Alaska Excursions

Alaska Excursions

Wide range of glorious day trips throughout Southcentral Alaska.

Iditarod 39

Photos and stories from the last great race.

Anchorage: -10°/4°/Flurries

Fairbanks: -53°/-34°/Fog

Juneau: 23°/30°/Flurries

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2010 Alaska Visitors Guide

Alaska: Infinite adventure

Vivid red Northern Lights shine above Pioneer Peak in Palmer, Alaska.

Whether it's mountains, wildlife, or the lights in the sky, things are just bigger in the last great frontier.

Things to do

Bears: Kings of the wild

Trails in town

Kenai Peninsula: Wildlife, parks, glaciers and fishing derbies

Anchorage: Blooms, bears, parks and planes

Kenai: Fishing, tours and museums

Flightseeing trips offer mountains and more

Explore downtown Anchorage

Iditarod athletes star during the sunny months too

Denali: Shuttles, bus service take visitors deep inside park

Catch the Bore Tide

Girdwood area is chockablock with fun activities and art

Southcentral is full of kayaking opportunities, including areas across Kachemak Bay from Homer like Tutka Bay.

Kayak or raft on waters from mild to wild

 

Visitors check out some of the furs at a booth at the Downtown Market and Festival in Anchorage. The market is open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays May 16 to Sept. 13.

Time to shop

Alaska will no doubt inspire memories.

A silver salmon at the Seward Silver Salmon Derby.

Salmon, halibut and shark fishing in Seward

 

The Independence Mine State Historical Park at Hatcher Pass is one of the top attractions in the Mat-Su area. The gold mine closed in 1951.

Hatcher Pass

Wilderness and gold-mining.

Potter Marsh, just south of Anchorage along the Seward Highway, is one of the best places for inexpensive fun for visitors. The marsh is part of the Anchorage Coastal Wildlife Refuge.

Freebies Galore

Plan your trip on a budget

Around Anchorage

Trails in town

Hikers take in the sunset at about 11:30 p.m. on the 2008 summer solstice atop Flattop Mountain in Chugach State Park. Hiking Flattop is a solstice tradition for many in Anchorage and a way to enjoy some of the more than 19 hours of daylight.

Whether they're mild or wild, the trails of Anchorage and Southcentral Alaska have plenty to keep hikers or bicycle riders busy for an hour, a day or longer.

Interactive map: Crow Pass Crossing

Wildlife viewing

Dall sheep along the Seward Highway at Windy Point ponder gawking tourists.

When it comes to urban wildlife, no place is like Anchorage. Moose, bears, salmon, and whales can all be seen in and around the city.

Photos: Wildlife sightings

Hallmark Alaska fare is seafood

Explore downtown Anchorage

Catch the Bore Tide

Cultural attractions

Music, fish and water festivals

Places to go

Wrangell-St. Elias: History & glaciers

Lush Panhandle is picturesque and historic

Whittier: Boat tours, kayaking and fishing

Valdez / Cordova: Fish and festivals on Prince William Sound

Turnagain Arm: Girdwood, Portage & Hope

Soldotna and the Kenai River

Seward: A must-see place

Mat-Su valleys: Outdoors paradise

Denali: Flightseeing, bus tours and rafting in mountain's shadow

Cooper Landing: History, fish and great surroundings

People stroll along Bishop's Beach on Kachemak Bay in Homer. The snow- and glacier-covered Kenai Mountains are across the bay.

Homer

From the top of Baycrest Hill, Homer looks like a little slice of paradise.

Pilot Steve Conatser climbs into the air in his float-equipped Piper PA-18 Super Cub as he shows the bush plane's capabilities to the passengers of the Discovery III riverboat on the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska.

Fairbanks

To many, Alaska is a land of extremes.

McKinley basks in sunshine as scattered clouds float past the overlook above town in Talkeetna.

Talkeetna, Gateway to Denali

Visitors to Talkeetna never forget the place

The view from Pillar Mountain on Kodiak Island includes the small boat harbor and fish processing plants in St. Paul Harbor.

Kodiak Island

At 3,588 square miles, Kodiak Island is the second-largest island in the United States, following the Big Island of Hawaii.

Plan your vacation

Lodging in Alaska

The Port Lions Lodge is a comfortable beachfront lodge surrounded by village homes in downtown Port Lions. The town, on northern Kodiak Island, is accessible by plane and boat.

From luxurious hotels in downtown Anchorage to rustic fishing lodges.

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Accommodations

Destinations

Dog sled tours

Fishing and Hunting Lodges

Wilderness lodges

Cruises

Day tours

Fishing Guides and Charters

Flightseeing

Package tours

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Blogs

ALASKOLOGY: Steve Edwards

Alaska has stuff to offer all year long. Steve Edwards' blog picks up where the annual Daily News Visitors' Guide leaves off.

You're in Alaska now

Bear watching

It's summer and the bears are active. Want to see a bruin? You don't have to rely on chance. Guides can help you do it safely at any of a number of parks.

Fishing

The strike came as no surprise. The Kenai is a fertile river and every cast comes with high expectations. Indeed, fishing had been good all morning.

Flightseeing

You can't get to most of Alaska by car, but there are plenty of options for taking in spectacular scenery via small plane.

Kayaking & rafting

With more than 30,000 miles of coastline, huge rivers and unspoiled scenery, Alaska is a water wonderland.

alaska tour & travel