With the long winters and rainy summers we endure, we Alaskans sometimes forget how truly majestic this state is. Cruising the frigid waters on a warm boat and witnessing the spectacular landscape of the last frontier will remind any long-timer just why this state is worth living in. A cruise is also the perfect way to show off your home state to visiting relatives and friends.
Alaska Ferry Adventures provides information and reservation services for all Alaska state ferries, with links to Whitehorse from Skagway via the White Pass Railroad and Denali National Park via the Alaska Railroad. Get information for traveling with your RV or car on a ferry; learn about tours in conjunction with cruises.
www.alaskawildernessvoyages.com
Cruise Prince William Sound, Kenai Fjords National Park, Resurrection Bay, Seward and Whittier on the private yacht Miss Brizz. Built for six passengers, this luxurious boat offers multi-night tours and fishing expeditions, topped off with gourmet meals.
Stan Stephens Glacier and Wildlife Cruises operates out of Valdez and offers two departures daily of tours to Columbia Glacier, Alaska's second largest tidewater glacier. Along the way, you're likely to see whales, sea lions, puffins, seals, sea otters, eagles, goats, bears and more.
Take the train or drive to Whittier, then cruise through the waters of Prince William Sound on the Klondike Express catamaran to view 26 glaciers, breathtaking scenery and migratory whales. Alaska residents can join the "Klondike Club" and receive discounts on fares.
Trip Tracker is compiled by Joy Guest. Is there a vacation or excursion that interests you? Email jguest@adn.com or comment online at adn.com/life/travel.
"Enjoy the beauty and wildlife of Alaska from the luxury of your own small cruise ship. The sheltered waters of the Alaska's Inside Passage offer the adventurous visitor the best of the Alaskan wilderness: wide sea lanes dotted with uninhabited islands, narrow straits that meander through deep fjords, quiet coves surrounded by snow-capped peaks, cascading waterfalls, and spectacular tidewater glaciers." -- www.sikumi.com