All travel routes in Alaska. Все маршруты путешествий по аляске. The big trip to Alaska

09.10.2020

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Today we set off on a trip to Alaska, the southeastern part of it. сегодня мы отправляемся в путешествие на Аляску, юго-Восточную её часть. wild nature

Дикая природа

, picturesque landscapes.

, живописные пейзажи.

1. The unofficial name of Southeast Alaska is Alaska Panhandle, Alaska Pen. 1. Неофициальное название Юго-Восточной Аляски - Аляска Панхэндл, Ручка Аляски. It happened due to the similarity of the image of Alaska on the map to a ladle (pan) with a handle, where Southeast Alaska is precisely the "handle". Оно произошло из-за похожести изображения Аляски на карте на ковш (кастрюлю) с ручкой, где Юго-Восточная Аляска как раз и является «ручкой». (Photo by Jim Alseth):

(Фото Jim Alseth):

2. Did you know that bears are omnivores, and some of them generally prefer plant foods? 2. А вы знаете, что медведи - всеядные, а некоторые из них и вообще предпочитают растительную пищу? Even polar bears can feed on vegetation during difficult times. Даже белые медведи могут питаться растительностью в трудные времена. And the most famous example of obligate predators - those that feed exclusively on meat and cannot digest vegetation - are all cats. А самый известный пример облигатных хищников - тех, которые питаются исключительно мясом и не могут переваривать растительность - все кошки. (Photo by Moelyn Photos):

16. In addition to the mainland, Southeast Alaska includes a huge number of islands - large, medium, small and very tiny. (Photo by Greg and Jan Ritchie):

17. White Pass Railways. This is the most beautiful narrow-gauge railway in Alaska with a length of 175 km. A link to it will be below. (Photo by Royce Bair):

18. The most beautiful ice cave. (Photo by Saraporn):

19. Another one locals- two moose. (Photo by M. Cornelius):

20. Morning in the forest near Ketchikan. By the way, the economy of this city is based on tourism and fishing, and the city is known as “ World capital salmon ". (Photo by Carlos Rojas):

21. The duration of the dive for humpback whales depends on the season. In summer they rarely dive for more than 5 minutes and dives longer than 10 minutes are rare. In winter, diving lasts 10-15 minutes. (Photo by Paul Souders):

22. Glacier Bay - national park on southeast coast Alaska, west of Juneau. The national park is under the protection of UNESCO. The nature of the Glacier Bay coastline is glaciers, mountain ranges with snowy peaks covered with forests, deep fjords, rivers and lakes. (Photo by Ramunas Bruzas):

23. Lituya Bay. Known for the natural disaster that occurred here on July 9, 1958. As a result of an earthquake with a magnitude of 8.3, a powerful landslide descended from the mountains. About 30 million cubic meters of rocks and ice fell into the waters of the bay. This led to the formation of a giant wave tsunami with a height of more than 500 meters... This is the highest tsunami wave known to mankind. (Photo by M. Cornelius):

24. Seal rest. (Photo by Russ Heinl):

25. Magic forest. (Photo by Joe Benning):

26. This is what she is, Southeast Alaska. (Photo by Richard Seeley):

Alaska is glaciers, mountains, gold rush, delicious salmon, bears and whales ... and also Seattle, Vancouver and even Amsterdam. The main thing is to choose the right flight with good layovers on the way.

Well, and a huge twelve-deck cruise liner, I will talk about the nuances and pitfalls (although there are almost none) both from the passenger's point of view, and I will show a little insider information, I will tell you about the life of the crew, which is at sea for 6-8 months.

Go...

Probably two clean days I spent looking for a flight at the most optimal cost, and even with interesting layovers on the way. After all, each stop is another little trip. This time, the choice fell on the American Delta. Kiev-Amsterdam-Seattle-Vancouver - this was the route I had on my way there.

And back: Anchorage-Mineapolis-Amsterdam-Kiev.
At the same time, the connection in Mineapolis was 45 minutes, I was mentally ready to see Mineapolis, but the transfer was made not only by me, but also by the luggage :)

There is a perception that American airlines are the worst, and I myself try to choose them for the transatlantic in the last place. But the experience of flying with the Delta was wonderful! A brand new A330 to Europe, a brand new, but nice Boeing 757 inside, an excellent crew. Delicious varied food and even free alcohol, including spirits, on transatlantic segments! In general, you need to move away from stereotypes and try different airlines... I will definitely tell you more about Delta and United, which I once flew to New York from Munich.

