Learn about Alaska before you go
Did you know...
Of the 20 highest peaks in the U.S., 17 are in Alaska? Denali, which sits at 20,320 feet above sea level, wins the prize as North America's highest peak. On a clear day in Anchorage and 200 miles away, the “The Great One” or “The Tall One” as the natives affectionately called her can be seen.
Alaska has more than 100 volcanoes and volcanic fields, but, not to worry, there have been no eruptions since the 1900's. Unfortunately, that is not true of earthquakes. Some of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded in the world happened in the unpopulated areas of the Arctic region.
There are more than 3,000 rivers and 3 million lakes in Alaska. The largest is Lake Iliamna, which is about as wide as Connecticut. How amazing is this fisherman's paradise?
Alaska has more coastline than the rest of the U.S. combined --more than 34,000 miles--and what's so nice is all of its beaches have no crowds! Florida has the 2nd most coastline with only 8,436 miles. If I do the quick math, that is only about 25% of what Alaska has to offer!
About 27,000 glaciers can be found in Alaska. This means about 3% of the state is covered with these thousand year old blue ice beauties.
North America's two largest forests are located in Alaska and they are immense. The Tongass in the southeast covers 16.8 million acres ; the Chugach in the south central area of the state has 4.8 million acres. Yet, hikers, you need not worry, there is no poison ivy and poison oak in Alaska. .
No joke. The state bird of Alaska is not the mosquito; it is the willow ptarmigan.
Alaska’s population density is one person per square mile. If you leave the cruise port towns, there is plenty of room to get out and explore without crowds. One expert put it this way: if Manhattan, New York, had the same population density as Alaska, there would be only 16 people living on the island.
Ladies, please take note: 52% of Alaskans are men. They have the highest percentage of any U.S. state,so, if you are looking for more than beautiful scenery, call me about your next vacation!
Sarah Palin might have exaggerated somewhat about being able to see Russia from her home, but, if you could drive across the ocean, you really could be there in under an hour!
Barrow, the state's northernmost city, has both the longest and shortest amount of daylight to enjoy. When the sun rises on May 10, it does not set for nearly three months. When it does set on November 18, Barrow residents do not expect to see the sun again for nearly two months. See why Alaska is often called the Land of the Midnight Sun?
Alaska may have broken all records for having the lowest temperature ever recorded in the U.S. at -80 degrees in 1971, but, honestly, it does have super great summers. Farmers deserved to brag about their summer crops and giant vegetables. Would you believe the Alaska State Fare awarded first place to the family that grew a 138 pound cabbage? Long summer days are good for the plants as well as tourists!
Such a curious place is this 49th state. Bears that weigh 1500 hundred pounds, moose that grow to 1600 pounds, and rivers with salmon weighing in at 39 pounds are not an anomaly, and, luckily, in a state with four times the number of airports per square mile, you can have easy access to them via seaplanes.
Cruises along the coast of Alaska are one of the most popular vacation packages we sell at Monroe Travel Service, but, this summer, more and more of our travelers are looking for a remote escape. They want to go somewhere new in 2022 and airfares to Anchorage are running about the same as Bozeman! Alaska is the perfect "boots on the ground" adventure, so give us a call at Monroe Travel Service and let's talk about it. After missing two years of vacationing due to covid, it's finally time to "go big or go home!"
Dianne Newcomer is a travel agent at Monroe Travel Service. For your next vacation or cruise, please email us at INFO@MONROETRAVEL.com or call 318 323 3465. We would love to send you away.
This article originally appeared on Monroe News-Star: Learn about Alaska before you go
