Things to do Today in Alaska
The beautiful vast expanse of Alaska is America’s final frontier. As the largest state with a relatively low population in comparison. Alaska is where travelers go to really experience the wild beauty of nature. If you’re a nature lover, Alaska will surely take your breath away.
You’d need a lifetime to be able to truly explore all that Alaska has to offer, but just a taste of this great state will be enough to understand what it’s all about.
For travelers interested in a scenic trip, Alaska has plenty to offer from Mt. McKinley, North America’s highest point, to Glacier Bay, the majestic national park and preserve.
Denali National Park
This expansive national park is where you’ll find North America’s highest mountain, Mt. McKinley. The National Park, a vast area of six million acres, is also home to some of Alaska’s most famous and often considered most dangerous wildlife.
While in Denali National Park, enjoy the visitor center, hiking or walking, sled dog demonstrations, and endless opportunities to take in the spectacular vistas.
Denali is best seen over several days and lodging is available inside the park and just outside the entrance. Only one road runs into the park. Denali Park Road, just over 92 miles long, is a mostly gravel road. The National Park Service offers several day trips by bus on Denali Park Road.
Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve
Glacier Bay is the home of glaciers which date back more than 115,000 years. Ice isn’t the only thing you’ll see at Glacier Bay. The endless snow-capped peaks give way to beaches, freshwater lakes, and an ecosystem that supports a wide range of marine and land animals.
Including humpback whales, orcas, Stellar sea lions, harbor seals, sea otters, and porpoises.
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve is best seen as part of an organized boat tour or by kayak as it cannot be accessed by road. Cruise ships and small boat tours make regular stops at Glacier Bay.
Alaska Railroad
The Alaska Railroad, running from Seward to North Pole and passing through Anchorage, Denali, and Fairbanks is a great way to see some of the untouched beauty and faraway places of Alaska.
With more than 470 miles of track linking top destinations and two national parks, the train offers access to some of Alaska’s most epic scenery.
This historic railroad is truly one of a kind, being the only railroad in North America to still use cabooses on freight trains, and the only to have flag stop service. Flag stop service, like the name implies, requires passengers in remote villages to literally wave or “flag” the train to stop as it passes through some areas.
Alaska SeaLife Center
The Alaska SeaLife Center is the only facility in Alaska that combines a public aquarium with marine research, education, and wildlife response. The Center is the only permanent marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation facility in the state.
See a sea lion gliding past underwater viewing windows, puffins diving in a carefully crafted naturalistic habitat. Harbor seals resting on rocky beaches and engage your senses at the Discovery touch tank. Observe the Chiswell Island Exhibit where a remote camera sends live video of the Steller Sea Lion Rookery in Resurrection Bay.
Besides the standard self-guided tour, the Alaska SeaLife Center offers special Behind the Scenes tours and Animal Encounters.
The Northern Lights
The aurora borealis, a breathtaking natural phenomenon that is often called the Alaska Northern Lights. Transforms the night sky into a swirl of color and it is often quite intense in parts of Alaska.
The best time to visit to catch a glimpse of the light show is from late August to mid-April. Fairbanks is a prime location for aurora viewing and a great place for tourists to get information about the lights and even take an aurora sighting tour. Tour guides know the best spots for viewing.
Anchorage Museum
The Anchorage Museum is a large art, history, ethnography, ecology and science museum located in the heart of Anchorage, Alaska. The museum displays material from its permanent collection, along with regular visiting exhibitions.
The state’s largest museum includes overview of Alaskan history, art, culture, and science. The Alaska History Gallery, Smithsonian Arctic Studies Center, science exhibits, shop and full-service restaurant. Its collections offer an overview of the Alaska’s rich history and an introduction to its varied culture.
Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center
Enjoy views of the thirteen-mile-long river of ice, which terminates on the far side of Mendenhall Lake. Watch blue icebergs floating in the water amidst reflections of southeast Alaska’s mountains.
The Mendenhall Glacier is one of many major glaciers that connect to the vast Juneau Ice Field, a 1,500 square mile remnant of the last ice age, cradled high in the coast mountain’s lofty peaks.
Trails feature short hikes near the visitor center, including the one-mile trail to Nugget Falls along the shore.
Katmai National Park and Preserve
One of Alaska’s most famous National Parks is the Katmai National Park and Reserve where you’ll find scenery that might not normally come to mind when you think of Alaska. This area called the Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes is a popular tourist destination.
The Katmai National Park and Preserve is also the home of approximately 900 prehistoric human dwellings, more than any other location in North America.
Located in the vast, remote southwest corner of Alaska, Katmai National Park is home to North America’s largest protected population of brown bears and one of the best bears viewing spots in the state, Brooks River Falls.
University of Alaska Museum of the North
The University of Alaska Museum of the North is housed on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus. The museum’s research collections of artifacts and specimens represent millions of years of biological diversity and thousands of years of cultural traditions.
Exhibits include a 2,000-year spectrum of Alaska art, from ancient ivory carvings to contemporary paintings and sculpture.
In the Gallery of Alaska exhibits are grouped to represent Alaska’s major ecological and cultural regions. Including Alaska’s largest gold display, extensive displays of Alaska Native art and artifacts. The world’s only restored Ice Age steppe bison mummy.
Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center
The 200-acre Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center is surrounded by mountains and hanging glaciers, the center is the perfect setting to learn about Alaskan wildlife.
AWCC also offers up-close animal encounters in the summer featuring moose or brown bears. Choose between driving the 1.5-mile loop or spend your time walking through the 200 acres. There are many animals that call AWCC home.
The animals are located in different areas grouped around several roads. Each area has a sign explaining the history and habits of the particular animals.
Things to do in Alaska
Alaska, in many ways, lives up to its nickname as America’s last frontier. On a trip to Alaska, you can enjoy the wild beauty of this untouched land in a thousand different ways.
Some of Alaska’s best sights and activities can be explored from the big cities like Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau. Alaska is also where you’ll find a few unique events like the Iditarod race and historical route.
The historical railway, and of course it’s the perfect location for sighting the magnificent Northern Lights.