Early departure from Kiev by KLM, at 10 am departure from Amsterdam, ten-hour flight and ... voila, at the same 11 am I am in Seattle :) And full daylight hours in this stunning city. I have been here for the third time and, knowing that it is difficult without a car in America, I take a small Hyundai for $ 35 a day and go.

The first step is the aviation museum, which is located near the Boeing Field, where we met last October.

One of the British Airways Concords:

Then Snoqualmie Falls from the movie "Twin Peaks". I saw, and now I looked, and on a sunny summer. Very strong and a nice place... And in general, the nature of Washington State is amazing! It's worth coming to America for this!

Driving past the Boeing plant in Everett, I caught the Dreamlifter:

And then he also drove about fifty meters from me along the taxiways:

Therefore, lunch with delicious Alaskan salmon at the "Ivars" restaurant in Mukilteo. I already wrote about it, I highly recommend it!

And in the evening in downtown Seattle and sunset from the observation deck of the famous Space Needle. After "Sleepless in Seattle" with Tom Hanks, this city of the States for me was and remains the most romantic. And you can't travel without romance!

At 23.00 flight to Vancouver, the flight is only 1 hour on the Alaskan Airlines turbo-propeller Bombardier.

Vancouver ... what a stunningly beautiful and photogenic city it is! Mountains in the snow all around, the sea, fjords, lighthouses, a huge park-forest right in the center of downtown! Impressions and sensations are just in full swing. We decided not to go to Whistler in the mountains, leaving it for a separate trip, but just walked around the city and enjoyed such an amazing symbiosis of nature and skyscrapers:

Everyone here walks according to their color at pedestrian crossings :)

But most importantly, this is a morning flight on a Harbor Air seaplane over the city:

and around:

On the right in this photo - the Celebrity Millenium cruise ship is already waiting in the port, landing on which will begin a few hours later:

An Alaska cruise is the cheapest way to get here. No need to think about logistics and travel (and this is mostly just an airplane), no need to think about hotels (which are very expensive here), no need to unpack things in every city at last!

Delicious reusable meals in numerous restaurants, entertainment... But even this is not the main thing, the main thing will be below. In general, I will definitely tell and show about all this.

At the same time, the cost is from $ 650 per person with fees and taxes. And this is not taking into account all sorts of promotions and sales that periodically come to my mail.

Here is Celebrity's Alaska Cruises page: http://www.celebritycruises.com/destinations/alaska
They have 11 liners in their fleet, two of which operate non-stop in Alaska from June to September.

In general, now I'm thinking about a cruise in Norway, because this is one of the most budgetary ways to see the fjords from the inside.

I'll show the parade life on a cruise:

and the reverse side - theatrical backstage, wardrobe, engine control center, deck where the crew lives, kitchen and captain's bridge:

I talked with our guys in the crew, they told a lot of interesting things about the cruise life from the point of view of the staff.

Captain's bridge:

We sailed along this linear route:

Ketchikan, the first port in Alaska. No need to listen to stories about pop tourist places... Of course, the first street near the port is filled with useless shops with all sorts of tinsel, but just one block away from the center and you find yourself in a very cozy America:

Here we rode kayaks and looked out for bears on the shore. There were no bears, but we met a sea lion just a few meters from the kayak.

In Alaska, probably every second person has a seaplane. Airport on the island, around the mountain, and from the airport to your plane and to the village.

Mandenhaal Glacier. To say that it is beautiful is to say nothing. It is impossible to look away from this icy infinity ...

The fauna of Alaska is the subject of numerous tours. Many of them are unreasonably expensive, so you should be very careful when choosing a tour. We swam to watch the whales ... we saw only one, I did not have time to take it off, opened my mouth in amazement with a huge tail above the surface of the water and forgot about the camera. But several times we saw whales from a cruise ship :)

Killer whales, they are closer to dolphins:

Of course, the photo here is about nothing, on a small speed boat to sail parallel to the flock, when the incredible beauty of the fjords around is amazing!

Sea lion rookery:

The Gold Rush is a very interesting historical phenomenon in the history of the United States and Canada,

Skagway Town - Gateway to the Klondike:

100 thousand people went for gold ... only 4000 of them found something.

White Pass train is one of the strongest impressions for me. With my love for narrow-gauge railways and specific railways, this is the most interesting section at the moment. And here we finally saw a teddy bear :)

Do you see the little train on the left in the picture ?! Each next turn is even more impressive than the previous one!

Hubbard Glacier. There is no port, a huge ice mass goes straight into the fjord. The cruise ship approaches the glacier at dawn and rotates in the ice for an hour. This is my most beautiful morning!

