Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States, an endlessly diverse land of which there is a misconception that there is permafrost. The Southeastern Panhandle (Southeastern Panhandle; from the town of Ketchikan, past the city of Juneau, to the towns of Heshe and Skagway) has a temperate climate, abundant rainfall, and fertile land with numerous forests. The Gulf of Alaska coast north and west of Haines represents the most densely populated area, especially around the city of Anchorage, the state’s truly major city.
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The Western Region, including the Alaska Peninsula, Aleutian Islands, and Pribyloff Islands, is foggy, damp, and windy; it’s a hotspot for feathered and marine life. The interior of the state south of the Brooks Range, from the Yukon River near the Canadian border toward the Bering Sea, is characterized by a dry climate, warm in summer and very cold in winter. The Arctic region, extending from Kotzebue Bay above the Seward Peninsula in the west and skirting Cape Barrow to the Arctic lowlands at Pradho Bay, appears to be a bleak land of permafrost.
.Alaska can also be a starting point for a cross-country trip, but it is worth considering the high cost of living and poor transportation system. Northwest Alaska is a more affordable option, but getting there is not so easy. The road will take several days by ferry, and Anchorage can be reached by airplane in 2.5 hours. Once there, you will marvel at the splendor of these lands and immediately start planning your next adventure – a summer in Alaska.
.The most complete picture of Alaska can be given by traveling by sea. Such a trip can be taken from Seattle, and in the summer from Vancouver, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.
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History
The Alaska Native people, the Athabaskans, Aleuts, and Inuit, as well as the coastal Tlingit and Haida tribes, began to settle Alaska, coming from the direction of the Bering Strait about 20,000 years ago. In the 18th century, a wave of European immigrants poured in, started first by British and French explorers and then by Russian whalers and fur traders who gave the first names to geographic locations, hunted otters, and destroyed the cultural heritage of the natives.
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Due to the devastating effects of the Napoleonic War, the Russian Empire needed money, and in 1867, U.S. Secretary of State William Seward was able to buy Alaska from the Russians for less than 2 cents per 4,000 m². The final value of Alaska was 7.2 million dollars. At first the purchase was not appreciated, and the Americans nicknamed the deal “Seward’s Folly”. But it wasn’t long before the full benefits became apparent. Starting with whaling, the Americans discovered other natural resources in Alaska: salmon, gold, and eventually oil.
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After the Japanese bombing and occupation of the Aleutian Islands during World War II, the military built the famous Alaska Highway (Alaska to Canada), which connected Alaska to the rest of the United States. The 2,446-kilometer-long highway was instrumental in awarding Alaska statehood in 1959. The Great Alaska Earthquake of 1964 had devastating effects, and reconstruction was initiated following the discovery of oil reserves in the Prudhoe Bay area, where a 1,269 km pipeline was subsequently built to Valdez.
.In 2006, Sarah Palin, mayor of Wasilla, became Alaska’s first female governor and incidentally the youngest, considering she took office at age 42. Two years later, presidential candidate John McCain called her his right-hand woman. After the Republicans’ electoral defeat, Palin stepped down as governor, but is still a major Republican candidate in the 2012 campaign.
.Climate and landscape
Alaska is huge. Or, as the locals proudly point out, if Alaska were split in two, both parts would be the largest states in America, leaving Texas in third place. It stretches across the entire latitude of the Arctic Circle. The main territory of Alaska covers 205,128 hectares. A long ridge of the Aleutian Islands stretches 2,574 km to the south and east, and a 965 km strip that resembles the handle of a frying pan leads from the southwest to the coast of North America.
.Coastal regions such as the Northwest and Prince William Strait are covered in dense coniferous forests, while the vegetation in the central part is mostly white spruce, birch, and poplar. Farther north is the taiga with a humid, subarctic climate, bogs, willow thickets and stunted spruce trees. This is followed by the Arctic tundra, where there are almost no trees, but grass, moss and a whole host of small flowers that bloom in summer.
