Picture yourself savoring views of snow-capped mountains, massive glaciers, lush forests, herds of grazing caribou, brown bears feeding on wild salmon, and giant, gentle moose munching on spruce.
When the United States first acquired Alaska in 1867, people mockingly called it “Seward’s Folly.” Today, the last frontier’s rugged wilderness houses some of America’s most beautiful lands within its eight amazing national parks.
Denali National Park harbors varied terrains, from mountains and tundra to spruce and glaciers. The park’s crown jewel is its namesake mountain, boasting the tallest peak in North America.
America’s northernmost national park, the entire Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, sits north of the Arctic Circle. Stretching 8.4 million acres across the central Brooks Range, it is the second-biggest national park in the United States.
Spanning 3.3 million acres along southeast Alaska’s Inside Passage, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve showcases jagged, snow-capped mountains, dynamic glaciers, turquoise waterways, and temperate rainforests.
Like some of Alaska’s other national parks, it is only accessible by boat or plane. Ironically, it is one of the state’s most accessible parks, thanks to the cruise industry.