The silence is interrupted only by the deafening crackle of the ice wall, which falls into the ocean:

The final point was Seward, a two-hour drive along the most beautiful highway in Alenki, but it was raining and I only kept the picture in my memory. Anchorage has a very nice little and cozy aviation museum near the airport:

And the flight Anchorage-Mineapolis-Amsterdam-Kiev:

In Amsterdam, between flights, I laid a layover for 7 hours. I have been to Amsterdam many times, but if possible, I try to go to the city between flights, because the airport is only 15 minutes by train.

This is very nice city for a glass of beer on the banks of the canals on a summer day. I also recommend a photo exhibition in the city archive (until September 15) and a photography museum.

Schiphol has a wonderful terrace for air lovers with a playground, bar, restaurant and even a real Fokker!

Well, Amsterdam on the palm of your hand from the window on the way to Kiev:

There will be separate reports about all this with all attendances and passwords.
But there is something about a cruise that is not found in other travel methods - this is the view from the window or from the deck!
Always different, always the sea, sunsets and sunrises, the white nights of Alaska or the full moon of the equator. No fuss or rush.
The time when the world around will wait.

And this is priceless!

Such sweet infinity ... this was probably my first trip without haste, time pressure and hard timing, while how much I managed to see and manage!

All infinity in a martini glass:

Uff ... even for the announcement, more than 50 pictures turned out ...
Do not switch, to be continued!

Celebrity Cruises is part of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.
Royal Caribbean's official Facebook page:

Alaska is one of the wildest, harshest and at the same time stunning places in the world. Cold and changeable weather makes traveling in this area a real test of endurance. Photographer Alex Strohl, who already has considerable experience in extreme travel, shares his impressions and photos from a recent trip to Alaska. On the trip, he was accompanied by his wife, as well as a friend who filmed their adventures on a video camera.

15 PHOTOS

1. Quiet moments.

"There were many moments when we just enjoyed the peace and quiet."

2. The greatness of Alaska.

Alaska is simply mesmerizing with its scale, mountains are everywhere, and they are huge.

3. Alaska in summer time.

“We have never been to Alaska in summer, only in winter. But nevertheless, we decided to go and did not regret it. "

4. Wildlife is everywhere.

“Just driving along the highway, we managed to see a lot of wild animals: a bison, a wolf, a fox and a few elk.”

5. Extreme amenities.

“We camped over a glacier called Blueberry Hill. The day before the guides left, leaving us a gun to protect us from wild animals. "

6. Car camping.

“On previous trips, I was just delighted with Alaska. And also gained valuable experience in the art of car camping "

7. Crossing the river.

"When we crossed to the other side, it felt like the car was almost floating."

8. See all of Alaska.

“If you have been to Anchorage, you can hardly say that you have seen Alaska. As the locals say, Anchorage is half an hour's drive from the real Alaska. "

9. Exploring the boundaries of the possible.

"Alaska provides tremendous opportunities for travel and nature exploration."

10. Adventure time

"We were there for about two months, but if you want, you can arrange an adventure in Alaska even in a few days - go inland, see the Canadian glaciers and return home."

11. Alone with nature.

“It feels like you are alone in the whole world. We went kayaking near an island that didn't even have a name. We even came up with a name for it: "Blueberry Island".

12. Deep waters.

"When you sit in a kayak and look inward, you have to calm yourself down and reiterate that everything is all right ..."

A trip to Alaska is a journey that many take once in a lifetime and everyone wants to remember it forever. Therefore, when planning a trip to Alaska, you should carefully consider the route, where and when to go, where to stop and how to get around. In this article, I will share my experience of planning a trip to Alaska in the summer. I think this will give other tourists at least some basis for their own journey across Alaska.

I have already been to Alaska once - in the winter of 2015, went to watch the aurora borealis, went dog sledding, rested in hot springs, and so on. Therefore, I already have some idea of the state, people and sights.

In Alaska, I really liked it then (I still can't fully understand what exactly), I decided not to postpone the matter and go there that same year, but already in the summer of 2015.

Summer is a hot season for Alaska. The high season starts in mid-May and lasts until mid-September. Although in order to be sure - it is best to go from mid-June to the end of August - neither the weather nor nature will upset you for sure. By the way, due to the short high season and a large influx of tourists, prices for tours and accommodation are increasing two to three times compared even with the end of September or the beginning of May. And many shops / hotels / restaurants generally only work in the summer months, closing for the winter.

There are two ways to come here. First, on a cruise ship. There are many routes in this case. Most often, they start from Seattle or Vancouver and cover several coastal cities at once. I won't talk about cruises to Alaska in this article, because I don't really know anything about them. In any case, you will have a place to live, and the excursions have already been chosen for you. Cruises last between 7 and 14 days on average, sometimes with two to three day tours inland.