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Alaska’s huge size is the reason for the presence of several completely different climate zones. Temperatures in the central part rise to 32 C in the summer. The air in the Southeast and central part of the southern coast warms to an average of (13 C – 21 C). In the Southeast, it rains almost constantly from late September and throughout October, while June is characterized by the longest day length of the year. In Anchorage, for example, the day lasts 19 hours, and in Barrow the sun never sets at all.
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The tourist season begins in early June and lasts until mid-August, a time when the most famous parks are crowded and it is absolutely necessary to book hotel rooms and ferry tickets in advance. May and September are characterized by moderate temperatures, but it’s worth noting that there are far fewer tourists and lower prices at this time.
.Parks and Recreation
Options for pastime in Alaska are numerous. Travelers come here in search of adventure, whether it’s hiking, camping, or enjoying the wildlife and mountain peaks. The number of hiking trails here is endless, and places like the Kenai Peninsula and the town of Juneau offer everyone a place to hide from the tourists and hustle and bustle. Many places allow bicycles that can be rented throughout the state. Also in the Southeast, you can rent a kayak and enjoy paddling in designated areas surrounded by glaciers. Popular outdoor activities also include whitewater rafting, bear and whale watching, fishing, cable car rappelling, or simply hiking through some of Alaska’s most beautiful areas.
.The best places to spend time outdoors and see wildlife are Alaska’s wildlife refuges and parks. National parks, preserves, and wilderness areas cover an area of 21,853,500 hectares. The most popular parks are Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park in Skagway (Tel: 907-983-2921; www.nps.gov/klgo), Denali National Park & Preserve (Tel: 907-683-2294; www.nps.gov/dena) in central Alaska, and Kenai Fjords National Park (Tel: 907-224-2125; www.nps.gov/kefj) near Seward. Tongass National Forest (Tel: 907-586-8800; www.fs.fed.us/r10/tongass) covers much of the Southeast, while Chugach State Park (Tel: 907-345-5014; dnr.alaska.gov/parks/units/chugach) on the Anchorage border is the nation’s third largest state park with 198,205 ha.
.Transportation
By air
.Most travelers to Alaska arrive at Ted Stevens Anchorage Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC; www.dot.state.ak.us/anc).
>Alaska Airlines (Tel: 800-252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) Direct flights to Anchorage from Seattle, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Denver. Also flights between Alaska cities, including daily north-south flights throughout the year, with stops in major cities such as Ketchikan and Juneau. Continental (Tel: 800-525-0280; www.continental.com) Continuous flights from Houston, Chicago, Denver, and San Francisco. Delta (Tel: 800-221-1212; www.delta.com) Direct flights from Minneapolis, Phoenix, and Salt Lake City.
.By water
.Alaska Marine Highway Company ferries (Tel: 800-642-0066; www.ferryalaska.com), connecting the town of bellingham, Washington, to 14 towns in Northeast Alaska. The trip from Bellingham to Haines takes 3 1/2 days and costs $353. There are stops at several ports along the way and tickets must be booked in advance. Inland crossings include Ketchikan to Petersburg ($60.11 hours), Sitka to Juneau ($45.5 hours) and Juneau to Haines ($37.2 hours). The ferries are equipped with a motor court (Bellingham to Haines, $462), but space must be reserved months in advance. Ferries are also available to five towns in south central Alaska, and twice a month you can travel across the Gulf of Alaska from Juneau to Whittier ($221). by bus: A bus transportation system connects Anchorage to many cities in the state. Alaska Direct Bus Line (Tel: 800-770-6652; www.alaskadirectbusline.com) Flights to Tok ($115.8 hours). Alaska Yukon Trails (Tel: 800-770-7275; www.alaskashuttle.com) Flights to Denali National Park ($75.6 hours) and Fairbanks ($99.9 hours). Seward Bus Lines (Tel: 888-420-7788; www.sewardbuslines.net) Flights to Seward ($50.3 hours). by train; Alaska Railroad (Tel: 907-265-2494; www.akrr.com) offers flights connecting Seward and Anchorage, as well as Anchorage and Denali, with a final stop in Fairbanks. Due to high demand, it is recommended that tickets be booked in advance.
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