Matanuska Glacier, located on the East side of the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, is the largest road-accessible glacier in Alaska.  The glacier is easily seen from several locations along the Glen Highway which runs for 189 miles between Anchorage and Glenallen, Alaska.    The Glen Highway, a National Scenic Byway, is one of Alaska’s most beautiful highways and is well worth the time to experience for those who are touring Alaska by car on a self-drive itinerary and want to include such destinations as Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Valdez, Alaska.  The Matanuska Glacier State Recreation Site is located at mile 101 and provides some interpretive signage along with a short nature walk on a ridge above the Matanuska River.  The recreation site is well worth the stop to stretch your legs as it’s near the half way mark between Anchorage and Glenallen.  (more…)

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Recently one Saturday afternoon we decided to visit one of our favorite hot spots the Alaska Live Steamers and the Transportation Museum of Alaska.  Both are located in Wasilla, about a 40 minute short drive from Anchorage.  Their location on the Parks highway at mile marker 47 makes it a convenient stop enroute to Talkeetna or Denali. 

If you’re a railroad fan then the Alaska Live Steamers is a must stop while visiting Wasilla.  The sound of train whistles and diesels engines will bring back memories for you and kids love them too.  Alaska Love Steamers is supported by a local group of railroad enthusiasts who build miniature scale replicas to scales.  When you first arrive you check in at the Alaska Central Railroad depot.  The ride is a modest $4.00 per person (2009 price).  Once you get your tokens you then board the train parked out front.  They can accommodate people with disabilities if called in advance.  (more…)

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To get some of the most scenic views of Anchorage many locals hike Anchorage’s most popular hiking trail each year, Flattop Mountain Trail. The Flattop Mountain Trail is located in Chugach State Park, a popular outdoor recreation area located in the Chugach Mountain Range. Chugach State Park is the third largest state park in America, and has multiple easily accessible trailheads located in Anchorage and Eagle River, Alaska. Flattop is known for its panoramic views of Anchorage and the surrounding area, including Cook Inlet, and on clear days views of Mt. McKinley, Mt. Foraker, Mt. Spurr, and Mt. Redoubt are very possible. (more…)

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When you think about an Alaska vacation it is natural to also think about visiting one of Alaska’s outstanding National Parks. Not only is Alaska home to Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the largest National Park in the country, we also have some of the country’s most spectacular Parks such as Denali National Park, Glacier Bay National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park.

So of course we are excited about the upcoming release of the latest Ken Burns documentary, “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea”. This six-part, 12-hour documentary series was filmed over a period of six years, and includes some of the Nation’s most stunning Parks, including a number of Alaska National Parks.

The series is coming to PBS September 27, 2009 or you can pre-order a DVD for release in early October. In fact, we are giving a way a DVD box set of the film each month starting in October through the end of the year. Just email us at parks@alaskatravel.com or follow us on Twitter and you will be automatically entered to win.

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Alaska Tour & Travel specializes in custom vacation packages to Alaska’s most spectacular destinations. Consequently, much of the content you will find on our web site does tend to focus on Alaska’s most popular travel destinations such as Anchorage, Denali National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, Seward and Whittier. At the same time, we recognize that Alaska is a big place with many, many destinations to explore. Over the years we have added product for many of our favorite smaller destinations like Homer, Valdez, Cooper Landing and Talkeetna. For those of you looking for even more information on many of Alaska’s communities that are perhaps just a bit off the beaten path, you will certainly want to keep reading. We recently completed a project adding 60 pages of all new content to AlaskaTravel.com for many of Alaska’s smaller communities, as well as additional Alaska national and state parks. Continue reading for a full list of cities and parks. (more…)

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The scenic Seward Highway in South-central Alaska has many stops and photo opportunities and one I would recommend for travelers doing a self-drive tour is the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (AWCC) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through public education. Animals at the AWCC have been orphaned or injured and are not eligible by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game standards to be let back into the wild. AWCC is located at mile 79 on the Seward Highway or at the southern edge of the Turnagain Arm and the entrance to Portage Valley. The Center is open everyday, year-round and is a guaranteed way to see up close Alaskan wildlife in a natural setting. (more…)

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With family and friends who come to visit us in Alaska I always want to take them down to Seward, it’s small town Alaskan feel and beautiful setting is always a hit and is fun even for those of us who are Alaska residents. This year my family took our sister in law from Australia, new to Alaska, on a on a day cruise with Renown into Kenai Fjords National Park and it was amazing! We saw so much wildlife it was astounding. (more…)

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Last weekend my boyfriend and I took a one night trip to Seward for a quick getaway from Anchorage and to see the Kenai Fjords National Park. We decided to get to Seward by driving the scenic route from Anchorage, since it’s an easy 2 ½ hour drive through the mountains and along the coast. We didn’t leave Anchorage until 6:00 pm since we both had to work that day but we had daylight the whole way down. When we got to Seward we had a very quick and easy check in at the Seward Windsong Lodge, and even though we were booked in a deluxe category room, they upgraded us to a suite category room (the suites are bigger and have a Jacuzzi bathtub). (more…)

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