The second option is by plane. Most often, you will get there with several transfers. Most flights to Alaska are from Seattle, Washington. In order not to guess which airline to fly - see tickets on the Kayak.com website and choose what is cheaper or more suitable for the schedule.

Alaska has two main airports - Anchorage and Fairbanks, depending on your route, you can fly to either of them. There are definitely more planes flying to Anchorage and it is easier to plan a route.

My journey starts in Miami. In the afternoon I fly to Seattle with a small connection in Atlanta. I fly to Seattle late at night, stay one night at the hotel. The next whole day I spend in Seattle - I have never been here, so I think I'll find something to do.

In the evening, I fly from Seattle to Juneau, the capital of Alaska. When I was thinking about where to go in Alaska, I looked for everything on the Internet. I don't really like reading forums, so I based on what I could find on TripAdvisor and in English and Russian. So, besides Anchorage, I wanted to see something else. Sample materials that I used can be viewed on my Pinterest page.

Two interesting options caught my eye: Juneau and Kodiak Island. Some of the largest bears in the world (Kodiak Bears) live on Kodiak Island, which can be viewed up close, but there are very few hotels and transport is not very clear - so I decided to see the bears from Anchorage.

Day 1

Full day in Seattle, in the evening flight to Juneau (2 hours 30 minutes)

I won't write anything about Seattle - an article about Seattle will appear another time. Upon arrival in Juneau, you will need to get to the hotel and have a good rest.

Day 2

Full day in Juneau, in the evening flight to Anchorage (1 hour 30 minutes)

There are several different excursions in Juneau, I stopped at the following.

- Mount roberts tramway. Cable car in Juneau, rising from Downtown to Mount Robert, at a height of 600 meters. The road itself and, of course, the views from the mountain are also interesting. The pass costs $ 33 (summer 2015) for the whole day. I think once up and down is more than enough. From above you can see the city itself, cruise ships, other mountains.

- Juneau whale watching... There are several companies in the city that organize boat trips with the opportunity to watch humpback whales and dolphins. Judging by the photos, you should dress warmly, because the ocean is very cold even in summer and you will have to spend a lot of time outdoors. Depending on the duration of the tour (3-5-8 hours), the price ranges from $ 100 to $ 200 per person. Here you can add a city tour, a fish buffet and so on - just a tourist paradise.

Also, I really liked the pictures of downtown Juneau, so I am thinking of taking a walk around the city. In the evening I will go to the airport and fly to Anchorage.

Day 3

Train ride to Seward

There are several routes in Alaska railways, which, however, are more of a tourist function than a transport one. The route from Anchorage to Seward (Seward if I understand correctly), with a length of 114 miles, is called Coastal classic... The train leaves Anchorage at 6.45 am and arrives in Seward at 11.05 am. The return train leaves at 6pm and arrives in Anchorage at 10.15pm. That is, it will be possible to spend the whole day in Seward. Tickets for adults, depending on the class of service, cost from $ 89 to $ 165 each way, plus a discount if you buy immediately there and back.

In Seward, most of the tours are designed for tourists on the train, which is very convenient. There are several attractions in the vicinity of the city, the main one of which is Kenai fjord national park, where you can go on a 6-hour excursion (leaves at 11.30 am, just like the train arrives). If you do not want to be on the ship all day, as an option, you can go kayaking here in open ocean, along the icebergs.

Day 4

Bear Watching. Flight to Fairbanks

For me, the main reason I go to Alaska in the summer is to see bears in their real habitat, especially when they fish in rivers. This can be done from many cities in Alaska, but only in the summer and only by plane.

I decided to fly from Anchorage, because there are the most companies that do this and the most routes. There are many options for how it is organized this tour- with landing on water or on land, with or without lunch, to different parts of the state, with landing on a glacier, for one day or several. The cost per person starts from $ 500 and up, depending on the duration, route and number of people. By the way, you can see the cameras in real time.

In the evening - flight to Fairbanks (50 minutes, you need to sit on the left side of the plane to see the most high mountain USA - Mt. McKenley, if it's not dark yet. If you are flying the other way from Fairbanks to Anchorage, then you need to sit on the right). It is better to fly on an evening flight, because morning flights arrive “too late”, at 7 am, and you may not be in time for some excursions.

Day 5

A trip to the Arctic Circle

There isn't much to do in Fairbanks in the summer - it's more of a winter tourist centre, so the whole day will take me a tour of Polar circle(Arctic Circle).

