Camping Gems - Alaska

Visit Cordova via the Marine Highway
Cordova is a uniquely Alaskan community, shaped by its dramatic natural setting, rich cultural heritage, and colorful residents. Cordova is a working town, nestled in the heart of a spectacular wilderness, that still looks to the ocean and forests for its livelihood.
Visit Cordova for the best of both worlds, the pleasures of a sophisticated small town and step-out-the-door access to adventure. Visitors from around the globe trek to Cordova to amble across the Million Dollar Bridge, enjoy the magnificent Childs Glacier up close, fish for salmon in the Copper River Delta, explore Orca Inlet, or be surrounded by tens of thousands of shorebirds at Hartney Bay. The town is the perfect compliment to the wilderness. It is a comfortable place to stroll, shop, visit a museum, or linger over a cup of coffee and admire the view of our busy harbor.

Cordova is easy to reach (but not too easy) and pleasantly off the main roads of Alaska Tourism. We are less than a one hour plane flight east from Anchorage, with daily jet service as well as regular ferry service . Designated as an "All American Road" in 2005, the Alaska Marine Highway links Cordova with the road systems in Alaska via the ports of Whittier or Valdez. For summer 2009 the Marine Highway implemented?a substantial travel incentive - "Driver Goes Free" on any 'mirror' round trip in the AMHS system. See www.ferryalaska.com for details.

Seldovia

A great destination for families, groups, single travelers, and romantic outings. It has fun to offer for everyone. Children can safely explore our small town on bicycles or foot. There are hiking trails that range from easy to challenging. Our local fishing hole offers non-stop action during fishing season. Our beaches have some of the best tidepooling around. Visitors can choose from many recreational activities such as kayaking, boat tours, air tours, bicycle rentals, ATV rentals, fishing guide services, deep sea fishing charters and more!

Seldovia is SECRET! Once you arrive in secluded and charming Seldovia you'll know it's the best kept secret around! Hidden in the protected waters of beautiful Seldovia Bay our town has retained its original beauty and character throughout the years. Visitors to Seldovia can get a real taste of what small town Alaska is really like, while still enjoying the modern comforts and hospitality that Alaska's larger destinations offer. Seldovia's serenity gives Alaskan visitors a chance to slow down and relax. There are no lines, no hustle & bustle, and none of the typical commercialism of larger Alaskan cities. Once you discover Seldovia you'll wonder why more people aren't talking about this secret and beautiful place.

Pribilof Island

Visualize an island draped with curtains of ocean mist, rolling hills of green grass; surely there must be an abundance of wild life accompanying this unique island.  During the early spring and into the summer the drama of the nestlings emerge on the dramatic scale tight cliffs of the Pribilof Islands.  This is a photographer’s paradise, committed with mystic colors of Arctic flowers.

The Aleut’s of the Pribilof Island have occupied this mystic island for approximately 200 years.  The Unangan Aleuts were at one moment in time residence of the grand Aleutian Chain.  The Pribilof Islands are well known for their abundance of birds, the northern fur seal, and a picturesque view of rolling hills with a variety of tundra flowers.

Brooks Range

Thousands of caribou migrate through the Brooks Range area each year. They travel through millions of acres of wilderness park lands in the Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park, Noatak National Preserve, Selawik National Wildlife Refuge, Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve and the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Backpacking in these isolated mountains or floating down the unspoiled rivers are unparalleled wilderness experiences.

From Fairbanks or Bettles, the headquarters for many Alaskan backcountry guides, visitors can fly to wilderness lodges scattered throughout the Brooks Range.

Another great Alaskan experience is to drive the gravel Dalton Highway (North Slope Haul Road) to Deadhorse. This 414-mile road parallels the northern most portion of the trans-Alaska pipeline. Few services are available, but wildlife is abundant and fishing for Arctic grayling is superb. For road conditions and public access restrictions contact the Alaska Department of Transportation (http://511.alaska.gov) or (907) 456-7623, 511.

Alaska Highway

As visitors head north via the Alaska Highway, the first town encountered is Tok. Located between the Tanana River and the Alaska Range, Tok is a trade center for several Athabascan Native villages. While in Tok, visit the Tok Public Lands Information Center for museum displays, a wildlife film and trip-planning information. The Tok Chamber of Commerce "Main Street Alaska" Visitors Center also provides helpful advice for accessing local hiking, fishing, flightseeing and bicycling attractions.

Take the Taylor Highway north to visit the gold rush transportation center of Eagle and park headquarters for the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve. From Eagle, you can take a weeklong float trip down the Yukon River to Circle or take a cruise to Dawson City in Canada’s Yukon Territory.

The Alaska Highway officially ends in Delta Junction. From here you can arrange to visit glaciers, pick wild berries, fish for Arctic grayling or even observe a head of American bison at the Delta Bison Range East of town, the Clearwater State Recreation Site offers fishing, camping and boat access to the Tanana and Goodpaster rivers.

Travel nine miles north of Delta Junction on the Richardson Highway to visit the Big Delta State Historical Park, featuring vintage photographs, pioneer relics and Athabascan Native artifacts. Nearby, Quartz Lake State Recreation Area offers camping, boating and fishing for rainbow trout and silver salmon.

Kodiak and Surrounding Islands

Kodiak is the principal town on Kodiak Island and the home of Alaska’s largest fishing fleet. From 1792 t 1799, the town of Kodiak was the capital of Russian America and reminders of their residency can be found at the Russian Orthodox Church and the Baranov Museum – formerly a fur storehouse and one of Alaska’s oldest wooden structures.

The Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge covers two-thirds of Kodiak Island, offering protected habitat for world-famous Kodiak brown bears – one of the world’s largest carnivorous land mammals. The Alaska Department of Fish and Game distributes pamphlets explaining the safest methods for responsible viewing methods.

Originally a World War II coastal fortification, Fort Abercrombie State Park was one of the first secret radar installations in Alaska. It is now a national historical landmark and provides a forest setting for picnics and camping adventures.

On nearby Afognak Island, you can watch or participate in archaeological digs of Native sites, view wildlife or enjoy excellent hunting and fishing opportunities.

Ketchikan

Ketchikan serves as Alaska’s southern most port of call for the majority of Inside Passage cruises. Visitors can tour the Tongass Historical Museum, which offers exhibits of traditional native culture, a history of the fishing industry and an example of a timber camp bunkhouse. A major center for sport fishing, opportunities abound for fishing from shore or aboard one of many charter boats. Visit the world’s largest collection of totem poles in Saxman and Totem Bight State Park, just outside of town. Or glimpse Ketchikan’s frontier days at "Dolly’s House," a former brothel located downtown.

From Ketchikan, an excursion boat or plane can take you into the 2.3 million acre Misty Fiords National Monument. The coastal rain forests and glacial fjords shelter many species of land animals and sea life.