Lisa Maloney - Moon Alaska

Denali is North Americas tallest peak.

What are the first things that come to mind when you think of Alaska? Steep-walled fjords, charismatic bears, soaring eagles, breaching whales, or glaciers creeping down the side of a mountain and into the sea? Then youre already in tune with some of our states grandest sights. But theres so much to Alaska that it cant possibly be summed up in just one imageand every part of the state is a little bit different.

In Southeast Alaska the evergreen rainforest dominates the landscape and totem poles stand silent witness to humpback whales, each one the size of a school bus, cavorting in the glacier-fed waters.

Southcentral Alaska and the Interior are a road-trippers dream clad in boreal forest, with paved two-lane highways leading from Fairbanksland of gold mining, the midnight sun, and the aurora borealis dancing overheadto Homer, the pinnacle of Alaskan art, food, and fishing in one small town.

Southwest Alaska holds some of the states best bear watching on Kodiak Islandalso known as Alaskas Emerald Isleand nearby Katmai National Park. Youll also find some of the continents best bird-watching at Unalaska/Dutch Harbor and on the remote, windy Pribilof Islands, where millions of seabirds and more than half the worlds fur seals congregate to breed.

seal in Valdez

wolf in Denali National Park

dog sled in Denali National Park

In Arctic Alaska, people are outnumbered by the caribou that migrate en masse between their winter ranges and summer breeding grounds. Small planes are the only way to travel between remote communities that still hold deep roots in traditional Native ways, and dog sleds are still a viable mode of winter transportation, although the iron dogthe snowmobile to anyone else, but snowmachine to Alaskansreigns supreme.

As amazing, exotic, and even otherworldly as Alaskas pristine landscapes may be, our peoplescapes are just as special. Alaskans are known for being warm and friendly despiteor perhaps because ofour cold winter temperatures.

Believe it or not, the number of people who visit Alaska every year is more than double our year-round residents. Over one million people visit during the summer alone, and winter vacations in Alaska are starting to catch up in popularity as brave tourists come to see the Iditarod or watch the northern lights dancing in the night sky. We never get tired of seeing people who genuinely enjoy and are awed by their visit to Alaska.

Welcome, and enjoy every moment of your visit to this most remarkable state.

Ketchikan harbor

foxglove flowers.

Santa Claus House, North Pole

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Whale Watching: Dont miss the orcas and humpback whales in Southeast, especially Frederick Sound ().

Glaciers: Visit active glaciers while you still can: Mendenhall ().

Northern Lights: The dancing aurora borealis lights up Alaskas nighttime skies ().

Native Culture: Learn about Alaskas eleven Native cultures and see them alive today ().

Iditarod: Be a spectator of Alaskas great race at the ceremonial start and the official restart ().

Denali National Park & Preserve: Check out the highest peak in North America and the 6-million-acre park around it ().

Hiking, Camping, and Backpacking: Looking for a wilderness adventure? Start at Caines Head State Recreation Area ().