Of all of the beautiful cities, ports, and national parks in Alaska, we have chosen seven amazing ports and National Parks that make up most of the itineraries in Alaska Tours and Cruises, and they are:

Juneau

Juneau is the capital city of Alaska. It is a unified municipality located on the Gastineau Channel in the Alaskan panhandle and is the second-largest city in the United States. Downtown Juneau is at the base of Mount Juneau and across the channel from Douglas Island. Unusually enough, the city has no roads connecting it to the rest of Alaska. As a traveler, however, I know that there is a ferry service available for cars. Juneau is named after gold prospector Joe Juneau, who co-founded the city with Richard Harris. Downtown Juneau sits at sea level, with tides averaging 16 feet, below steep mountains of about 3500 to 4000 feet. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Icefield, a large ice mass with about 30 flowing glaciers. You can see the Mendenhall Glacier and the Lemon Creek Glacier from local roads.

The Gastineau Channel was a favorite fishing ground for local Tlingit Indians who had inhabited the area for thousands of years. The native cultures are rich with artistic traditions, including carving, weaving, singing, and dancing.

The climate is mild with moist and long winters; spring, summer, and fall are cool to mild.

Denali National Park and Preserve

Denali is a national park and preserve located in Interior Alaska, centered on Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America. The park encompasses more than 6 million acres with mixed forest landscapes. The preserve is also home to tundra, glaciers, rock, and snow. The park offers wildlife viewing, mountain climbing, and backpacking. Winter-time activities include dog-sledding, cross-country skiing, and snowmachining. Denali National Park is home to Alaskan birds and mammals, including grizzly and black bears. Herds of caribou roam the park, while Dall sheep are seen on the mountainsides. Moose, foxes, martens, lynx, and wolverines also inhabit the park. Exploring the lakes, you'll find an abundance of fish in the waters as well as the wood frog. The park has a 91-mile road running from George Parks Highway to the mining camp of Kantishna, but only a small portion of this road is paved. The first 15 miles of the road are available for private vehicles, and concessionary buses take visitors to the interior of the park.

Denali has long winters, and summers are cool and damp. The weather, however, is often so unpredictable that there has been snow in August.

Fairbanks

Fairbanks is the largest city in the "Interior" region of Alaska and the third largest in the state. Captain E.T. Barnette founded Fairbanks in August 1901 while headed to Tanacross, where he originally intended to set up a trading post. Teams of gold prospectors built drift mines, dredges, and lode mines, as well as panning and sluicing in the city. Fairbanks was also a producer of agricultural goods and revolutionary in most farming activities. Fairbanks is located in the central Tanana Valley, straddling the Chena River and the Tanana River. North of the city is a chain of hills reaching the White Mountains and the Yukon River.  Fairbanks is also famous as a hub for cross-country skiing in Alaska. Enjoy one of the many Alaska Train Tours we offer.

The Fairbanks climate involves very long winters and short, warm summers. Winter lasts from late September until late April, but snow is typically limited from February to May. 

Kenai

The city of Kenai is named after the local word ken or kena, which means flat, meadow, open area with few trees.  Summers are cool, and winters are snowy and long but not particularly cold. Although many fishing boats are based in Kenai, it does not have a formal port and harbor. The nearest deep water port is in Nikiski. A world-record king salmon was caught in the Kenai River, making the city a popular fishing tourist location.

Seward

While Seward is the ninth most lucrative fishing port in the United States, it is also big in the tourism industry. It has a maintained dock for cruise ships and controls a coal shipping terminal. Seward is unusual among most small Alaskan communities, as it has road access on the Seward Highway. Cruise ship passengers get off the boats and take the train farther north to Denali or other Alaskan attractions from Seward.

It is also a very bike-friendly community. Bikes are available for rent and there are guided bike tours of the area. Points of interest in Seward are Mount Marathon and its famous Mount Marathon Race, the Kenai Fjords National Park, the Alaska SeaLife Center, the Seward Silver Salmon Derby, the Polar Bear Jump-Off, music and art festivals as well as the Balto Film Festival.

Whitehorse

Whitehorse is the capital and largest city of the Yukon. The city was named after the Whitehorse Rapids for their resemblance to the mane of a white horse. Located near Miles Canyon, the city is in the Whitehorse Valley, and the climate is milder than that of other comparable northern communities. Winter days are short, and summer days have 20 hours of sunlight. You will find the SS Klondike riverboat, Rotary Peace Park, and other interesting waterfront landmarks. Climb the "Two Mile Hill" to see an overview of the old residential neighborhoods where homes are the original army barracks and military officer residences. The narrow gauge railway links Skagway to Whitehorse. There is a bus service and a waterfront tram, which provides transportation along the Yukon River. Outdoor attractions include Whitehorse Fish Ladder and Dam, the longest wooden fish ladder in the world, Yukon Gardens, Log Skyscrapers, Yukon Wildlife Preserve, and Takhini Hot Springs. The Frantic Follies Vaudeville Revue is a major tourist attraction. The annual 1000-mile Yukon Quest sled dog race between Whitehorse and Fairbanks is considered one of the toughest in the world.

Whittier

Whittier is on the northeast shore of the Kenai Peninsula. The glacier near Whittier was named for American poet John Greenleaf Whittier. Whittier is a popular port of call for cruise ships, as it has connections to Anchorage and the interior of Alaska by both highway and rail. It is also the embarkation/debarkation point of the Denali Express, the nonstop rail service to and from Denali National Park. Whittier is popular with tourists, sport fishermen, and hunters. The Whittier tunnel links Seward Highway south of Anchorage with Whittier and is the only land access to the town.

These are just a few of the many beautiful cities, parks, and locations in Alaska. Various Guided Alaska Tours are currently available that would allow travelers to encounter some of the locations listed above, as well as plenty of other beautiful locations the state has to offer.