How to get to Alaska
Most trips to Alaska involve flying. The other visitors come by water — cruise lines and state ferries — or by highway.
Air Travel:
Alaska, at the northern edge of the Pacific Ocean, is a crossroads of the world for air travelers.
Nonstop domestic flights arrive in the summer from a list of cities that includes Atlanta, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Minneapolis, Portland, Salt Lake City, San Francisco and Seattle.
Alaska Airlines has a virtual monopoly here. The exceptions are Anchorage and Fairbanks. Domestic airlines serving Anchorage and Fairbanks include Alaska, American, Continental, Delta, Northwest and United.
Alaska Airlines is the only jet carrier for most of the state. Alaska (except for the distant reaches of the Aleutians Islands) is in the Alaska time zone.
Remember, when it's 4 p.m. in New York and 1 p.m. in California, it's noon in Alaska.
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Ferry Travel:
The Alaska ferries carry many passengers -- with or without vehicles -- between many cities and villages on the Gulf of Alaska and Inside Passage. The ferry system, known officially as the Alaska Marine Highway System, also connects year-round with Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and Bellingham, Wash., an hour's drive north of Seattle. A common journey has passengers boarding in Bellingham and going as far as Haines or Skagway, where they drive off the ferry and onto highways that connect with the Alaska Highway.
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Highway Travel:
The Alaska Highway was built in 1942 to give the military a direct, safe land route to bases in Alaska. The highway, once a muddy route famous for its difficulties, is now a two-lane paved road famous for its scenery and reliability.
The highway's southern terminus is at Dawson Creek, in northern British Columbia, and the highway officially ends at Delta Junction, Alaska. From Dawson Creek it's 1,700 miles to Fairbanks or 1,900 to Anchorage. Services, ranging from fuel stations to restaurants and hotels, are available the length of the highway.
Dawson Creek is accessible by highways leading up from Montana and Washington.
Cruise Travel:
Almost a dozen cruise lines serve Alaska waters. Most cruise passengers see the Inside Passage -- the route along the islands stretching north from British Columbia past Ketchikan and Juneau and on to Haines and Skagway. Cruise liners commonly call at Glacier Bay National Park and Sitka as well.
Weeklong cruises may be either round trip or one way. The round-trip cruises start and end in such ports as Vancouver or Seattle. The one-way trips start at a southern port and usually end in Southcentral Alaska at either Seward or Whittier, near Anchorage (or they make that trip in reverse). Passengers may extend their vacation by arranging rail or car trips before or after their cruise.
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Railroad Travel:
Alaska and Canada have yet to develop an international rail connection, except for an excursion train based in Skagway. Rail fans, however, can take the Canadian rail system to Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and there board an Alaska-bound ferry. The Alaska Railroad provides passenger service from Anchorage south to the cruise port of Seward and north to Denali National Park and Fairbanks. The White Pass and Yukon Route railroad runs from Skagway along an old Klondike gold rush route, with day trips reaching as far as Bennett Lake, British Columbia.
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Alaska Activities • Activities List • Alaska Marine Highway • Flightseeing • Alaska Railroad • Fishing • Fishing Charters • Berry Picking • Gold Panning • Kenai River • Cruises • Rafting • Bear Watching • Helicopter Tours • Experience Native Culture • Camping • Museums • Hiking • Kayaking • Dog Sled Rides • Winter Fun in Alaska • Northern Lights • Hunting • Snowsports • Shopping • Glacier Viewing • Wildlife Viewing | Events
in Alaska • Events • Iditarod • Fur Rendezvous • Girdwood Forest Fair • Bald Eagle Festival Alaska Information • Aurora Borealis • Alaska Saltwater Fish • Alaska Freshwater Fish • Alaska Birds • Alaska Plants • Alaska Flowers • Alaska Trees • Bear Safety • Animal Tracks • Sea Creatures • Alaska News Organizations • Alaska Lodges • Alaska Regions • Mosquitos in Alaska • Alaska Weather • Alaska Maps |
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