Anchorage, Alaska

Anchorage is the gateway for tourism and travel in Alaska. Its mild summer weather is a big draw. From its early days as a railroad camp in a spruce and birch forest, Anchorage has grown into Alaska's largest city and the first stop for many visitors. Anchorage is a modern city in a beautiful setting laid out between the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet, and within sight of Mount McKinley (Denali), the continent's tallest peak.
Travel in any direction and find an abundance of wilderness experiences - watchable wildlife, glaciers, mountains, northern lights, recreation and adventure. Winter visitors are thrilled to find spectacular opportunities for outdoor fun. Mild winter climate, snow-covered mountains and forests, an award-winning trail system, and miles of untracked snow create the ideal conditions for winter activities such as alpine and Nordic skiing, snowboarding, dog sledding, ice fishing, snowshoeing and more.

The city has its share of asphalt and tall buildings, but nature still runs wild. Spawning salmon migrate up Anchorage's streams, and anyone walking through the woods may come face to face with a moose. Anchorage was created as a railroad construction camp on Ship Creek in 1914. It grew quickly during World War II and in the pipeline construction boom of the 1970s. The 1964 Prince William Sound earthquake, with a magnitude of 9.2, severely damaged parts of Anchorage. The city healed quickly and is the financial, cultural and medical capital of Alaska. Ankorage has a population of around 260,000 people and 700-1000 moose in the winter.

Alaska Native Heritage Center:
Feel the heartbeat of traditional Native dancing, visit traditional Native housing and touch and feel cultural objects, and interact with Alaska's Native People. There is something new to experience each week. You'll learn the life ways of long ago, traditions that endure and see how Alaska Natives survive and thrive today. www.alaskanative.net


Alaska Zoo:
Caribou, Dall sheep, reindeer, Siberian tigers, musk ox, seals, moose, and various Alaskan birds call this home -- you'll even find the state's only elephant. The star attractions are Oreo, a brown bear, and Ahpun, a polar bear; the two were orphaned as cubs and grew up together at the zoo. During the summer, the zoo operates a shuttle from downtown ($10 round-trip). 2 mi east of New Seward Hwy. Cost: $8. Open: May-Labor Day, daily 9-6; Labor Day-Apr., daily 10-5. www.alaskazoo.org

Sportfishing:
For a metropolitan area, the Anchorage bowl offers a surprising amount of good fishing. Streams and lakes in the area and nearby hold king, silver, pink chum, and red salmon; rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, lake trout, burbot, pike, grayling, smelt and whitefish.

Flightseeing:
Depart Lake Hood with an experienced Alaska bush pilot. Whether you want to land on a mountain lake, fly over fjords, view glaciers and wildlife or just enjoy the phenomenal and breathtaking beauty of the last frontier. Scheduled services are also available to Denali, Fairbanks, North Slope, Kenai Peninsula, the Mat-Su Valley and many other locations.

Location:
Anchorage is located in the Southcentral region of Alaska, 358 miles south of Fairbanks, 37 miles northwest of Girdwood and 127 miles north of Seward. It is a three-hour flight from Seattle.
Access:
Anchorage is centrally located in Alaska with more than 280 flights serviced daily by domestic and international airlines. Anchorage can be reached from anywhere in North America via the Alaska Highway. The Glenn and Seward highways lead into Anchorage and the Alaska Railroad travels between Anchorage from Fairbanks, Whitter and Seward.

Accomodations:
Anchorage has more than 8,000 hotel/motel rooms and more than 850 bed and breakfast/hostel beds. There are more than 600 restaurants/eateries.