Alaska For Dummies

by Wohlforth, Charles P.

• ISBN13: 9780470888711
• ISBN10: 0470888717
• Edition: 5th
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-03-22
• Publisher: For Dummies

Summary

You're in for a scenic, sensory treat! Alaska has 100,000 glaciers and 10 million lakes. Wildlife roams freely across vast spaces, unfettered by fences or roads. Opportunities to experience real wilderness and enjoy outdoor activities abound. You can't see or do it all, but you can make the most of your time with this friendly guide. Our author, Charles Wohlforth, is a lifelong Alaskan who has been writing about his home as a journalist and author for more than 20 years. Wohlforth received wide critical acclaim for his environmental studies of Alaska. Alaska For Dummies, 5th Edition gives you comprehensive coverage of America's Last Frontier and includes: Anchorage and road trips from Anchorage; Southeast Alaska, including Juneau, Skagway and Sitka; bush Alaska, covering fascinating places in the Arctic; options for visiting by cruise ship; five great itineraries that touch on Alaska's best destinations; the best places to see marine mammals, birds, humpback whales, black, brown, or polar bears, and other wildlife; the best gold rush towns, including Fairbanks, Juneau, Skagway, and Nome, where the free-wheeling frontier spirit abides today; the top ten questions to ask an Alaskan, and more. Like every For Dummies travel guide, Alaska For Dummies, 5th Edition includes down-to-earth trip-planning advice, what you shouldn't miss (and what you can skip), the best hotels and restaurants for every budget, and handy Post-it Flags to mark your favorite pages.

Author Biography

Charles Wohlforth is a lifelong Alaskan who has written ten books about the state, its nature, its history, and its politics. His most recent book, The Fate of Nature: Rediscovering Our Ability to Rescue the Earth (Picador), uses the story of Alaska's coasts to explore the capacity of humanity to solve global environmental challenges. His previous book, The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern Front of Climate Change (North Point Press), won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize for science and technology.

Table of Contents

Introduction.

Part I: Introducing Alaska.

Chapter 1: Discovering the Best of Alaska.

Chapter 2: Digging Deeper into Alaska.

Chapter 3: Deciding Where and When to Go.

Chapter 4: Great Alaska Itineraries.

Part II: Planning Your Trip to Alaska.

Chapter 5: Managing Your Money.

Chapter 6: Getting to Alaska.

Chapter 7: Getting Around Alaska.

Chapter 8: Cruising Alaska's Coast.

Chapter 9: Planning an Outdoor Adventure.

Chapter 10: Booking Your Accommodations.

Chapter 11: Catering to Special Travel Needs or Interests.

Chapter 12: Taking Care of the Remaining Details.

Part III: Anchorage and Environs.

Chapter 13: Settling Into Anchorage.

Chapter 14: Exploring Anchorage.

Chapter 15: Side Trips from Anchorage.

Part IV: Road Trips from Anchorage.

Chapter 16: The Kenai Peninsula: Seward, Kenai Fjords National Park, Kenai, and Homer.

Chapter 17: Fairbanks.

Chapter 18: Driving Alaska's Highways.

Chapter 19: Denali National Park.

Part V: Southeast Alaska.

Chapter 20: Juneau.

Chapter 21: Skagway.

Chapter 22: Sitka.

Part VI: The End of the Road and Beyond: Bush Alaska.

Chapter 23: The Arctic.

Chapter 24: Bear Country: Katmai National Park and Kodiak Island.

Alaska Wildlife.

Anchorage.

Downtown Anchorage.

The Kenai Peninsula and Prince William Sound.

Seward.

Homer.

Fairbanks.

Downtown Fairbanks.

Alaska Highways.

Denali National Park.

Greater Juneau.

Downtown Juneau.

Skagway.

Sitka.

Part VII: The Part of Tens.

Chapter 25: Ten Great Walks and Hikes in Alaska.

Chapter 26: Ten Questions to Ask an Alaskan.

Chapter 27: Ten Ways to Be an Alaska Know-It-All.

Appendix: Quick Concierge.

Index.