USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION
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ALASKA | ATTRACTIONS
RIVERBOAT DISCOVERY
WHITE PASS & YUKON ROUTE RAILWAY Skagway Built during the Yukon Gold Rush in 1898, today the real treasures aboard this narrow gauge railroad — an International Historic Civil Engineering Landmark — are the glaciers, gorges, mountains, waterfalls, tunnels and bridges on display as the vintage train climbs almost 3,000 feet in just 20 miles.
RIVERBOAT DISCOVERY Fairbanks The Binkley family, owners of Riverboat Discovery, have been in the steamboating business for five generations. A three-hour journey takes passengers from Fairbanks to sites like the kennels of the late four-time Iditarod dogsled champion Susan Butcher and an Athabascan Indian village. GETTY IMAGES
HOMER Anchoring the southern end of Sterling Highway, the artsy town of Homer sits on a split jutting out into beautiful Kachemak Bay. From the waterfront, visitors are greeted with a breathtaking panorama of snowcapped peaks, glaciers and fjords promising outdoor adventure, while the creative types who inhabit the town lend it a decidedly bohemian vibe.
JOCELYN PRIDE/STATE OF ALASKA
SITKA NATIONAL HISTORICAL PARK Sitka Sitka National Historical Park protects the site of a battle between an indigenous Tlingit tribe and Russian traders. Park highlights include the restored Russian Bishop’s House, where visitors can learn about colonial Russia in North America, and a collection of striking Tlingit and Haida totem poles.
ALASKA MARINE HIGHWAY The Alaska Marine Highway ferry system leads the way to communities and areas not otherwise accessible by car. Passengers can walk, bike or drive right onboard — a convenient and budget-friendly way to experience areas like the Inside Passage or Aleutian Islands.
CHILKOOT/ISTOCK
UNIVERSITY OF ALASKA’S MUSEUM OF THE NORTH Fairbanks Thousands of years of Alaskan natural and cultural history are on display at the Museum of the North in Fairbanks. The collection of more than 1 million artifacts is organized into 10 categories: archaeology, birds, earth sciences, documentary films, fine arts, ethnology/history, insects, mammals, plants and fish/marine invertebrates. And if you can’t make an in-person visit, the museum offers virtual activities, exhibits and video tours at uaf.edu/museum/virtualmuseum.
BRIAN ADAMS/STATE OF ALASKA
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GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK & PRESERVE Covering a vast expanse of 3.3 million acres, Glacier Bay National Park is the highlight of Alaska’s Inside Passage, with its dramatic glaciercarved fjords, rugged coastline and swaths of protected temperate rainforest. With only three hiking trails, but more than 700 miles of coastline, this park is best explored by boat, especially during summer when humpback whales and orcas pay a visit to the bay.
