Making the Most of Your Time

Making the Most of Your Time

Because of its immense size and the expense of transportation, it's best to give yourself at least a week when exploring rural Alaska. Even with a week or two you'll see no more than a small slice of Alaska's wildest and most remote parts.

If you're looking to go bear viewing, bird-watching, sportfishing, or sea kayaking, head to Southwest Alaska. Kodiak Island and the Alaska Peninsula have the world's densest populations of brown bears; they also present the best opportunities to watch bears in the wild, at designated viewing areas. Here, too, are the world's largest salmon runs. And few northern birding hot spots compare to the Pribilof Islands or the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta. The region's vast expanses of shoreline present memorable opportunities for kayakers.

Beyond the Arctic Circle in summer is the true Land of the Midnight Sun. These regions also boast premier native cultural tours. And the Arctic's mountain chain, the Brooks Range, presents opportunities for wilderness lovers to explore exciting wildlands. Here, too, is the only road to connect the bush with Alaska's highway system: the Dalton Highway.