Wanderlust World Wanderlust World The state of Alaska offers a wealth of adventure travel, complete with plenty of outdoor recreation, wildlife and stupendous views of blue glaciers and snow-covered mountains. Whether you and your family prefer to fish for salmon or halibut, backpack into the wilderness or explore glaciers, you will not have trouble finding it in Alaska.
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska’s far north gives highly adventurous travelers a way to experience remote wilderness. If you are lucky, you may see polar, grizzly or black bears along with wolves, Dall sheep, moose and caribou. One thing you won’t see is many other people. Arctic National Wildlife Refuge features 8 million acres of wilderness explorable only on foot or by boat. No roads enter the wilderness. Highly experienced back country hikers can travel on their own, camping along the way. Or, hire a guide service so you can enjoy the wilderness without worrying about logistics.
Glacier Bay National Park, located southwest of Haines, offers a variety of activities for experiencing glaciers. You can camp, hike and backpack your way through the large park. To get up close and personal with some of the glaciers, choose from renting a kayak that brings you near thunderous calving ice. Or, take a guided raft trip down the Tatshenshini River, where you’ll find Class III whitewater rapids, as well as Class IV rapids during high-water periods.
For fishing enthusiasts, the Kenai Peninsula’s Russian and Kenai Rivers offer superb salmon fishing all summer and into the fall. Drive from Anchorage and fish along the way. Or, rely on a knowledgeable guide to get you to the best spots. On the tip of the Kenai Peninsula, charter a boat and go fishing for huge halibut in Cook Inlet. Kodiak Island also offers fishing for all six salmon species, along with trout and Arctic char. You’ll need to charter a guide and boat to take you to Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge from the town of Kodiak. Once on the island, camp and backpack along the streams and rivers, or return to the town after a day of fishing and exploring.
Alaska offers a wealth of hiking and backpacking, including trips through Denali National Park, home to one of the world’s tallest mountains, Mt. McKinley. The park offers a bus service that meanders along its main road, as cars are not allowed beyond a certain point. You can get off the bus and hike for a few hours, then get back on to keep exploring or to return to your campsite. Or, secure a permit and backpack for a few days around the park. For a more urban adventure, stay in Anchorage and hike along 150 miles of wilderness trails in the nearby Chugach State Park. You can also fish for salmon or take whitewater rafting trips from Chugach.