Things to Do in Alaska

For stunning views over Skagway and its environs, take a scenic drive along the road to Dyea and follow the turnoff to the Overlook.

The viewing platform at the Skagway Overlook takes in the town of Skagway, waterways and surrounding peaks dusted with snow.

Bring your camera and set it to panoramic to capture wide-angle shots of the Skagway River, and inlets and waterways like neighboring Smugglers Cove.

Tours heading to the White Pass summit take time so visitors can appreciate the views over Skagway from the Overlook observation platform.




Photo by Bill & Vicki Tracey, sourced from Wikimedia Commons

The Pacific Coast town of Sitka sits on Baranof Island in Alaska’s Inside Passage and is only accessible by air and sea. Its combination of Russian settlement history, native Tlingit culture and breathtaking natural landscapes makes it one of the Inside Passage’s greatest hits.

Shore excursions like sea kayaking cater to outdoor enthusiasts, while culture and history buffs will enjoy a walking tour of town.

How to get to Sitka
Most cruise ships anchor in the bay and tender passengers to the harbor in the downtown area, which can be explored on foot.

One Day in Sitka
Start your walking tour of town at Castle Hill on Lincoln Street, near the tender drop-off point by O’Connell Bridge. Snap some photos of Sitka and the waterfront at the lookout spot, where the Russian flag was lowered and the American flag raised when Alaska was transferred to the US in 1867. Then continue along Lincoln Street, the town’s main drag.

Pass by St Michael’s Cathedral and the Russian Bishop’s House, both of which date back to the 1840s, as you make your way to Sitka National Historic Park. Check out the Russian and indigenous exhibits before taking a walk on the park trail that winds its way past several traditional totem poles.

For more town scenery, make your way to Katlian Street, which will take you along the Sitka Channel, full of fishing boats. Before getting back on your ship, don’t miss a performance by the New Archangel Dancers if you didn’t catch them when you disembarked.

The story of St. Michael’s Cathedral is really the story of the Russian Orthodox Church in Alaska. Since the Russians settled in North America starting in 1741, sporadic attempts were made to Christianize the Natives, and in 1848 the capital of the Russian Orthodox Church moved to Sitka and St. Michael’s Cathedral was erected. Though partially destroyed in a fire in January of 1966, the rebuilt Cathedral stands as an outstanding example of Russian Orthodox architecture and was the major religious office in the area until Russia ceded Alaska to the United States in 1867. Today, St. Michael’s Cathedral houses an impressive collection of Russian Orthodox art and various church relics. Set against a sub-arctic skyline, it is a memorable sight for any photographer.

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline is a 48-inch oil pipeline that traverses 800 miles (1,300 kilometers). It was built by the Alyeska Pipeline Service Company in 1977 to transport crude oil from Prudhoe Bay’s oil fields to a port in Valdez to be loaded onto tankers and shipped to U.S. refiners. The cost to construct the pipeline was $8 billion, making it one of the largest privately-funded construction projects in Alaska. Moreover, it’s one of the largest pipeline systems in the world, and because much of the ground that it is laid on is frozen sections of the pipeline are either built above ground or buried and insulated.

It’s astonishing that the pipe has withstood the harsh Alaska weather for so long. Today, the Trans-Alaska Pipeline is a popular tourist attraction, especially for those who want to get a photograph of themselves touching it.

The Alyeska Pipeline Visitor Center on the Steese Highway at milepost 8.4 between Fox and Fairbanks is also worth a visit. This free-to-enter attraction provides a great introduction to the pipeline as it gives historical and background information as well as fun facts. For example, did you know the pipeline’s highest elevation is 4,739 feet (1,444 meters) at Atigun Pass? After leaving you’ll really understand what makes the Trans-Alaska Pipeline such an engineering marvel.

Ketchikan is home to a rich Native Alaskan culture, which can be fully explored at the Totem Bight State Historical Park, home to 15 intricate totem poles. These poles were sourced from abandoned native villages and then restored, and each tells a unique story of Tlingit and Haida carvers.

This top-rated visitor attraction at the University of Alaska Fairbanks boasts being the only research and teaching museum in Alaska. With a goal of acquiring, interpreting and showcasing collections relating to Alaska’s natural, cultural and artistic heritage, the University of Alaska Museum of the North currently houses 1.4 million artifacts and specimens. Visitors can peruse the collections and exhibits to gain a true understanding of the development and culture of Native Alaskans. These are separated into 10 different categories: Archaeology, birds, documentary film, earth sciences, ethnology/history, fine arts, fishes/marine invertebrates, insects, mammals, and plants.

Visitors can also see ancient artwork spanning from 2,000 years ago to present, like ancient ivory carvings; contemporary sculptures; Alaska’s most comprehensive public display of gold and Blue Babe; a light installation that changes with the position of the moon and sun; Native tools and toys; and much more. Other things to do include seeing a 36,000-year-old preserved steppe bison; learning about Alaska’s mining history, seeing a film on the Aurora Borealis; viewing the world’s largest collection of polar dinosaurs; taking in beadwork handicrafts from the mid-1800s and other experiences you just can't have anywhere else. Don’t leave without perusing the Museum Store, which sells authentic Native Alaskan artwork.

Sitka National Historical Park is Alaska's oldest national park. Established in 1890 to commemorate the 1804 Battle of Sitka, as well as to preserve Native totemic art, the park strives to combine beautiful temperate rainforest with history. Northwest Coast totem poles line much of the coastal trail here, and the Russian Bishop’s house stands as one of the last existing examples of Russian Colonial architecture in North America. Visitors can also attend ethnographic exhibits and the Southeast Alaska Indian Cultural Center, where guests are allowed to watch native artists at work. In addition, you can still visit the site of the Tlingit Fort and battlefield near the heart of this 113-acre (45-hectare) national park, and though not much remains of the last major battle between Europeans and the Alaskan Natives, it remains an interesting glimpse into the past, surrounded by towering spruce and western hemlock.

Encompassing 17 million acres, the Tongass National Forest is the largest forest in the United States. Originally the Alexander Archipelago Forest Reserve, a project of Theodore Roosevelt started in 1902, the park was developed and renamed in 1908 to pay homage to the Tongass Clan of the Tlingit Indians. Visitors to Tongass National Forest have an enormous array of activities and experiences to choose from: bird-watching, trekking, fishing (there are five species of salmon here, among other fish), camping, visiting glaciers, lake canoeing, off-roading and just relishing pure fresh air and pristine natural beauty. In fact, there are 17,000 miles (27,359 kilometers) of lakes, creeks and rivers to enjoy within the forest. Wildlife is also prevalent, with chances to view otters, brown and black bears, wolves, eagles and Sitka black-tailed deer.

Situated in downtown Sitka, overlooking a magnificent fjord, Sitka’s Sheldon Jackson Museum is a warm and friendly storehouse of knowledge and artificats, where long-term curators give a hands-on approach to telling the history of life in the Chilkat Valley.

Numerous Native artifacts help to illuminate the life and times of the local Athapaskan, Eskimo, Aleut, and Northwest Coast Natives here. Upon walls hang masks, within drawers lay keys, sewing kits, toys, and other knick-knacks that reveal glimpses into fascinating pasts.

The Sheldon Jackson Museum is well-known for being small but complete museum, with a hands-on approach to education. Live demonstrations such as basket weaving and wood carving routinely occur here and are available to the public.