Tourism in Alaska has been steadily increasing for the past ten years - receiving more than one million visitors Fall-Summer every year since 1993-1994.
Overview............ 10
Introduction ............15
History ............ 18
Hunters Cross the Land Bridge ............ 19
Russian Explorers and Traders ............ 27
Sewards Folly ............ 30
Alaskas Naturalists ............ 33
Japanese Invade Alaska ............ 33
Statehood ............ 35
Modern Alaska ............ 36
People ............ 39
Personality and Spirit ............ 39
Native Alaskans ............ 41
Wildlife ............ 52
Black Bears ............ 52
Brown and Grizzly Bears ............ 54
Caribou ............ 59
Dall Sheep ............ 60
Eagles ............ 61
Moose ............ 64
Musk Oxen ............ 66
Polar Bears ............ 66
Sea Lions ............ 67
Sea Otters ............ 70
Walrus ............ 71
Waterfowl ............ 71
Whales and Orcas ............ 73
Wolves ............ 75
Safety and Regulations ............ 78
Southeast And The Inside Passage ............ 82
The Inside Passage ............ 82
Ketchikan ............ 87
Misty Fiords National Monument ............ 88
Prince of Wales Island ............ 91
Wrangell ............ 91
Petersburg ............ 92
Sitka ............ 92
Juneau and Vicinity ............ 98
Admiralty Island ............ 104
Chichagof Island ............ 106
Gustavus ............ 106
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve ............ 107
Haines ............ 110
Skagway ............ 110
Yakutat ............ 116
Travel Information ............ 117
Climate ............ 121
Food, Lodging, & Tours ............ 122
Festivals and Events ............ 138
South-Central ............ 140
Anchorage and Vicinity ............ 140
Kenai Peninsula ............ 163
Western Kenai Peninsula ............ 167
Prince William Sound ............ 173
WrangellSt. Elias National Park and Preserve ............ 182
North of Anchorage ............ 185
Travel Information ............ 187
Climate ............ 189
Food, Lodging, & Tours ............ 191
Festivals and Events ............ 206
Interior ............ 208
Denali National Park and Preserve ............ 211
Denali Highway ............ 232
Fairbanks ............ 236
Bush Villages ............ 245
From the Canadian Border to Fairbanks ............ 247
Taylor Highway ............ 249
Travel Information ............ 258
Climate ............ 260
Food, Lodging, & Tours ............ 261
Festivals and Events ............ 268
The Arctic ............ 270
Life in the Arctic Wild ............ 273
Fairbanks to the Arctic Ocean: Dalton Highway ............ 276
Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve ............ 282
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge ............ 284
Brooks Range Communities ............ 287
Arctic Coast Communities ............ 290
Seward Peninsula Communities ............ 295
Kobuk Valley National Park ............ 302
Bering Land Bridge National Preserve ............ 304
Cape Krusenstern National Monument ............ 305
Noatak National Preserve ............ 306
Travel Information ............ 307
Climate ............ 308
Food, Lodging, & Tours ............ 309
Festivals and Events ............ 314
Southwest ............ 316
Earthquakes, Tidal Waves, and Fish-Filled Seas ............ 316
Kodiak Island ............ 321
Lake Clark National Park and Preserve ............ 326
Katmai National Park and Preserve ............ 29
Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve ............ 331
Dillingham and Vicinity ............ 333
Aleutian Islands ............ 334
Pribilof Islands ............ 337
Travel Information ............ 340
Climate ............ 341
Food, Lodging, & Tours ............ 342
Festivals and Events ............ 347
Statewide Travel Information ............. 348
Area Codes and Time Zones ............ 348
Metric Conversions ............ 348
Climate and Clothing ............ 348
Getting There and Getting Around ............ 351
About Accommodations and Wilderness Lodges ............ 353
Fishing ............ 355
Hunting ............ 355
River Rafting ............ 356
Official Tourism Information ............ 358
Useful Web Sites ............ 361
Words of Caution ............ 362
Recommended Reading ............ 366
Index ............ 370
Literary Extracts
Margaret Murie on Alaskas wild places ............ 11
George Vancouver sails into Prince William Sound ............ 28
Adolf Murie on Dall sheep ............ 61
Michael Modzelewski on salmon and eagles ............ 62
Nick Jans on wolves ............ 7677
John Haines on snow ............ 79
John Muir on southeastern Alaska ............ 86
Author Unknown on Sitka Jack ............ 94
Ella Higginson on glaciers ............ 109
John Muir from the deck of a steamer ............ 115
John Muir on Prince William Sound ............ 176
Klondy Nelson and Corey Ford on caribou ............ 237
William Bronson on weather ............ 244
Robert Service on Dangerous Dan McGrew ............ 247
Nick Jans on arctic seasons ............ 274275
An Eskimo song ............ 296
Klondy Nelson and Corey Ford on gold dust soup ............ 300
John Burroughs on Kodiak Island ............ 324
Barry Lopez on hunting walrus ............ 336
John Muir on the brave dog Stickeen ............ 368
Topical Essays And Sidebars
Alaska History Timeline ............ 2425
Population Facts and Breakdown ............ 40
Eskimo Artistry ............ 5051
Habitat Zones ............ 8081
Slippery Soapy Smith ............ 113
Art and Culture in Anchorage ............ 146147
Alaska Politics ............ 154155
The Iditarod ............ 190
That Denali Shuttle Bus ............ 218219
Climbing McKinley ............ 252257
Bush Etiquette ............ 286
The Worlds Most Dangerous Job ............ 318
A New Yorker in Alaska ............ 360361
Maps
Alaska Overview ............ 89
Alaska Oil Spill ............ 37
Ethnographic Areas ............ 42
Wildlife Viewing & Habitat Zones ............ 53
Upper Southeast ............ 84
Lower Southeast ............ 85
Greater Juneau ............ 99
Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve ............ 108
Canadas Inside Passage ............ 118
Alaskas Inside Passage ............ 119
South-Central ............ 144
Downtown Anchorage ............ 149
Interior ............ 210
Denali from Space ............ 214
Denali National Park and Preserve ............ 215
Fairbanks ............ 238
Arctic ............ 272
Southwest ............ 319
Aleutian/Pribilof Islands ............ 334335
Alaskas Transportation System ............ 349