Anyone trying to convey the grandeur of an Alaska wilderness adventure knows how difficult it is to articulate the majesty of the place. With 17 of the 20 highest peaks in North America, 100,000 glaciers, more than 12,000 rivers and three million lakes, Alaska supports a vast wilderness. It’s home to moose, caribou, Dall sheep, whales, puffins, bald eagles, sea lions, sea otters and 30,000 brown bears.
Although the state is gorgeous everywhere you turn, not all Alaska tours offer the same wow factor. At Nat Hab, we veer from the standard tourism routes to explore this pristine region from as many perspectives as possible.
Whether crossing the tundra to see picturesque Denali by train, kayaking the Kenai Fjords to photograph marine life up close, hiking to platforms to safely observe brown bears fishing for salmon, listening for the thunderous crash of a glacier calving from the comfort of a cruise or taking in the massive size of the mountains by small plane, our naturalist guides can’t wait to share lesser-known Alaska with you.
Below, find five of our favorite ways to explore Alaska by land, air and sea!
1. Ride the Historic Alaska Railroad Over the Alaska Range and Through the Great Interior
You’ll feel like a pioneer who has traveled back in time when you board an Alaska Railroad dome car for a train journey through the rugged Alaska Range, keeping your eyes peeled for plentiful moose and caribou. Alaska offers some of the world’s most spectacular rail journeys through areas that are inaccessible by road. In fact, for decades, this was the only way to access Denali National Park. At 6 million acres—that’s bigger than the state of Massachusetts!—Denali is one of the world’s great wilderness preserves. It boasts the highest peak in North America, towering 20,310 feet over alpine tundra and taiga that provide habitat for wolves, grizzlies, moose, caribou, Dall sheep and other Alaskan wildlife.
© Court Whelan
The Alaska Railroad is a modern railroad with track stretching 470 miles from Seward to Fairbanks, with stops in places like Anchorage, Talkeetna and Denali National Park. Our preferred rail route ascends above the birch and spruce forest tree line over Broad Pass, then descends to the village of Talkeetna, which sits at the confluence of three rivers (including Susitna River) in view of Denali. You might even recognize this quirky hamlet, as it served as inspiration for the beloved TV show Northern Exposure.
2. Land on a Glacier by Plane to Get a Scope of Size
Travelers to Alaska are often in awe of the sheer scale of the state’s landscape. But unless you’re a climber, sometimes it’s difficult to even begin to grasp the size of the biggest mountains. We love to take our guests out on a morning tour by air, which includes a dramatic glacier landing right on Denali’s flank.
Talkeetna Air
From this privileged bird’s-eye view passing granite cliffs and hanging glaciers, we can see the Kahiltna Base Camp, Ruth Glacier and the major sister peaks of Mount Foraker and Mount Hunter on our circuit to the Great One and back. Take in a dynamic and complex landscape carved and painted by rivers, ridgelines and peaks. Weather dependent, we might even be able to descend into a massive, ice-filled canyon thought to be the deepest in the world.
3. Kayak Fjords to See Marine Life Up Close
Alaska is already remote, but we take you to the next-level of remote! The Kenai Fjords region is famous for its sea kayaking and prolific marine life. By paddling the fjords, you’re participating in the long history of human-powered travel along the Kenai Peninsula coast. Our isolated location on Fox Island, a lushly forested private island in Resurrection Bay on the edge of Kenai Fjords National Park, fronts a wild pebble beach backdropped by steep mountains, revealing a side of Alaska that most visitors miss.
© Seth Adams
Encounters with sea otters, seabirds and spawning salmon are common here. Humpbacks and orcas are the most commonly seen whale species in Kenai Fjords National Park, while gray whales are found here only in the spring. Just imagine how powerful and intimate a whale encounter would be from the surface level of the water!
4. Hike to View Giant Alaskan Brown Bears in Their Natural Habitat
Land by floatplane in Katmai National Park with its world-renowned Brooks Falls, one of the best places on earth to observe Alaskan brown bears just doing their thing in their natural habitat. Katmai has the world’s biggest population of these massive coastal bears, with more than 2,200 individuals calling Katmai’s 4 million acres of wilderness home.
© Court Whelan
Within Katmai’s protected bounds, the bears live undisturbed. From the safety of platforms built over Brooks Falls, you can have the privilege of witnessing, at close range, bears stand in the rushing whitewater, jaws wide open, focused on trying to catch the delicious salmon that leap up the falls.
5. Cruise to Where the Mountains Merge With the Sea by Private Boat
Kenai Fjords National Park offers a ton of opportunities for seeing humpback and orca whales, porpoises, sea otters and bobbing puffins. Traveling slowly alongside rocky cliffs where seabirds nest, it’s not uncommon to see bald eagles in the treetops above. Glaciers wind down from the mountains into the sea, and at times it’s possible to watch icebergs calving into the water with a thunderous crash.
© Court Whelan
It’s one thing to explore the fjords by kayak, but a whole different experience altogether taking the sights in from our private chartered boat, cozy blanket wrapped around your shoulders and a glass of wine in hand.
Discover more ways to explore Alaska, including our new Alaska Bear Camp!
