With Sarah Palin stealing headlines, I am inspired to write about her home state. Whether you like her or not, don’t hold it against traveling to Alaska – it is one of my all time favorite destinations. It is for the traveler who “has been there done that.” It feels so unspoiled, depending on where you go and how you get there.
The most popular way to see Alaska is on a cruise. You do get to see more of the inside passages that way…and you have plenty of entertainment. My well-traveled friend Jessica took a Alaskan cruise last year with her husband and two children ages 10 and 8 and had a great time – despite the fact they aren’t necessarily “cruise fans.” It is a great way for the kids to see Alaska – what they loved most were the excursions like hiking, rock climbing, zip lining, and whale watching. All pretty exhilarating stuff, and sure to please kids her age. But what really was an added bonus were the well-educated guides that explained the natural environment they were discovering.
That being said, my favorite way to see Alaska is also the hardest. When we went we flew to Anchorage, then drove hours south to the Kenai Peninsula. Along the way stopped in Girdwood for some glacier hiking from the Alyeska Resort. (The word resort here is used loosely in my opinion…it still felt like camping to me! EVERYTHING in Alaska is rustic, which is its charm.)
The glacier hiking was a thrill – you take a tram 2300 feet above sea level. We put our special ice-pick type boots on to secure our steps in the frozen mountain, and began a 50 minute hike. The photos speak for themselves.
Other suggested things to do in Alaska:
Stay at a wilderness lodge. Tutka Bay is where we stayed and we met some teens there who said it was the best vacation ever. The lodge has daily activities for you – kayaks for a day out on the water was one of my favorite things to do. We were met by many otters, and some bald eagles perched on the mountains overhead. Not an everyday site for us city slickers. Boy are they beautiful.
www.tutkabaylodge.com
At other wilderness lodges there are tide pools – which are so colorful and alive. Great for kids too!
You have to try bear viewing – a private tour group will take you – and for some reason, because the guides do this all the time, you have a sense of safety, even if it is a false sense. Don’t kid yourselves, we were very close to those brown bears…the only thing that kept them from us were the plentiful salmon for which they hungered. The plane ride to the bear viewing area is exciting – the views are gorgeous.
Another thing to do is visit Halibut Cove – a village on a small island. The number of visitors are limited so reserve in advance at the Saltry – Halibut Cove’s only restaurant. It is worth it – lovely view and gorgeous setting. Nearby art galleries are fun to see in the artist community. www.centralcharter.com/halibutcove.
Most people go on to Homer for the fishing – that explains the success of the hole in the wall bar “Salty Dog.” Classic – worth the visit – not for kids. Bottle caps cover the ceiling, as well as all kinds of souvenirs like women’s bras lining the walls. The only place to stay in Homer is aptly called “Lands End Resort” because it is at the tip of the Kenai Peninsula.
I sure hope I’ve inspired you. You betcha. 
