Alaska Vacation Was The Best

[Travel Guru]

Out vacation to Alaska was the best ever! We used to live in Anchorage almost 20 years ago, but we hadn't been back since. Last April we decided to take the family to Alaska, and I'm so glad that we did it. Our kids also agree that this was the best vacation we had ever been on.

We went between the seasons. It wasn't the snowy winter season, or the mild summer season. Alaska had a bit of both to offer. The only bad part was that we couldn't go snowmobile riding because most of the snow had melted. We also couldn't go on some of the glacier cruises because they don't open until the summer. Other than that, the timing for our Alaska vacation was perfect.

The highlight of the trip to Alaska was at the Denali National Park. The Denali Park Road is the only road in the park, and with few exceptions, private vehicles are not allowed. To provide for visitor access and enjoyment of the world class resources, our Concessioner, Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, offers several types of bus services along the Park Road. Anticipation of major increases in traffic resulting from the now-direct route to the park prompted park officials to implement a mass transit system beyond Mile 15 on the Denali Park Road. Did you know that Denali National Park and Preserve is home to both black bears and grizzly (brown) bears? Black bears inhabit the forested areas of the park, while grizzly bears mainly live on the open tundra. Almost all bears seen by visitors along the Park Road are grizzlies.

The other great part of our Alaska vacation was the view of the northern lights near Fairbanks, Alaska. Usually the aurora borealis appears to the north of the viewer, but occasionally it seems to be directly overhead even as far south as Anchorage, which sits just north of 61 degrees north latitude. Hotels and lodges near Fairbanks offer winter packages for travelers who want to increase their chance of seeing the aurora. Because Fairbanks is closer to the highly active area over the arctic and because the Fairbanks' winter nights are longer than they are to the south, the light show is often much brighter and reliable over Fairbanks than over Anchorage.

Our little Alaska vacation was the best holliday we have ever had. I can't wait to do it again!