You’re in for a scenic, sensory treat! Alaska has 100,000 glaciers and 10 million lakes. Wildlife roams freely across vast spaces, unfettered by fences or roads. Opportunities to experience real wilderness and enjoy outdoor activities abound. You can’t see or do it all, but you can make the most of your time with this friendly guide that gives you the scoop on: Anchorage, the gateway to Alaska, and nearby outdoor destinations - Road trips from Anchorage: The Kenai Peninsula, including Seward, Kenai Fjords National Park, Kenai, and Homer; Fairbanks and its environs; Alaska’s long rural highways; and Denali National Park - Southeast Alaska, including Juneau, Skagway and Sitka - Bush Alaska, covering fascinating places in the Arctic - Options for visiting by cruise ship - Five great itineraries that touch on Alaska’s best destinations - The best places to see marine mammals, birds, humpback whales, black, brown, or polar bears, and other wildlife - The best gold rush towns, including Fairbanks, Juneau, Skagway, and Nome, where the free-wheeling frontier spirit abides today - Info on fishing, skiing, sea kayaking, dogmushing, hiking, and more - Accommodations, ranging from a luxury hotel to railroad cars to a romantic inn and spa Like every For Dummies travel guide, Alaska For Dummies, 3rd Edition includes: Down-to-earth trip-planning advice - What you shouldn’t miss — and what you can skip - The best hotels and restaurants for every budget - Handy Post-it Flags to mark your favorite pages Whether you want to get up close and personal (but not too close or too personal) with bears, explore the native heritage with its great totem poles, clan houses, and Iñupiat artwork, enjoy outdoor adventures, or just soak up the magnificent, unspoiled scenery, you’re on your way to a great Alaskan escape. Explore the Alaskan wilds the fun and easy way Glaciers and tundras and bears, oh my! See wildlife roaming vast open spaces. Explore Mount McKinley, Native Alaskan culture, old gold rush towns, and more. Go skiing, sea kayaking, or fishing. Whether your style is luxury cruise ship, laid-back road trip, or adventurous wilderness hike, this guide helps you tame Alaska. Charles Wohlforth, a lifelong Alaskan, has been writing about his home as a journalist and author for more than 20 years. He is author of many books, including Frommer’s Alaska, published by Wiley. Wohlforth received wide critical acclaim and numerous awards for his book The Whale and the Supercomputer: On the Northern Front of Climate Change (North Point Press) , which explores how Iñupiat Eskimos and scientists are learning about — and adapting to — global warming in the Arctic. Wohlforth lives in Anchorage with his wife, Barbara; sons, Robin and Joseph; and daughters, Julia and Rebecca. He welcomes readers to his Web site, www.wohlforth.net, which contains other writings and travel advice about Alaska and links useful for setting up a trip. Cruise coverage for Alaska For Dummies, 3rd Edition, was compiled and written by Jerry Brown and Fran Wenograd Golden. http://catalogimages.wiley.com/images/db/pdf/9780471945550.excerpt.pdf