Alaska is one of my favorite places to visit. I have been there several times and I try to get back there every opportunity I get. I have traveled to Alaska via cruise ship on multiple occasions as well as by flying into the interior and exploring from there. I have visited Juneau, Ketchikan, Skagway, Sitka, Seward, Anchorage, Talkeetna, Whittier, Denali National Park, the College Fjord, Glacier Bay National Park, and many points in between.
A mother humpback whale and her calf.
The wildlife viewing in Alaska is always amazing. We have gone whale watching out of Juneau twice, and both times were awesome. I cannot recommend Harv and Marv’s Whale Watching enough. If you are going to Alaska and want to book a whale watching trip I certainly would check them out. https://www.harvandmarvs-juneau-whale-watching.com/. Besides whales, we have also seen seals, sea lions, various bird species, glaciers and awesome landscapes around Juneau while out whale watching.
Fluke of a humpback whale about to dive.
Orca (killer) whales in the harbor near Juneau.
Humpback whale fluke.
Sea lions on buoy.
A pod of humpback whales bubble net fishing for herring.
Another shot of the orca we saw on our whale watching.
Seal on buoy.
Male sea lions fighting on a rocky beach.
Mother humpback whale and cub diving.
Bald eagle flying overhead. Eagles are everywhere in Alaska.
Besides the whale watching, there are many opportunities for wild life viewing all around Alaska. If you want to see some of Alaska’s native animals in a more controlled setting the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center or the Musk Ox Farm are great locations to visit.
Grizzly bear at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.
A musk ox at the Musk Ox Farm near Palmer.
A wolf resting at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center.
If you enjoy seeing wildlife in a more natural environment, those opportunities are all over Alaska. We visited Denali National Park in the summer of 2017 and were able to see many species Alaska is famous for including: grizzly bears, moose, caribou, Dall sheep and wolf. And of course there were also a lot of landscapes to take in as well. We were also lucky to see Mt. Denali on a couple different occasions while we were there, which is not always the case as it is often hidden in clouds many days out of the year as the mountain is tall enough to make it’s own weather.
A panorama from a road side turn out heading North to Denali National Park. Mt. Denali is just peaking through the clouds on the right side of the pano.
A grizzly bear playing in a pool of water in Denali National Park.
A wolf walking along the road in Denali National Park. (The picture was taken through the glass of the bus so it’s a little distorted.)
Another shot of a grizzly in Denali National Park. There was actually a family of three on this occasion.
A caribou in Denali National Park.
A snowshoe hare in Denali National Park.
A picture of Mt. Denali (Mt. McKinley) from inside Denali National Park.
And of course around every corner there are things to see, on land or sea. There are many light houses to see, seascapes, landscapes, wildlife, flowers and the list goes on and on. If you have any questions about traveling to or any of the location I have mentioned, please reach out to me via my contact page.
A sunset from the deck of the cruise ship.
Eldred Rock Lighthouse on the way to Haines/Skagway.
Point Retreat Lighthouse.
Dall sheep on the cliffs near Windy Point on the highway between Anchorage and Seward.
Sitka Lighthouse.
Seascape near sunset from deck of the cruise ship.
Forget-Me-Not, State Flower of Alaska on Hatcher Pass.
Panorama near Hope Alaska.
Tide pool mussels near Seward.
Tide pool near Seward.
A juvenile bald eagle near Seward.
Looking out into the bay from Seward.
They grow their insects big in Alaska, as you can tell by this dragonfly.
Mendenhall Glacier near Juneau Alaska.
A sea otter in Glacier Bay National Park.
A foggy island scene.
About to enter one of the tunnels on the White Pass Railway out of Skagway.
Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay National Park.
A panorama at the end of the College Fjord.