Alaska Excursions

Alaska Excursions

Wide range of glorious day trips throughout Southcentral Alaska.

Iditarod 40

Photos and stories from the last great race.

Anchorage: 48°/62°/Cloudy

Fairbanks: 48°/75°/Mostly cloudy

Juneau: 43°/62°/Showers

More weather

Photos of Alaska

PHOTO GALLERY

Birds of Spring 2012

Snow geese land on the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge on Thursday, April 19, 2012 in Anchorage, Alaska. Snow geese migrate toward the Beaufort Sea coastal region in northern Alaska and Canada in spring. (Photo / Marc Lester, Anchorage Daily News)

Resident and migratory birds are busy feeding, courting and preparing for nesting as spring arrives at thawing Westchester Lagoon, the Cook Inlet shoreline and other ponds and lakes around Anchorage.

PHOTO GALLERY

Baby musk ox

Musk ox mothers stick close to their calves at the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer on Thursday, May 3, 2012. Twelve musk oxen have been born so far this season at the Musk Ox Farm. Staff at the farm are busy combing the animals to gather quviut which will be made into hats and scarves by Oomingmak, a cooperative of craftspeople. The Musk Ox Farm officially opens for the season on Mother's Day, May 13. Mothers are admitted free to the annual open house.

Twelve musk oxen have been born so far this season at the Musk Ox Farm. Staff at the farm are busy combing the animals to gather quviut which will be made into hats and scarves by Oomingmak, a cooperative of craftspeople. The Musk Ox Farm officially opens for the season on Mother's Day, May 13. Mothers are admitted free to the annual open house.

PHOTO GALLERY

Fall Colors

Fall colors in Southcentral Alaska.

Ice climbing along the Turnagain Arm

Scotty Vincik climbs on the PFM ice climb while his partner Matt Suddock belays him along the Seward Highway across from Turnagain Arm on Saturday January 12, 2008.

Recreation is key to surviving Alaska's long, dark winters. Truly ambitious outdoor enthusiasts have pounced on a vault of creative opportunities, including making use of the frozen waterfalls for ice climbing along the Seward Highway.

Sledding

People braved the icy conditions at Russian Jack Springs Park to go sledding on Sunday afternoon, Nov. 14, 2010.

People braved the icy conditions at Russian Jack Springs Park to go sledding on a brisk Sunday afternoon.

Ice storm

A car rear-ended a school bus due to icy roads  Monday morning, Nov. 22, 2010, on the Johansen Expressway in Fairbanks.

A warm front brought rainfall to Alaska stretching from Southcentral on up to the Arctic Coast. Check out how Alaskans handle extreme winter weather.

Surfing the bore tide

A group of Stand Up Paddle Surfers rode the bore tide along the Turnagain Arm near the Seward Highway on Friday September 10, 2010 with the Kenai Mountains in the background. The paddle surfers led by Scott Dickerson with SurfAlaska out of Homer, AK rode the incoming tide from Peterson Creek to as far as the Twenty Mile River at sunset. Dickerson and Mike McCune also tried to catch the bore tide near Bird Point but the bore did not develop at that point.

A rare phenomena, a bore is a long wave that forms from an incoming tide, and then travels long distances up a river or inlet. In Southcentral, the Cook Inlet bore tide along the Turnagain Arm is a sight to behold and on good days, paddle and wind surfers dot the inlet hoping to catch a ride.

Whitewater rafting

The Six-Mile-Fest  whitewater kayak and pack raft festival on Saturday August 21, 2010. The whitewater event featured Kayak and pack raft time trials, mass start races and and a rodeo at the Boston Bar with beer and food and camping at the bar.

Whitewater rafting is a passion hard to quench, but the Six Mile River near Hope on the Kenai Peninsula offers class 4 and 5 whitewater.

Springtime ice melt

After six months of a cold, dark winter, the extended sunlight in Alaska begins its work on the frozen-over region, melting away the ice and giving everything a glossy sheen.

Turnagain Arm

Ice is broken up along the shoreline of Portage Lake.Warm winter weather in the area diminished much of the ice and snow south of Anchorage. But what remained gleamed in the sunshine on Tuesday, February 23, 2010.

Warm winter weather diminished much of the ice and snow south of Anchorage. But what remained gleamed in the sunshine on Tuesday, February 23, 2010, along Turnagain Arm, in Girdwood and on Portage Lake.

Reader photos from Alaska

Alaska Wildlife sightings

Location: Sitka alaska, 04/21/2012 
thought only the little one was around until buck came around the corner.

Location: Sitka alaska, 04/21/2012 thought only the little one was around until buck came around the corner.

Moose sightings

Location: JBER Medical Group, 05/20/12

Location: JBER Medical Group, 05/20/12

Alaska birds

Location: Cuddy Park, 05/09/12 
The park contains the only full length speed skating oval in Alaska, and only the 6th in the country.

Location: Cuddy Park, 05/09/12 The park contains the only full length speed skating oval in Alaska, and only the 6th in the country.

Alaska Wolves

Location: Cassier Highway, BC, 05/02/2012 
Black wolf

Location: Cassier Highway, BC, 05/02/2012 Black wolf

Snowmachines

Location: Alyeska Resort, 05/05/12

Location: Alyeska Resort, 05/05/12

Bear sightings

Location: South Anchorage, 04/11/2012 
Black bear in south Anchorage, just out of hibernation. Photo by Matthew Quaid of www.greatnorthernimages.com.

Location: South Anchorage, 04/11/2012 Black bear in south Anchorage, just out of hibernation. Photo by Matthew Quaid of www.greatnorthernimages.com.

Hunting gallery

Location: Intricate Bay,Lake Iliamna, 2-23-2012 
Clara Savage and her Aunt Marlene with a big wolf from the trapline!

Location: Intricate Bay,Lake Iliamna, 2-23-2012 Clara Savage and her Aunt Marlene with a big wolf from the trapline!

Alaska cabins

Location: willow creek, 07/07/2011 
its for sale

Location: willow creek, 07/07/2011 its for sale

Reader-submitted: Mat-Su scenics

Location: matanuska river, 01/06/12

Location: matanuska river, 01/06/12

2009 Nice Catch: Salmon

Who: Kodiak Combos
The Fish: Salmon -  48inches 67 pounds
Location: Old Harbor

Who: Kodiak Combos The Fish: Salmon - 48inches 67 pounds Location: Old Harbor

2009 Nice Catch: Halibut

Who: Rick Fyhrlund
The Fish: Halibut -  94in. 335lb.
Location: Cook Inlet

Who: Rick Fyhrlund The Fish: Halibut - 94in. 335lb. Location: Cook Inlet

Alaska's Glaciers

Location: Mendenhall Glacier Juneau, 11/21/09

Location: Mendenhall Glacier Juneau, 11/21/09

2009 Fall

Location: Flat Top - Anchorage, 09/18/09 
First snowfall during hike at Flat - Top Moutain - Awesome!

Location: Flat Top - Anchorage, 09/18/09 First snowfall during hike at Flat - Top Moutain - Awesome!

2009 Summer solstice

Location: The Snow Goose Rest 
This was taken from the roof of the snowgooose at about 10:00pm

Location: The Snow Goose Rest This was taken from the roof of the snowgooose at about 10:00pm

2009 Arctic Man

Location: arctic man 2009

Location: arctic man 2009

alaska tour & travel