How To Travel Alaska
Different ways to visit Alaska from an alaskan adventure tour company.
Alaska is one of the most incredible places in the world to visit for a true wilderness experience, though it can be daunting to plan a trip there. The spaces are large and widespread, seasons extreme, and a lot of America’s 49th state is very difficult to access without considerable wilderness expedition planning and experience. Our Alaska travel guide is written to help you plan the perfect trip to Alaska and compare the many different ways to travel to Alaska.
Why visit Alaska?
Alaska is a must see destination for any serious wilderness enthusiast and wildlife lover. The wide open expanses of pristine wilderness are almost endless, and surely some of the most significant in the world. Take the 6 million acres of protected land in Denali National Park for instance, with just a single dirt road and the rest of the park being completely untouched and undisturbed.
Wildlife
Alaska is teeming with wildlife and offers some of the best wildlife viewing opportunities in the world. From the water you can see whales, sea lions, eagles plus more and from land you can see bears, caribou, moose, wolves and dall sheep. In Denali National Park, visitors have an 80-90 percent chance of seeing bears! That’s better than anywhere else we have traveled or run tours!
Glaciers
Alaska has some of the most accessible glaciers in the world too! From Seward, the Harding Icefield and Exit Glacier make for some truly incredible hiking and glacier viewing opportunities, and from Valdez, Worthington Glacier is a must see glacier right along the side of the highway! There are numerous guided icewalks and glacier tours available around Alaska, so getting a proper glacier experience is not hard!
Fishing
There may be no better places in the world for Northern Pacific fishing than in Alaska. The countless inlets are long and deep, and the unpopulated stretches of ocean are the perfect habitat for fish and marine life. There are many fishing lodges and charter companies to help you access the best spots, and the salmon and halibut fishing are second to none!
Unique Experiences
One more way that Travelling Alaska is special is the sheer number of unique experiences that are available here. You can kayak among floating icebergs that have just calved off a glacier right in front of you. You can take an ocean cruise and watch glaciers crumble into the water with a mighty splash. You can fly high above some of the tallest peaks in North America, like Denali or in Wrangell-St Elias National Parks. You can stand next to feeding grizzlies, as they snatch salmon out of a river, and can see massive herds of caribou migrating at the right time and place! Bottomline, the experiences available in Alaska are simply not common or possible in other parts of the world!
how to visit alaska
There are several completely different ways to visit Alaska, and each method of travel offers different advantages and opportunities. Some of the many ways to experience Alaska are listed below.
Join A Guided Tour of Alaska
Sure, this may seem like an obvious plug from aa Alaska tour company but Alaska presents some very unique challenges that can make it difficult to experience to the fullest extent. Long drives, rough roads, unpredictable weather, and the sheer size and knowing where to find each attraction can make joining a tour and exploring with a professional guide really pay off. There are guided backcountry expeditions by raft, sea kayak or hiking, as well as less backcountry focused that allow you to see more places in less time and try a variety of activities like kayaking, hiking, cruises and more! If you are travelling to Alaska as a solo traveler or couple, or small group of friends, being part of a small group tour can be a great way to meet other likeminded explorers and share the experience with them!
Typical Cost: USD $5000- $10000 is typical, or $500 per day per person
Pros: Easiest to Plan, Social Experience, Safe, Gain Knowledge of Professional Guide
Cons: Less Flexible Than Self Guided Options
Insider Tip: Ensure The Group Dynamic Suits You! Ask The Tour Company For Typical Group Info. Our Tours Are Typically 12 People, Aged 35-75, 60% Solo, 60% Female, Beginner to Advanced, Active Travelers From Canada, USA, Australia, New Zealand and UK. Our Groups Are Social, Down to Earth, Welcoming and Love to Share Their Experience.
With an Alaskan Cruise
One of the easiest ways to experience Alaska is from the water on a cruise. There are different types of cruises available, ranging from small exploration ships to larger cruises that you might imagine. Generally, like smaller the vessel, the more places it can fit. One thing to pay attention to is how many places you will see, and in how much time. Slowing down to visit less places can be a positive if it means you get to spend more time on their little boats discovering the many river deltas and coves to spot waterfalls, glaciers and wildlife feeding areas. Faster cruises will typically not offer these experiences, but allow you to explore more small Alaskan seaside towns, like Skagway, Haines and many more! While taking a cruise in Alaska can be a great way to see the State, it can also have some drawbacks. Being on a ship with a set schedule means that you only get a small amount of time to see each place, sometimes just a couple of hours. Spending time on land can help you really immerse yourself in the destination, rather than watching it drift past, or sleeping while you slip by in the night!
