For many, a trip to Alaska hasthe same pull as a far-flung vacation. As weanticipate the return of international travel, why not ease into things with a visit to the far reaches of our 49th state? Plus, Canadapassenger shipsin all its waters until 2022, cutting off the only route to Alaska by sea. That meansit’s likely that many of the state’smost touristed parks, like Glacier Bay,will see far fewervisitors this summer.
While much of Alaskaishard to reach and inhospitable, it has a whopping two dozen parks and preserves overseen bythe National Park Service that are easy to navigate with enough preparation. We picked five sites that showcase the best of the stateand includedtips on what to do and where to post upwhile you’re there. The best times to visit land between mid-June and September, soit’s time to start planning.
Denali National Park
Arguably the most iconic of Alaska’s national parks, is home to North America’s highest peak, 20,310-foot Denali, and 6 million acres of high-alpine terrain. The park is atwo-hour drive from Fairbanksor four hours from Anchorageandhas just one 92-mileroad that crosses it, whichis closed to private cars most of the year. rents mountain and e-bikesand hosts a shuttle for cyclists—or to travel a stretch of the scenicroadway.
During the summer months, there’salso the daily (from $174), which offers spectacular views of Denali’s best sights, including Indian River, Hurricane Gulch, and the park’snamesake peak. Itdeparts fromAnchorage and stops at Denali seven hours later en route to Fairbanks. Stay ina remote corner of the parkat one of 42 private cabins at (from $575), where meals are prepared for you and, because there are only a few designated trails in Denali, guides will escort you off-trail into the surrounding wilderness.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
The country’s largest national park,stretches across 13.2 million acres, the equivalent of six . Everything feels bigger here, from the peaks—like 18,008-foot MountSt. Elias, the second highest in the United States—to the icefields and the caribou herds. It’s a 4.5-hour drive from Anchorage to reach the park’s main visitorcenter.provides van shuttles, which operate from May through September, with plenty of stopsfrom Anchorage to Kennicott, an old copper mining village deep in the park, and McCarthy, the park’s barely populated town at the end of a gravel road. Stay a few nights in McCarthy at the historic 20-room (from $249), and hike the four-mile round-tripto Root Glacier to see a mile-high ice wall, or the nine-mile round-trip for sweeping views of theChugach Mountains, Mt. Blackburn, and Kennicott Glacier.
Glacier Bay National Park
is one of the most visited of Alaska’s national parks, due to the many cruise ships that pull uptoport here each day from May through September. But with Canada’s recent ban on vessels in all its waters until 2022,it’s likely that Glacier Bay will see far fewervisitors this summer.The only way to get here is by boat or plane, most of which departfrom the town of Juneau—opt for a from Bartlett Cove, or flyinto the airport in Gustavus. With only a few, totaling about tenmiles, the best way to see the region’s humpback whales, sea lions, and harbors seals is by paddling some of the 700 miles of shoreline in a kayak.leads guided day trips (from $95).Spend the night at (from $239), the only lodging inside the park.
Kenai Fjords National Park
It’s glacier paradise in , home to some 40 bergs, many of which are recedingdue to warmingtemperatures. Get to the park’s gateway town of Seward via a two-plus-hour drive from Anchorage, or a ride on the. Once there, hike the stout 8.2-mile round-trip, which climbsthrough meadows, forests, and rocky outcroppings before topping out with views of its namesake icefield.
Or take to the water: has chartered boat rides and guided ski kayaking tours to spot sea otters and Pacific white-sided dolphins. Afterward, stop by the in Seward for a dozen oysters and for a pint of red ale. Take an hour-long boat ride from Seward to Fox Island in Resurrection Bay to reach your overnight accommodations at the eight-cabin (from $1,506), or check out the new (from $150), which opens May 9, from the owners of the town’s.
Kobuk Valley National Park
Yep, Alaska has sand dunes. You’ll find the Arctic’s largestat the 25-square-mile Great Kobuk Sand Dunes area within . This remote, roadless, trailless park is accessible only via airplane—fly from Anchorage to Kotzebue or from Fairbanks to Bettles. Once in Kotzebue or Bettles, you have to fly into the park using. Watch out for migrating caribou—the Western Arctic caribou herd is the largest in Alaska,at 490,000 animals. With no lodging or developed campgrounds inside the park, staying here involves backcountry camping—the can guide you on the best places to set up camp, or you can book a weeklongguided trip using bush planes with (from $5,900).