largest state, it is also one of it's least populated. So, while the land of the midnight sun may not be home to many people, it is filled with remote and rugged adventures. Today we're filling our cup up with just a few.
Misty Fjords National Monument:
If remote wilderness is your cup of tea, pack a fishing pole and head to Misty Fjords National Monument. Here you'll have to eat what you catch since there are no restaurants or supply stores within the monument's boundaries. You will find plenty of solitude however, unless you count the wildlife. Sea lions, orcas and dolphins are regularly spotted in the saltwater fjords after which the monument is named, bears can be found roaming the forests, and mountain goats can be found perched on the cliffs edging the fjords, some of which reach 3,000 feet in height. Hiking and paddling are visitors main pursuits and rustic accommodations are available in the form of forest service cabins and shelters.
The best time to visit is early summer when temperatures have warmed up from winter's chill and the rainy climate and snow melt present the park's thousand foot waterfalls at their best. Access to the park is by air and sea only, so adventurers will want to plan ahead. The charming town of Ketchikan serves as the park's main access point and is worth a visit in its own right for its impressive totem pole collections.
Whale Watching Kayak Trips:
The best view of a whale is found from the water and for whale watching enthusiasts Alaska is the place to be. Kayaking tours can be booked from many coastal toursist towns and depending on the location paddling trips may include views of glaciers and icebergs. These views however are secondary to the real highlight of the adventure, an up close view of whales swimming next to your kayak.
Rovers Run:
If you are in Alaska and hoping for a close encounter of the bear kind, you may be interested in the Rover's Run trail located just outside the city of Anchorage, Alaska. Rover's Run is a former game trail that was converted into a biking and ski trail and it is known for its high concetration of bears. It is estimated that a few dozen bears roam the trail's general area. Chances of encountering bears is so high in fact that Anchorage city officials advise people to stay away from the trail. Recent history shows that such warnings shouldn't be taken lightly. Two separate bear mauling incidents have occured in just the last few years.
Considering the local population on the Rover's Run trail is bigger and scarier than you, this may perhaps be a trail best left less travelled. If you choose to go anyway, bone up on your bear safety knowledge and remember, you hike at your own risk.
Glacier Hiking:
Alaska is home to half of the world's glaciers with over 100,000 glaciers covering 16,000 square miles of land. With so many glaciers, no visit to Alaska would be complete without visiting one. Luckily, glacier hiking tours operate out of many tourist hubs such as Anchorage and Wrangell St. Elias National Park.
Hiking tours will introduce the adventurous to a glacier's blue ice landscape, including views of ice canyons and crevasses, icy waterfalls, and entrancing ice caves. So next time you're in Alaska strap on some crampons and step out on the ice for a hiking adventure you wont forget.
See the Northern Lights:
Native American tribes once believed the lights of the Aurora Borealis were the dancing spirits of the dead. A visit to Alaska is the perfect place to bundle up and get a view of this magnificent phenomenon for yourself. Peak Aurora viewing season is during the dead of winter, however the northern lights can generally be seen anytime between the begining of September to the end of April. The most reliable location for viewing the lights is Fairbanks, though tours can be booked which will take you even farther north into the arctic circle for the best chance of seeing the lights.
During the spring and fall, look to the skies between 12:30 pm. and 4:30 am. Also, maximize your chances by checking the UAF geophysical institute's Aurora Forcast at http://www.gi.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast.
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