Page 266 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

264  TR A VELERS ’ NEEDS

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Known around the world as a premier equipment, and even provide guides.
wilderness and adventure holiday For those with the proper equipment,
destination, Alaska offers visitors a diverse camping, hiking, backpacking, canoeing,
range of outdoor activities. In the summer, and Nordic skiing can be inexpensive
visitors can go sportfishing (see pp44–5), and spectacular. However, anything
hiking, moun taineering, canoeing, and that involves bush travel or motorized
white water rafting, while the winter vehicles such as snowmachines and
brings opportunities for snowmachining, ATVs will require extensive planning
dog sledding (see pp42–3), and skiing. The and cost considerably more. For a price,
daring can even try heli-skiing. Operators operators will provide equipment and
usually organize transport, food, and handle all the logistics.

Bush Travel
at least some hiking experience.
Even in popular Denali National Due to Alaska’s limited road and
Park (see pp166–9), there are few ferry systems, transport around
marked trails. Here, most hiking the state is quite different from
is cross-country, and needs back- other parts of the US. Access to
country permits, orientation the bush – any place off the
skills, and the ability to ford highway or Marine Highway
unbridged rivers. Denali systems – requires a helicopter,
Trekking Company organizes a boat or water taxi, or a bush
customized trips for visitors. plane on wheels, floats, or skis.
Even on the outskirts of Bush flights, which carry
Anchorage, it is possible to residents and supplies to remote
hike one of the many trails homesteads and fly anglers and
in Chugach State Park or rafters to uncrowded streams
around Girdwood. On the Kenai also pro vide access to rural
Hikers on a trail in Girdwood on the Peninsula, many routes through villages and bush lodges.
outskirts of Anchorage the spectacular state parks Rust’s Flying Service, Wrangell
and the Chugach National Mountain Air and Brooks
Hiking
Forest, including the popular Range Aviation are some of the
Alaska is a hiker’s paradise, and Resurrection Pass Trail (see p105), bet ter operators that arrange
Southcentral, Southeast, and make excellent intro ductions trips for tourists. Clients must
Interior Alaska boast numerous to multi-day hiking. Arctic Wild pay not only for the flight out,
picturesque hiking and trekking adventure guide service offers but also for the pilot’s return
trails. The possi bilities range a range of specialty ecotours. trip. The rates differ according to
from short 2-mile (3-km) strolls In Southwest, Arctic, and the type of plane, the number
to all-day hikes, multi-day back- Western Alaska, hiking is lim ited of passengers, and the dura tion
packing trips, and cross-country to cross-country wilder ness of the flight. Client lug gage is
wilderness expeditions. routes that can be accessed always limited to the amount
In Southeast Alaska, nearly only by bush plane. Kodiak of gear that the plane can safely
every city and town lies within Treks conducts low-impact carry. Anyone who wants to
easy reach of scenic hiking bear-viewing trips. haul a boat or camp ing gear
trails that lead up through lush
forest and muskeg to points
offering great views. The most
popular long-distance route
here is the historic Chilkoot Trail
(see pp152–3), which requires
stamina as well as preparation.
Gastineau Guiding offers the
best excursions around the
Juneau area.
Most of the popular trails in
Interior Alaska, such as those in
Denali State Park (see p164) and
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
(see pp192–3), are longer, often
unmarked routes that demand Floatplane taking off for the bush, Lake Hood, Anchorage

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