Alaska Excursions

Alaska Excursions

A wide range of trips throughout Southcentral Alaska.

Iditarod 41

Photos and stories from the last great race.

Anchorage: 45°/61°/Mostly cloudy

Fairbanks: 46°/69°/Partly sunny

Juneau: 48°/69°/Showers

More weather

Places to go

Alaska's Parks and Forests

Denali

A grizzly bear grazes in Grassy Pass. Mount McKinley -- the 20,320-foot peak locally known as Denali -- rises behind it.

The round-rumped grizzly bear ambled toward us, and I swallowed a scream and the urge to run. It had 6 million acres of Denali National Park and Preserve wilderness in which to roam, yet somehow this bear had managed to find my backpacking partner and me, alone on the Savage River.

Bears in the wild

Bears of the Interior

3 kinds of bears

Glacier Bay

A cruise ship delivers a close-up view of the ice in Glacier Bay National Park.

At Glacier Bay you can see tidewater glaciers and kayak through valleys and fjords carved by retreating glaciers.

Kenai Fjords

Exit Glacier, in Kenai Fjords National Park, provides a stunning backdrop for a group of picnickers. The glacier, just outside of Seward, is accessible by car and then by foot to the face of the glacier and a short overlook trail or a longer trail to the Harding Icefield from which the glacier flows.

This national park is perfect for wildlife-viewing, kayaking or picnicking near a glacier.

Alaska's state parks

The end of summer brings red patches to the tundra vegetation in the valley along Chugach State Park's Rabbit Creek. Ptarmigan Peak is the in the background.

The state has over 100 state parks and recreation areas perfect for camping, fishing or a picnic.

National forests

Bicyclists Melissa DeVaughn and Mark Wedeking roll down the trail between Resurrection Pass and Devil's Pass on the Kenai Peninsula trail. In late August vegetation was just beginning to take a turn toward fall colors in this part of the Chugach National Forest.

Alaska's two national forests are great for fishing, hunting, or mountain biking.

Alaska's other national parks

In addition to the four major national parks, Alaska boasts four other national parks, two national historical parks and four national monuments.

alaska tour & travel