Every week during 2022 I will focus on a different destination, so that’s 52 inspirational ideas for your next wonderful holiday! This week is all about Alaska.
Alaska may be the USA’s coldest state, but what it lacks in temperature, it more than makes up for in things to offer the discerning traveller!
Many tourists visit Alaska on cruise ships, which usually start in Vancouver and highlights include Juneau, Skagway, Ketchikan and Glacier Bay. This is a great way to see what Alaska has to offer, but if you wanted to spend more time here without being on a cruise, here are a few ideas for your Alaskan adventure….
Alaska’s capital Juneau is lively and easy to navigate on foot, and always a favourite with visitors. Many of Juneau’s main attractions are within easy walking distance including the State Capitol Building, Saint Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church, several museums, and historic South Franklin Street. Also nearby is the Juneau Convention & Visitors Bureau with visitor information, displays, and walking tour maps of the city.
Skagway attracts close to one million visitors each year and it’s easy to see why. It has wide-ranging appeal, including a compelling history, picturesque architecture and a scenic railway.
Being the USA’s largest state, Alaska can offer some of the best outdoor adventures including the northern lights, bear viewing tours, glacier tours by air, water or land, and even dog-sledding trips!

BEAR TOURS
Bear-viewing tour offers a unique insight into their culture, in fact, you may end up witnessing behaviours that even experts have never seen. Many bears have become so accustomed to human presence they tend to ignore visitors and carry on with their normal routines. You could also consider staying in a bear-viewing lodge. You can watch them more spontaneously, and have quiet times when all of the day bear watchers are gone. Plus, you’re getting to stay out in the wilderness overnight.

GLACIER TOURS
From the air, you will gain a perspective you can’t experience from the ground. You’ll see how massive ice-fields, dozens of miles long, spill into valleys to create glaciers. These expansive sheets of ice leave only the highest mountain peaks and ridges peeking through.
Perhaps the most intimate way to experience the awesome scale of Alaska’s glaciers is on the water. The tidewater glaciers of Prince William Sound and the Kenai Fjords extend down from mountain peaks and out into the sea. Hundreds of feet high and miles long, you can the hear ice crackling and sizzling as trapped air bubbles slowly escape.

DOG SLEDDING
You’re speeding through Alaskan forest, sitting on a sled that’s being pulled by some of Alaska’s most powerful creatures. This is dog sledding—and it’s not only an Alaskan tradition, but also a state obsession, one that’s celebrated every March with the running of the 1,150-mile Iditarod Sled Dog Race from Anchorage to Nome. Taking a dog-sledding excursion is a chance to see what the fuss is all about.

NORTHERN LIGHTS
To see the northern lights, many people think of Norway, Sweden or Iceland, but a trip to Alaska is a worthy option: visitors who spend three nights looking for the lights from Fairbanks have a 90% chance of spotting them!
So when is the best time to visit Alaska? Peak season is between mid-June and mid-September. The warmer weather and long days make this a particularly pleasant time of year, with temperatures in the cool-but-comfortable range (15-19°C or 60-67°F). Alaska’s wildlife, including bears, sea otters, seals and whales, is visible throughout this period, with June and July the best months for sightings.
The weather in Alaska changes very quickly at any time of year. However, many excursions stop operating in early September, in anticipation of the winter weather. The winter months are best avoided, unless you’re looking for winter sports or to see the northern lights in extreme conditions.
Please get in touch to plan and book your amazing holiday to Alaska!