Page 16 - AAA Central Penn – AAA Now! – September/October 2017

AAA
ALASKA – The Great Land
TRAVEL AGENCY
TM
Treasures for Discovery by First-timers and Return Travelers
By Craig Haberle, CTC
Alaska’s vast size and broad geographic diversity provide many different attractions for travelers. With all these opportunities, it is wise to take
your time when visiting Alaska by land and sea. However, one single tour and cruise cannot uncover all the treasures of this impressive state.
It is not rare for first-time visitors to Alaska to
arrive back home knowing they want to return
to see and experience even more of the many sights and activities available in the state and in the neighboring Yukon Territory of Canada. So, while taking a look at just a few classic destinations in Alaska, let’s also explore some of those other attractions and adventures that lure avid travelers back for more.
Denali National Park must be included on everyone’s first-visit itinerary in Alaska. The best introductions to this extensive park are its ranger- hosted visitors center and a guided tour aboard an especially maneuverable bus weaving along the park’s single winding road. Easy or strenuous hiking as well as guided rafting or kayaking trips can be included if time permits or during a return vacation. A second visit can feature a longer guided tour deep into the park to get close to Denali mountain and to see even more wildlife. Staying at a remote back-country lodge offers special activities, including fly-fishing and naturalist-led hikes in search of rare native plants and birds. Weather dependent flight-seeing tours aboard small aircraft provide elevated perspectives for spectacular photos and videos on all sides of the park’s rugged range of mountains.
Coastal Alaska presents a long list of choices for first-time and return visitors. Cruises along the coast dock at select ports, each with its own character and attractions. Of course, not all ports are visited on any one cruise, so AAA recommends you choose an initial voyage with an itinerary that includes
ports with attractions of your first preference, then come back for another cruise to visit other ports for additional exciting explorations.
When docked in Ketchikan, the Misty Fjords
can be accessed by flight-seeing planes; the local lumberjack show is a demonstration of skills and friendly competition. The Alaska Raptor Center is a highlight in Sitka; this town’s early Russian settlers’ heritage is reflected in its preserved wooden buildings and displayed in its local museum. While in Haines, visit the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve or the nearby Kroschel Wildlife Center with its native species including bears, wolverines, reindeer
and falcons. The state museum in Juneau hosts excellent exhibits on the many facets of Alaska’s cultural, political and natural history. Seward is home to the outstanding Alaska SeaLife Center for easy viewing of native aquatic and avian life, both large and small; take a behind-the-scenes tour for memorable insights to the center’s operations and its mission of education and conservation.
While in Anchorage, tour the multi-media exhibits of Alaskan history, arts, science and cultures at the Anchorage Museum at Rasmussen Center, and visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center with its authentic native dance and song performances; both are world-class facilities. If time permits on your first stay or during a return visit, rent a bicycle to ride from the light traffic of downtown Anchorage and along an easy bike path bordering the Cook Inlet to watch a colorful sunset, which in summer is very late in the evening this far north. While in Fairbanks, take the highly recommended Discovery III sternwheeler boat cruise for a few hours along the Chena and Tanana
rivers, with a stop for a guided walking tour at the Chena Indian Village and for a demonstration by one of Alaska’s ubiquitous seaplanes.
Train rides along a scenic route of the Alaska Railroad are a comfortable way to cover the 233 miles from Anchorage to Denali National Park and to continue north for an additional 122 miles to Fairbanks. These trains are very popular, so be sure to have a AAA travel agent reserve your seating in the upper level of the double-decker glass-dome railroad car, with meals served in the same car’s restaurant in the lower level.
For those who can initially take more time or
are back for more riding of the rails in Alaska,
there are other photogenic routes, including one from Anchorage skirting along the Turnagain
Arm to seaside Seward. Another route runs from Anchorage through a rare, shared auto-and-train tunnel to Whittier for day cruises to tidewater glaciers on Prince William Sound. Not to be missed is the world-renowned and spectacular train ride between Carcross, in Canada’s Yukon Territory, and the port of Skagway aboard the historic White Pass & Yukon Route.
Alaska – it’s a great land to take your time on a first visit and when you return. Discover more treasures of this state and remote region at an On Stage Alaska presentation, sponsored by AAA and Holland America Line in September. Be certain to consult with a AAA travel agent for professional insights and recommendations, and how to receive exclusive AAA Member Benefits by reserving your vacation with AAA.
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SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2017
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