There are two types of tour - by plane, and then by car (on average it takes 7 hours, departures at 5.30 am and at 1 pm - $ 400) and only by car (leaves at 6.30 am, returns at 11 pm, $ 190).

On each of the tours, you will be brought to the place where the Arctic Circle passes, you will be issued a certificate, a commemorative photo will be taken, the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline (the basis of the state's economy) will be shown and, in general, that's all. By plane, of course, it is faster and not so tiring, but it is twice as expensive.

Day 6

Train ride from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Flight home

Train Denali star- perhaps the most famous rail route in Alaska - runs through half the state, and in particular through Denali National Park with views of Mount McKenley.

The train leaves Fairbanks at 8.15 am, travels 360 miles (580 kilometers) for the whole day, and arrives in Anchorage at 8 pm. There are two classes of service on the train - Adventure Class($ 185 one way) and GoldStar Service($ 355 one way).

If you are traveling by GoldStar Service, you will have a seat on the second floor of a carriage with a glass roof, food, soft drinks and an opportunity to go to an open balcony - as stated on the website - the only one in the world.

Arriving at 8pm in Anchorage, I plan to go straight to the airport to take an overnight flight to NY(via Seattle). Anchorage has a very modern airport with, for example, an Alaska Airlines lounge where you can shower and eat after a long day ($ 50 entry).

Since I have a little time, and I want to see the maximum, the whole route turns out to be quite concise - transfers, flights every day, spending the night it is not clear where, and so on. Of course, Alaska has a bunch of other routes and excursions - fishing, hunting, you can rent a car and ride it - there are many options. In this article, only an approximate route is given, which I will try myself and which, perhaps, will provide a guide for other travelers who do not know where to start a trip to Alaska.

Our big trip to Alaska in 2008 began with the city of Juneau. When approaching, thoughts appeared in my head: "Where have we arrived? Why is everything so gloomy? It's always cold here!))" And so on ...

But it turned out not quite so.

We flew on a very interesting aircraft of the Alaska Airlines company with the image of the Aleut's face.

The airport turned out to be no less interesting. In Alaska, they love to hang the heads of killed animals on the wall.

We came to Alaska under the Work and Travel USA cultural exchange program when we were students. For certain paperwork, we had to visit the city of Juneau before traveling to the main location in the city of Sitka.

Having issued Required documents we went for a walk in Juneau. Juneau City is the capital of Alaska, although it is not the largest. The population here is just over 30,000 people. Most Big city Alaska, with a population of about 300,000, is Anchorage.

On the funicular, we climbed one of the peaks of the city. A beautiful view opens up from here. Check it out)

One of the fatty items of income for coastal cities in Alaska is tourism. A large number of American pensioners and many other tourists land daily from Cruise liners and buy souvenirs in specials. shops, which are at every turn, in the streets near the coast.

Well, we took such a cool photo in the mountains. Hello Central Bank!)

After 8 hours we are in Sitka! When Alaska was Russian, this city was called Novo-Arkhangelsk and was the Russian capital of Alaska. The town is not at all big with a population of about 9 thousand people. It is located on an island Baranov.

We worked this summer at a fish factory. The factory is engaged in catching and processing fresh fish, packing fresh frozen fish, producing felée and producing salmon caviar. We were engaged in the processing of such types of fish as: all types of salmon (pink salmon, chum salmon, trout, etc.), halibut (from the species of flounder), cod, stingrays and others (not in such a large number that I do not even remember the name) ... Our plant is called.

We lived in a hostel for workers. Two steps from the factory.

The largest meal we had was breakfast. Here is one of the options for our morning meal.

There have been such things. This is a Mexican food day dinner. It seems to be on Thursdays)

And this is picnic food. Well, you get the idea, traditionally American.

The next few shots are from our fish factory. The signs tell you that quality and hygiene are the top priorities.

And this is Halibut (Hallibut). 208 lbs is approximately 90 kg. The fish belongs to the Kambalov species.

In the evening and on weekends, we walked around the city. We went to the library (there is free internet))

Most American cars)

And this is a bridge connecting two islands. One of ours (Baranov Island) and a small island on the boat is the Sitka airport. And the mountain is like a volcano.

In one of the gift shops.

A kind of matryoshka)

Sewer cover

Streets of Sitka

The city has an Orthodox Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel

We also visited Sitka National Historic Park.

Lots of evidence of "Russian Alaska"

City map

Binoculars for watching whales in the park.

Salmon go to spawn. All rivers are simply filled with fish. At this time, there is a ban on catching Salmon. About two weeks.

There are some videos. The characteristic sound in the video is that the salmon is banging against the obstacle, trying to jump over it and swim further up the river.

Life is good. Anyway.