Alaska Excursions

Alaska Excursions

Wide range of glorious day trips throughout Southcentral Alaska.

Iditarod 39

Photos and stories from the last great race.

Anchorage: 21°/27°/Clear

Fairbanks: -2°/20°/Clear

Juneau: 25°/38°/Intermittent clouds

More weather

Flying to and from Fairbanks

More on Feature of the day

Ferry times to Alaska

People coming to Alaska often get on the state ferry at Bellingham, Wash., and float north to Haines, where they head up a road to the Alaska Highway. How long is the Bellingham-Haines trip?

Flight time to Anchorage

A flight to Anchorage from Seattle, the most commonly used connection point, takes about 3 hours 30 minutes.

Getting to Alaska

Many of Anchorage's visitors fly into or out of Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, west of downtown.

Vacationers have a wide variety of ways to get to Alaska.

Maps of Alaska

Rental cars in Alaska

Having a rental car makes it easy to stop along the highway -- say, to photograph a Dall sheep near the Seward Highway south of Anchorage.

Rental cars, minivans and SUVs vary in make and price, but one thing doesn't change -- travelers should reserve their vehicle early.

Highways: The way to really see Alaska

Getting around in Alaska

Green buses shuttle visitors into Denali

Flightseeing at Denali

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Kenai Fjords National Park

Glacier Bay National Park

Denali campground guide

Bus service to Denali

Limited offer: Drive Denali for free

Tundra wildlife and natural history tours

Rafting the Nenana reveals Denali's wet side

Alaska Railroad to Denali

Reserve campsite, bus ticket early for Denali trip

Denali National Park

Hiking and backcountry camping at Denali

Denali Institute ecosystem courses

Hotels, campgrounds, lodges welcome visitors

Driving Denali in autumn

Denali climate and sunshine

Driving to Denali

Bus service in Fairbanks

Flying to and from Fairbanks

Trains in Fairbanks

Ketchikan, Alaska

Skagway, Alaska

Seward, Alaska

Juneau fishing

Driving around Fairbanks

Juneau basic information

Juneau transportation

Juneau parks

Juneau's climate

Juneau attractions

Juneau -- Alaska's capital

Fairbanks sports

Fairbanks: Info and contacts

Fairbanks lodging

Fairbanks-area fishing

Fairbanks weather

Fairbanks hiking and camping

Winter fun in Fairbanks

Ferry and cruise trips near Anchorage

Driving in Anchorage

Day trips south of Anchorage

Day trips north of Anchorage

A city of parks

Savvy shopping in Anchorage

Finding history

Attractions around Anchorage

Downtown Anchorage attractions

Kenai Peninsula hiking (10-12-2005)

Sea otters in Alaska

Wolves in Alaska

Loons in Alaska

City has connections to Anchorage and the Bush

Alaska.com

Fairbanks has jet and propeller-plane service to Anchorage and the world beyond.

Alaska Airlines is the jet carrier, offering several one-hour flights a day to Anchorage. Alaska is a code-sharing partner with American Airlines, so some American flights may be on Alaska Airlines 737s and MD-80s.

Fares will rise and fall, of course, but Alaska Airlines is selling trips in summer 2004 for about $170 round-trip.

Alaska Airlines, www.alaskaair.com, also flies 737s to Barrow and Prudhoe Bay.

Frontier Flying Service, www.frontierflying.com, also flies to Anchorage. (This is not Frontier Airlines; both Frontiers fly in and out of Anchorage International.)

Frontier also has flights to Anaktuvuk Pass (Gates of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), Barter Island (Arctic National Wildlife Refuge), Barrow, Galena and many other towns in the Bush. It's especially handy for day trips or short excursions to check out the culture off Alaska's road system. The company flies Beech 1900 twin-engine planes.

Several small airline companies, including Warbelow's Air Ventures, provide both passenger and flightseeing trips to Bush communities, Denali National Park, the Brooks Range and the area's national wildlife refuges. The company flies Piper Navajos.