Alaska USA-These are the 10 Best Places to visit in Alaska

Alaska USA

Alaska is the largest state in the United States of America. The state is bordered by Canada on the east, the Beaufort Sea and the Arctic Ocean on the north, the Bering Sea and the Chukchi Sea on the west, and the Pacific Ocean and Gulf of Alaska on the south. Alaska is reputed for being cold, much of the state is covered in a layer of permafrost, and permanently frozen soil and it’s home to the largest glacier in North America. The Bering Glacier is about 5827 Square Kilometers. The northern and western coasts have tundra landscapes- flat and treeless with whipping winds. The taiga forest in the center of the state is filled with evergreen trees, lakes, and meadows. The natural beauty and scale of Alaska USA Attract thousands of tourists every year. Here are the Top 10 best places to visit in Alaska USA. Alaska map- Alaska map showing the major towns and Places.

Anchorage

Anchorage is a big city on the edge of the wilderness. The town is known for hiking trails and traffic jams, small art galleries, and Big Oil fields. There are more than 160 km of city trails meandering in hidden greenbelts and a creek downtown. Fill your days with a visit to the Anchorage Museum, restaurants tucked away in strip malls, and a climb to the summit of Flattop Mountain.  Anchorage is the gateway to Alaska adventure. The city combines wild Alaska beauty, urban comforts, mesmerizing outdoor activity, and captivating arts and culture. Find sparkling glaciers, abundant wildlife, parks and trails, and dazzling northern lights.

Glacier Bay

Glacier Bay is known for its cruise-ship industry and is a dreamy destination for paddling a kayak. Seven glaciers spill out of the mountains and fill the sea with icebergs of all shapes, sizes, and shades of blue, making Glacier Bay National Park a wilderness place. Glacier Bay is a dynamic habitat for humpback whales. Other wildlife found in Glacier Bay includes porpoises, sea otters, brown and black bears, wolves, moose, and mountain goats.

Denali National Park

Denali national park is a stunning landscape of tundra fields and polychromatic ridgelines. Denali attracts over a thousand alpinists every summer. Denali National Park located in Interior Alaska centered on Denali, the highest mountain in North America. Denali’s landscape is a mix of forest at the lowest elevations, including deciduous taiga, with tundra and glaciers, and bare rock at the highest elevations. Wintertime activities include dog sledding, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.

Mendenhall Glacier

Mendenhall Glacier is about 24.6 km long Glacier is located in Mendenhall Valley, about 19 km from downtown Juneau in the southeast area of the U.S. state of Alaska. The glacier and surrounding landscape are protected as part of the 2,353-ha Mendenhall Glacier Recreation Area and it is part of Tongass National Forest. Mendenhall Glacier has retreated 2.82 km since 1929 when Mendenhall Lake was created. Hike around this river of ice that tumbles out of the mountains stands in the gaping mouth of an ice cave and watches the parade of icebergs that the glacier discharges into the Mendenhall River.

Also read- The Spectacular Mendenhall Glacier of  Pleistocene Epoch, USA

The Northern Lights

Polar lights which are known as the aurora borealis Northern light are a natural phenomenon found in both the northern and southern hemispheres that can be truly awesome and inspiring. Aurora borealis is derived from the Greek words “Aurora” meaning “sunrise” and “Boreas” meaning “wind”. Aurora borealis, or northern lights, begin high in the Earth’s atmosphere at altitudes from 60 to 250 miles. This natural spectacle is a solar-powered jig that reflects many colors of the aurora. It simply can’t capture the magic of a live performance.

Kenai Fjords National Park

Kenai Fjords National Park is Alaska’s most awesome, impenetrable wilderness. It was created in 1980 to protect 587,000 acres of area. Crowning the park is the massive Harding Ice Field; from it, countless tidewater glaciers pour down, carving the coast into dizzying fjords. With an Amazing landscape and an abundance of marine wildlife, the park is a major tourist attraction. The park contains the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States, and is named for the numerous fjords carved by glaciers moving down the mountains. The field is the source of at least 38 glaciers, the largest of which is Bear Glacier. The remainder of the park is accessible by boat, airplane, and hiking.

Kodiak Island

Kodiak is the land of humongous brown bears and crab fishing. The mountain, crescent-shaped bays, and the people of the main town are simply amazing. It is separated from the Alaska mainland by the Shelikof Strait. Kodiak Island is the namesake for Kodiak Seamount, which lies off the coast at the Aleutian Trench. Kodiak Island has many deep, ice-free bays that provide sheltered anchorages for boats. Kodial island is rarely visited by big cruise ships. It s the US’s second-largest island in Alaska.

Denali Star train

The Denali Star Train travels from Anchorage to Fairbanks every day during the summertime. It has stoppages at Wasilla, Talkeetna, and Denali National Park along the way. The daily travel schedule makes the train an ideal option for fitting easily into visitors’ schedules.

Dalton Highway

Dalton Highway is a 666 km road in Alaska USA. It begins at the Elliott Highway, north of Fairbanks, and ends at Deadhorse near the Arctic Ocean and the Prudhoe Bay Oil Fields. It was built as a supply road to support the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System in 1974. It is named after James Dalton, a lifelong Alaskan, and engineer. The highway which directly parallels the pipeline is one of the most isolated roads in the United States. There are only three towns along the route: Coldfoot, Wiseman, and Deadhorse.

Alaska Ferry to the Aleutian Islands

There’s no experience like riding Alaska Ferry to the Aleutian Islands. The three nights on a ferry that services remote Alaska far along the tendril of the Aleutian chain. Bird watching, and seeing glaciers around are the best things to do on the Alaskan ferry.

The best time to visit Alaska USA

The best time to visit Alaska is During the summer season between May to September. At this time the leaves and flowers are in bloom, rushing rivers, and the best wildlife viewing. The peak season is June to August. If you are interested in Cruise, May through September is the best month. Small ship cruises start as early as mid-April.

Sources-lonleyplanet.com, wikipedia.org