Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska is one of the most dramatic parks in the USA — Harding Icefield, tidewater glaciers, whales, and thousands of puffins. From the dock in Seward, you can embark on a cruise that will leave you speechless. Here are 12 tips on what to see and how to plan 2 days in the park.

Homer Alaska sits at the very end of Sterling Highway — beyond it, there's nothing but deep ocean. This End of the Road on the Kenai Peninsula is home to Homer Spit, the Salty Dawg Saloon, Kachemak Bay State Park, and fly-out bear viewing trips to Katmai. A practical guide for 2026.

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.