What will you see on your Alaskan cruise?

Anchorage, AK
Denali National Park
Glacier Bay Inside Passage
Juneau, AK
Ketchikan, AK
Seward, AK
Sitka, AK
Skagway, AK

Anchorage, AK
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Anchorage, on a high bluff enfolded by the two branches of Cook Inlet, lies as far west as the Hawaiian Islands and as far north as Helsinki, Finland. Characterized by a modern skyline, Anchorage is Alaska's largest and most sophisticated city and is home to half of the state's residents. Established in 1915 as the construction headquarters for the Alaskan Railroad, it is the transportation and business center of south-central Alaska and a major winter recreation area.

The dramatic beauty of the nearby mountains, inlets and glaciers offers an easily accessible sampling of Alaska's natural splendors. From Anchorage, visitors can take various sightseeing tours of the area, including the Kenai Peninsula and places of interest inaccessible by road.

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Denali National Park
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Primitive and wild, Denali National Park Preserve covers 9,375 square miles in south-central Alaska and offers spectacular views of quiet lakes, snowcapped peaks and varicolored tundra. In addition to 20,320-foot Mount McKinley, the park encompasses 17,400-foot Mount Foraker, 31,200-foot Silverthrone and 11,670-foot Mount Russell.

The park's many glaciers originate on the slopes of the Alaska Range. More than 155 species of birds and 37 kinds of mammals inhabit the park; grizzly bears, moose, Dall sheep, wolves and caribous are some of the larger mammals. Equally varied is the vegetation.

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Glacier Bay Inside Passage
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The Inside Passage is the longest sheltered inland waterway in the world, and you'll see why they call Alaska "the Great Land". Here walls of ice seem to rise from silver blue seas and brilliant flowers are strewn at the foot of snow-capped mountains. Silent eagles circle the sky in search of unsuspecting salmon. And just when it seems like the quietest place on earth, you are startled by the sudden splash of a humpback whale breaking the surface. Watch for seals, gaudily costumed puffins, and perhaps a black bear.

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Juneau, AK
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Juneau, Alaska's capital city, lies along the Gastineau Channel at the foot of snowcapped mounts Roberts and Juneau. The borough of Juneau covers 3,108 square miles of towering mountains, islands, saltwater bays, forested valleys, and residential flatlands. Its road system extends from Thane, 6 miles southeast of downtown, northwest to Echo Cove at Milepost 40.2 on the Glacier Highway. The city is accessible by air or by sea.

When Joe Juneau and Richard Harris discovered gold in 1880, they started the first rush in American Alaska. At one time the Alaska-Juneau and Treadwell mines were producing about 20,000 tons of ore daily. Not until 1944, when the low price of gold and the high cost of extraction rendered it impractical, did mining operations cease.

One of the oldest churches in southeast Alaska is located in Juneau. Tours are available mid-May to mid-September. Built in 1894, St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church is a Fifth and Gold streets. The Shrine on St. Terese, near milepost 23 on the Glacier Highway, is a stone chapel on an island connected to shore by a gravel causeway.

There are many ways to tour Juneau. Nearby hiking trails, which vary in length and difficulty, lead to fishing spots, scenic mountain areas, old mine ruins and points near Mendenhall Glacier. Bus tours circle points of interest in Juneau and visit Mendenhall Glacier and the log Chapel-by-the-Lake at Auke Lake.

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Ketchikan, AK
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Five miles long and a half-mile wide, Alaska's southernmost city is built on stilts at the base of the Tongass National Forest. The town is populated with native culture and contains the largest concentration of Tlingit, Haida, and Tsimshian people in Alaska. This heritage can be seen in the renowned totem poles that populate the area.

Be sure to wander down Creek Street, the town's now-innocent "red-light" district. Higlights include art galleries, and a museum.

You will also sample local fare in the "Salmon Capital of the World" at a salmon bake.

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Seward, AK
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Named for William H. Seward, who negotiated the purchase of Alaska, Seward is an ice-free port in a setting of great beauty. At the northeast end of the bay named Resurrection by Russians who arrived in its waters on Easter, the city is surrounded by high mountains and ice fields.

The Polar Bear Jump Off, held in January, offers 3 days of activities centered around a plunge into Resurrection Bay. The 8.5 day Seward Silver Salmon Day begins the second Saturday in August. An event attracting athletes of Olympic aspirations is Mount Marathon Race, a race to the top of the 3,022-foot mountain, which takes place on July 4th.

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Sitka, AK
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The one-time capital of Russian America (year 1804), tourists are always impressed with a visit to the onion-domed St. Michael's Cathedral and the oldest building in Alaska: the Russian Bishop's House. This was once a thriving port of 3,000 when San Francisco was just a mission village. Castle Hill marks commemorates the 1867 ceremony that transferred ownership of Alaska from Russia to the United States. The colorfully costumed New Archangel Dancers perform Russian dances in the Harrigan Centennial Hall when ships are in port during the summer. Don't expect a performance from Sitka's volcano, Mount Edgecumbe; it's been dormant for ages.

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Skagway, AK
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During the icy winters of 1897-1898 hordes of enthusiastic would-be prospectors who had heard of the Klondike gold strike swarmed ashore at Skagway. They assembled their gear and began to trek over treacherous mountains and down raging rivers to the Klondike. Within 3 months of the first gold strike, the settlement of Skagway grew from one cabin into a thriving city of more than 20,000 people. The gold rush ended suddenly, and those who had come to Skagway moved on.

In Skagway, known for false town front buildings and wood plank sidewalks, you can find the action at the playfully "naughty" Red Onion Saloon and in the Days of '98 Saloon Theater.

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