Family Trips to Alaska

Most travel involves flying to cultural and population centers. Family travel to New York City and Orlando is common and even expected, while trips to less-populated regions might be viewed as too far out of the way.

Before making any travel plans, make sure you know what time of year you want to travel to the northernmost state. Due to its northern placement, winter offers little light. If you plan to explore fully, it might be best to plan a trip during summer.

Alaska may not be the first destination that comes to mind when you begin to plan a family vacation, but the state has enough variety and wonder to appeal to every member. The largest state by land mass, Alaska comes in at 663,268 square miles and was the 49^th state added to the union in 1959. Many view Alaska as the last mostly untouched frontier America has left. Over the years, it attracted transients and those seeking isolation, like Christopher McCandless and the Grizzly Man. Although the untamed wilderness can be harsh, there is more to Alaska than unforgiving wilderness.

The easiest and potentially least involved, planning wise, is a cruise to Alaska. Each different company that cruises to the state will have different itineraries and draws, ranging from glacier viewing to wildlife observation opportunities and beyond. Celebrity Cruises, Silversea Cruises, Disney Cruise Line, Viking Ocean Cruises, Norwegian Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean Cruise Line and more offer cruises to Alaska. Depending on when you book and other factors, some lines even offer complimentary airfare.

If a cruise is not your family’s ideal vacation, there are plenty of other opportunities to travel to the state. If you don’t mind driving through Canada, automobiles are a viable option, and may be easier for travel with kids. Otherwise, airlines fly to the territory, including Alaska Airlines.

Once you arrive, you need to decide which cities and sites to visit on your adventure. The age of your children and taste of the entire travel group will determine what kinds of activities you pursue.

For starters, the Northern Lights can be viewed from Alaska, and you actually have a great chance of seeing activity. If you are traveling for the lights, plan a late fall or early winter trip, as these times are typically when the lights are most reliably active. You will want to be in Fairbanks or inside the Arctic Circle to maximize your chances. Other non-sentient natural phenomenon you can observe in Alaska include glaciers, hot springs and midnight sun. Alaska’s unique location provides for some truly unique experiences like waiting until midnight for the sun to set and seeing more than 100,000 glaciers.

Alaska Matanuska Glacier Park © Lukas Bischoff | Dreamstime.com

If your family includes young ones, Alaska offers some excellent chances to see otherwise obscure wildlife. If wildlife is one of your top reasons for considering an Alaska trip with the family, you should get acquainted with the states “Big 5,” as tour companies like to call them. Grizzly bears, moose, caribou, wolf and Dall sheep make up the big draws for those traveling for wildlife. If you want to see all of these creatures in their natural habitats, several tour companies offer guided wildlife tours.

After all of the sights and animals, Alaska still has a totally unique culture to explore and experience. Take the family to Anchorage to see Alaska’s largest city.

At the end of the day, Alaska is the biggest state by land mass. There are several national parks worth visiting and cities to experience. Bringing the family and spreading the joy is just the first step in creating lifelong memories of America’s last frontier.