Typical Cost: USD $1000- $7000 per person
Pros: Easy, See Several Places
Cons: Inactive, Not Flexible, Not Immersive
Insider Tip: Choose The Cruise That Suits Your Desire For Stops & Activity Levels
Rent an RV or go camping
One great way to explore Alaska is to go camping! The campgrounds in Alaska are generally first-come-first-served, so you don’t need to go through the process of booking spots in advance and having a set plan. By camping, you can travel at your own pace, and if your plans change, you can be more fluid.
Alaska can be a really great place to go camping, with long days in the summer and tons of gorgeous places to camp and relax.
Be sure to be bear aware and understand that the weather doesn’t always cooperate in Alaska, which is part of what makes it so rewarding to travel!
Typical Cost: USD $400 per day
Pros: Flexible, See Many Places
Cons: Tough to Plan, Unpredictable Weather, Rick of Bear Encounters, Long Drives
Insider Tip: In Alaska, Less Can Be More. Spend More Time Exploring Less Places!
Stay at an alaskan wilderness lodge
There are tons of lodges in Alaska. Some are road accessible, and some can only be accessed by air or water. There are too many remote wilderness lodges in Alaska to name, and each one serves a different unique purpose. Some offer wellness packages, and some offer hiking options. Some are solely for fishing or getting out on the water.
Wilderness lodges are an incredible way to visit Alaska, though the price tag for a stay at some of these lodges can be pretty steep! You are also limited to only exploring one area in Alaska, which can be a shame with each area being so starkly different than the next!
Typical Cost: USD $800+ Per Person, Per Night.
Pros: Immersive, All Inclusive
Cons: See Only One Place
Insider Tip: Fly In Lodges Are Great! Look For A Lodge That Offers Guided Activities
Book a guided expedition in alaska
The Alaskan wilderness is right in front of you and very easy to find, but it takes a lot of gear, a solid plan and some experience to be able to execute a successful expedition in Alaska. Probably best to leave this to the pros, and join a guided expedition to venture deep into the wilderness.
Expeditions are available by raft, sea kayak, horseback or even on foot for a backpacking trip. They can last from 3 days to 4 weeks, depending on the type of expedition you desire and how much ground is being covered. Alaska is home to some of the best guided hiking vacations in the USA.
Some great places to explore are Kobuk Valley or Gates of the Arctic National Parks. You can read more about National and State Parks in Alaska here.
Typical Cost: USD $2000 - $12000 per person, based on type and length of expedition.
Pros: Immersive, Human Powered Connection, Social
Cons: See Only One Area
Insider Tip: Sometimes Rafting/ Sea Kayaking Trips Feature Hiking Days Too!
Alaska Travel Information
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You can expect a bit of everything, though the weather is predominantly nice. Temperatures are typically 80 degrees Fahrenheit, with 10 days of rain per month.
Summer weather is best from the end of May to the end of August.
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You can drive to Alaska from the South, but the best way to access Alaska is by flying into Anchorage.
Tours and expeditions will typically have options to meet in Anchorage.
Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport receives flights from the US, Canada and beyond! Airport code is ANC.
You can also take a ferry/ cruise from further south to access Alaska!
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Yes, but no. If you practise good bear safety protocols you should have no issue.
Travel in groups, make noise and carry bear spray.
Nothing that smells good in tents. No toothpaste, no chips, no beer, no cream. Leave attractants locked in your car.
Tips on Visiting Alaska
As you’ve learned in our Alaska Travel Guide, you should absolutely consider a visit to Alaska and coming here is easier than you might imagine. The different travel styles listed above can help you plan your trip to Alaska.
Alaska is also close to the Yukon (Canada’s version of Alaska), so you can spend some time visiting the Yukon as well. Check out our guide on all the must see attractions in the Yukon here, or consider joining our Yukon guided hiking tour!
We definitely recommend visiting Alaska when the weather is best, between May and September.
Let us know how your Alaska trip was and please share your photos by using our hashtag #freshadventurers in you social media!
About the author
Alex Ross- Lead Guide/ Founder
Let’s just say Alex didn’t want to work a real job when he grew up. He had his heart set on avoiding any kind of accounting, human resources, compliance, marketing and business administration, in order to be free for his dream job as a ski guide. Now he guides people on skis, but mostly does accounting, human resources, compliance, marketing and business administration work!