In addition to the following 'snapshot'
descriptions you can also read further information
on the highlighted areas using the links supplied
on the individual tour pages. Once on tour the Visitors'
Centres, historical roadside markers, Park Rangers,
museums and newspapers will be readily accessible
for additional information. Combine these with the
knowledge of your trek leader and you'll have plenty
of background - maybe more than you'll be able to
absorb.
And remember: one of the best sources
of information is the 'locals'- so don't be shy or
afraid about saying 'Hi'. You'll discover that your
accent is a marvellous icebreaker to help you experience
the real spirit of Alaska.
Skyscrapers, pinnacles of glass
and steel, flash against the backdrop of nature's
pinnacles, the Chugach Mountains. Relentless urban
development in the wondrous wilderness of Alaska is
not what tourists expect, and anybody living outside
of Anchorage will agree with you. Half of Alaska's
population lives here, 276,000, and claim there is
no other city like it in the world!
Anchorage is the state's business
and communication hub, and is likely to be the starting
point for most visitors' journeys whether to the islands,
the Kenai Peninsula, or inland to Denali and Mt. McKinley.
Oil is still the number one business in town and money
from the oil boom of the 70's provided financing for
the building of all the comforts and attractions of
a large US city.
But Alaska is only a short distance
away, within 20 minutes one can be amongst glaciers,
mountains and whitewater rivers. It was in 1913 that
five settlers occupied Ship Creek. The point on Cook
Inlet where modern day Anchorage now stands. Two years
later, Congress passed the Alaskan Railroad Act naming
Ship Creek as the major staging post for workers and
supplies. Within a month, a tent city of nearly 2000
had sprung up and within a year the new township of
Anchorage had been born complete with water, telephones,
power lines, sidewalks, and schools to support the
population of approx. 7000.
Denali attracts more visitors in
it's 114 day season than the entire state has residents.
The park's shuttle-bus service gives easy viewing
of the spectacular scenery as well as the plentiful
wildlife. The park is home to 37 species of mammals,
the big four being: bear, moose, caribou, & Dall
sheep, and 130 different varieties of birds.
Until 1980 the park was known
as the Mt. McKinley National Park, then it was renamed
and it is protected area tripled to 6 million acres
of subarctic wilderness. Few people leave this masterpiece
of nature without being amazed at what they saw, nor
can they leave with any unused film!
The park's center piece is North America's highest
peak, the majestic 20,320 feet Mt. McKinley.What makes this mountain so
awesome is that it rises from an elevation of only
2000 feet, thus one sees 18000 foot - more than 3
miles - of sheer rock, snow, and glaciers soaring
into the sky. (Mt. Everest, the world's highest mountain
only rises 11000 feet from the 18000ft Tibetan Plateau.)
Created in 1980, the park and the
region was thrust into the news when the Exxon Valdez
ran aground in Prince William Sound, producing one
of the world's worst oil spills and environmental
disasters.
Much of this delicate and pristine
coastline was saved from heavy damage by favourable
winds, but the park's staff are determined not to
let us forget what impact the oil spill had and displays
can be seen at the visitor center. The park encompasses
the Harding Ice Field, one of the largest in North
America.
A survey team earlier this century discovered that
eight glaciers which reach the sea, are in fact part
of the same massive ice system, measuring 35 miles
long and 20 miles wide. Access to the area is only
possible by air or sea, and only expert mountaineers
with guides venture into this inhospitable wilderness
of icy, surreal beauty.
However, setting sail from the town
of Seward everyone can view the breathtaking beauty
of the glaciers, and the silver/blue icebergs which
dot the fjord. The thrill of seeing your first whale
close up is a sight that you will never forget. Watch
these creatures, in silent wonder as their tails rise
into the air and disappear beneath the surface of
the near freezing water.
The sheer abundance of porpoises, seals, whales, and
seabirds in such majestic surroundings will keep camera
shutters clicking and heads turning as you drink-in
the total experience.
