Famous Places in Alaska | USA Today
Famous Places in Alaska
Alaska's Mt. McKinley is the tallest mountain in North America.
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Winter Weekend Rentals in Alaska
Among the most famous locations in Alaska are its breathtaking natural attractions. With 15 national parks and preserves that boast towering mountain ranges and close to 100,000 glaciers, Alaska offers one of the most scenic getaways in North America. Visitors may experience Alaska's top locations by land or from the vantage point of a cruise ship.
Denali National Park and Preserve
According to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, the 6-million-acre Denali National Park and Preserve draws approximately 432,000 visitors every year. Many os these visitors go to see Mount McKinley--which at 20,320-feet tall, is the highest peak in North America--and the park's diverse fauna, which includes 37 species of mammals and 130 bird species.
Glacier Bay National Park
One of the top cruise destinations in Alaska is Glacier Bay National Park, which was declared a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The park, known for its 11 glaciers, attracts 300,000 visitors annually. It is one of the top places in the state for whale watching.
Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
According to the Alaska Travel Industry Association, 850,000 people visit the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park every year, making it the most popular park in the state. Klondike is home to the 33-mile Chilkoot Trail, the primary route used to reach the Canadian site of the 1897-98 gold rush. As of 2011, the trail is Alaska's most frequented backpacking route.
Kenai Fjords National Park
The 601,839-acre Kenai Fjords National Park encompasses the Harding Icefield, one of the four remaining icefields in the country. The icefield is one of three main areas open to visitors. The others are the Exit Glacier, which attracts over 100,000 visitors every summer, and the coastline, which is dotted with tidewater glaciers and is home to several species of marine mammals.
Anchorage
Six mountain ranges are visible from Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, located close to the geographic center of the state. As expected of a large metropolis, Anchorage offers fine dining, cultural attractions and luxury accommodations. Forty-five miles south of Anchorage is the Portage Glacier. Flattop Mountain is the city's top hiking location.
Fairbanks
Fairbanks, the second-largest city in Alaska, is one of the best places for seeing the astrophysical phenomenon known as the northern lights. This multicolored glow illuminates the night sky most intensely between August and April. During the summer, Fairbanks gets up to 22 hours of sunlight per day.
Juneau
Juneau, the state capital, is a top tourist destination in the southernmost region of Alaska, known as the Inside Passage. From Juneau, visitors can get to one of the state's most accessible glaciers, the Mendenhall Glacier, and see the fifth-largest icefield in the continent, the Juneau Icefield. Panning for gold is another activity.
City of North Pole
In the 1950s, the Dahl and Gaske Development Company renamed an area in Alaska "North Pole" to entice toy manufacturers who then could claim their products were "made in the North Pole." Although this vision was never realized, visitors can see reindeer and Christmas decorations, and take pictures with Santa Claus year-round.
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