[...]... region of Alaska and the most beautiful It has an abundance of magnificent snow- and ice-covered mountains, glaciers and fjords The Boundary Range separates Alaska from Canada On the water side is the famous Inside Passage, the sheltered waterway that is the main route for Alaskan cruises It separates the mainland from the seemingly countless offshore islands of the Alexander Archipelago The most heavily-visited... of the Alaskan panhandle as well as ports along the shore of the Gulf of Alaska and its neighboring peninsulas Because land tours are a popular extension of the cruise experience, the area between Anchorage and Fairbanks, including Denali National Park, is also a part of this book Largely excluded except for brief mentions are the vast stretches of Alaskan territory in the far north, the Aleutian chain... region of Alaska lies along the long strip of coast from just beyond the Canadian border at Ketchikan north to Yakutat Bay and then west along the south coast bordering the Gulf of Alaska Roads on the panhandle, where they exist at all, generally run for only a few miles in either direction of the major towns and then end Boats are the primary means of getting from place to place They serve as a lifeline... Covering the southern portion of the state, including the area around the Alaska Peninsula and the Gulf of Alaska as well as the Aleutians and the panhandle, this is the region of most interest to visitors All cruise itiner6 Rivers & Mountains Rivers & Mountains Alaska has an abundance of great rivers The most notable is the mostly broad 1,979-mile Yukon River (including a portion that is in Canada) Other... strategic value of Alaska s location that helped it reemerge as a viable place economically The Japanese occupied two of the Aleutian Islands in 1942 and it was more than a year before they were retaken During this time the government also built the Alaska Highway In the early years of the Cold War Alaska became the home of the DEW (Distant Early Warning) Line By this time the fishing industry was in decline,... lifeline to many of these remote communities The other main touring area is also in the Pacific Mountain Range region and is an almost straight line that extends north from the city of Anchorage to Denali National Park This area can be reached either by bus or car or via the Alaska Railroad A Brief History more than 14,000 feet above sea level, about the same number of 14,000-foot-plus mountains as in all... purchasing native crafts But most of the population is not Native Alaskan It will probably still be quite a few years before a majority of Alaskans are Alaskan-born as the population was minuscule until after the discovery of oil on the North Slope Alaskans are a hearty breed and fiercely individualistic People who can’t handle the climate and, even more importantly, the extremes of day and night, usually... live almost exclusively in the remote and usually barren islands of the Aleutian chain The Athabascan are part of a much more numerous tribe that still resides in large areas of northern and western Canada The Alaskan Athabascan can be found mostly along the border with the Yukon and British Columbia The Inupiaq and St Lawrence Yupik form a third group, while the Yup’k and 11 Introduction should be avoided)... virtually all of the Alaskan panhandle and have historically relied on fishing to sustain their economies The Tsimshian (SIMP-shee-ane) are fishers and hunters They originally came from an area along the Skeena River in what is now British Columbia Traditionally, the Tsimshian divided themselves into clans of about 30 to 40 people, all living together in the same large house They are also excellent carvers... suffice to say that a typical week-long cruise to Alaska will cost you considerably less than the same period of time at a good resort hotel when all of the costs are calculated Other things that attract people to cruising are the variety of activities available on these floating resorts, the fact that it is a comprehensive all-in-one vacation, and the romanticism and luxury associated with the experience . destinations from Costa Rica and the Yucatán to Tampa Bay & Florida’s West Coast and the Alaska Highway. Complete information on what to do, as well as where to stay and eat, Adventure Guides are tailor-made. than the same period of time at a good resort hotel when all of the costs are calculated. Other things that attract people to cruising are the variety of activi - ties available on these floating. in a single vacation is also, no doubt, an important factor. Alaskan cruising has its own additional driving force – it’s the easiest way to see many of the sights this state has to offer. And,