What to See in Alaska

UNESCO World Heritage Sites

Of the twenty or so American sites listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Alaska has one:

Wrangell-St. Elias - Glacier Bay ★★★★ (1979)
These two national parks, along with two other Canadian sites, are collectively listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are renowned for their landscapes, glaciers, fjords, lakes, and abundant wildlife (bears, caribou, etc.). Hiking, fishing, canoeing, and rafting are popular activities here.

Cities and Regions

Alaska Highway ★★
This nearly 3,000 km road is part of the Pan-American Highway. It connects British Columbia to Fairbanks in Alaska, via the Yukon.

Aleutian Islands ★★
An archipelago of several hundred volcanic islands stretching nearly 2,000 km at the tip of Alaska, facing Russia. Fewer than 10,000 people live here, half of them in Unalaska, the main town.

Anchorage ★★
Alaska's largest city, home to nearly half the state's population. Visit museums, explore local wildlife (moose, bears, birds...), and enjoy hiking or mountain biking in the surrounding areas.

Barrow ★
This is the northernmost town (more of an Inupiat settlement) in all of Alaska and the United States, facing the Arctic Ocean. A small tourism industry has developed here.

Fairbanks ★
It is the second-largest city in Alaska, located inland. It primarily serves as a stopover or a base for exploring this part of the state.

Kodiak Island ★★
The large island is known for being home to the Kodiak bear, the largest terrestrial carnivore.

Juneau ★★
The capital of Alaska is nestled at the foot of a glacier, the Mendenhall, which is one of the nearby attractions you can explore on a hike or scenic flight. Juneau is also a stopover for cruise ships.

Ketchikan ★★
This charming small town in the far south is one of the main cruise stops in Alaska. It’s also famous for its countless totem poles.

Sitka ★★
This is the town with the most evidence of Russian presence in Alaska during the 19th century (as well as the Tlingit Indigenous people).

Skagway ★★
A town from the 1896 Klondike Gold Rush, nestled in a stunning setting with many period buildings still standing. Today, it is a major stop for cruise ships, which bring in several hundred thousand cruise passengers during the season.

Talkeetna ★★
This central town has several restored buildings dating back to the early 20th century, when the area experienced its own small gold rush. It’s also a base for the nearby Denali, which you can fly over from the village.

Wrangell ★★
This town, founded by the Russians in the mid-19th century on the island of the same name, is known for its fishing industry. It also houses various testimonies of the Tlingit Indigenous culture.

Natural Heritage

Misty Fjords National Monument ★★★
Accessible only by sea or seaplane, this fjord area in the Inside Passage is one of the most beautiful. It’s best explored by sea kayak.

Kachemak Bay State Park ★★
Near the small town of Homer, the site is accessible only by air or sea. Visitors come for the landscapes, trekking, and local wildlife (moose, bears, seals, whales...).

Denali National Park ★★★★
This vast park is home to Denali (formerly Mount McKinley), the highest peak in North America, which can be climbed. Hiking and rafting are also popular here, amid stunning landscapes rich in wildlife and flora.

Katmai National Park ★★★
Volcanoes, bears, and stunning desert-like landscapes, especially along the coast, in this park in southwestern Alaska.

Kenai Fjords National Park ★★★
The area offers stunning landscapes of glaciers, lakes (including Skilak Lake), and fjords. You can see many birds and a rich marine wildlife (seals, whales).

Lake Clark National Park ★★
The park offers a landscape of tundra with forests, waterfalls, volcanoes, and glaciers, along with abundant wildlife (bears, wolves, moose, birds).

Inside Passage ★★★★
The "Inside Passage" refers to the maritime route running along the coasts of the US-Canadian border north of Seattle to Alaska (over 800 km). You can explore its stunning landscapes of islands, bays, and fjords by ferry, canoe, or kayak.

Wrangell-St. Elias - Glacier Bay ★★★★
These two national parks, along with two other Canadian sites, are collectively listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. They are renowned for their landscapes, glaciers, fjords, lakes, and abundant wildlife (bears, caribou, etc.). Hiking, fishing, canoeing, and rafting are popular activities here.