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Present Day Alaska

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Posted by Your Guide on April 21, 2006 8:37 PM

Alaska is the westernmost extension of the North American Continent. Its east to west span covers 2,000 miles, and from north to south it covers 1,100 miles. The State’s coastline is 33,000 miles in length. In addition to the Aleutian Islands, hundreds of other islands, mostly undeveloped, are found along the northern coast of the Gulf of Alaska, the Alaska Peninsula, and the Bering Sea Coast.
Alaska contains 10 national parks, four national monuments, three national preserves, two dozen national wild rivers, 16 national wildlife refuges, and the Chugach and Tongass National Forests.

Attractions
• Southcentral Alaska: Southcentral Alaska is where the majority of the state’s population calls home and includes the largest city, Anchorage. It spans from Canada to the western shore of Cook Inlet and from the Alaska Range to the Gulf of Alaska. It is a very rugged area, composed of oil fields, farmlands, forests, glaciers, and mountains. Anchorage has a population of over 260,000, and is the state’s cultural, transportation, and medical center. Not only is Anchorage a thriving metropolis, but it also contains lakes and streams that brim with wildlife. Portage Lake and its icebergs, Prince William Sound, a gorgeous area of fjords, glaciers and islands, and the Kenai Peninsula are some of the main attractions in this region of the state. This region also includes the following state and national parks, refuges, and national forests: Kenai Fjords National Park, near Seward; Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, near Valdez, the country’s largest national park; Kenai National Wildlife Refuge; Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge; Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge; Chugach National Forest; and the Chugach and Kachemak Bay state parks.
• Southeastern Alaska: In the areas west of Juneau, glaciers are the big attraction. Whales feed in the area for several months each year. This region also contains the Tongass National Forest, America's northernmost rain forest. There are two parts of the forest that are preserved as national monuments, the Misty Fjords and Admiralty Island. The southeast region of the state also contains four national parks, Glacier Bay and Wrangell-St. Elias (part of which is also located in the southwestern region of the state), Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, and Sitka National Historical Park.
• Northern Alaska: The Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve is located in Northern Alaska west of the Dalton Highway. Also in this region is the Kobuk Valley National Park. Most destinations in this region of the state are reached only by determined hikers and airplanes.
• Western Alaska: Katmai National Park and Preserve, on the west side of Cook Inlet is a vacation destination located in this region. Thousands of people each summer visit the park's volcanic valley of 10,000 smokes and to watch grizzly bears grasp salmon out of the Brooks River. Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, on the west side of Cook Inlet in Western Alaska, contains jagged mountains, excellent fishing, and plentiful wildlife, everywhere one looks.



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