Trip planning
Accessible Alaska
Disabilities often can be worked around on the Last Frontier
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
Alaska businesses abide by the Americans with Disabilities Act, but the rugged nature of Alaska makes many places difficult to visit.
Nevertheless, there are many places where access to the outdoors has been improved. For example, some fishing areas on the Kenai River have boardwalks. Many trails in Inside Passage towns, where cruise-ship traffic is heavy, have been smoothed. Ramps to the docks and onto sightseeing boats make getting aboard easier for everyone.
An example of mixed access outdoors is at Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward. Exit Glacier is reached via an asphalt parking lot and asphalt path a quarter-mile long, but the last hundred yards of trail covers an outwash plain that might stop a wheelchair but could be crossed by someone on foot.
Most sightseeing attractions have been improved with friendlier paths and doorways.
Winter travel can be difficult. Sidewalks are often buried by snowplows or simply by new snow and ice. But taxis and city buses, some with lifts, can accommodate people needing help.
Some tour companies are geared toward helping people using wheelchairs and other items.
Highway race
A weeklong athletic event each July is the Midnight Sun Ultra Challenge wheelchair and handcycle race from Fairbanks to Anchorage. The race, starring athletes from around the world, covers about 265 miles of mountain and flat terrain along the Parks Highway.
There are dozens of good spots for each race segment so vacationers can meet and cheer for the racers.
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