Haines and Skagway sit on the Inside Passage in Southeast Alaska, each with its own distinct soul. Haines is peaceful, brimming with bald eagles and the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve, while Skagway breathes Klondike Gold Rush history — historic facades, the White Pass Railway and the Chilkoot Trail. A practical 2026 guide.
Gates of the Arctic is the most remote and least visited national park in the USA. No roads, campgrounds, or trails — you can only get here by bush plane from the tiny settlements of Bettles or Coldfoot. Caribou migrations, the Arctic Circle, and wilderness in its purest form. A practical 2026 guide.
Wrangell-St. Elias is the largest national park in the USA — six times bigger than Yellowstone. A single gravel road leads to the tiny settlement of McCarthy. Nearby, Matanuska Glacier offers guided ice walks, Valdez boasts glacier waterfalls and the start of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. Raw, rugged Alaska at its finest.
Glacier Bay National Park in Alaska — a UNESCO paradise of 16 glaciers accessible only by boat. Margerie and Johns Hopkins calve into the sea, humpbacks breach in the bay, and the park limits vessels to 153 per day. Practical 2026 guide: how to get there, when to go, and how much it costs.
When to visit Alaska? Summer (June–August) brings the midnight sun and bears fishing for salmon, while September offers golden tundra and the first auroras. Here's our honest, month-by-month guide.
Juneau is the capital of Alaska, cut off from the world by mountains and glaciers — no road leads here. 12 things to do in a city with 230 rainy days a year: the iconic Mendenhall Glacier, bubble-net feeding whales, the Mt Roberts tram, and where to shelter from the downpour.
