Frommer's Alaska 2010 (Frommer's Color Complete)

• Completely updated every year, Frommer's Alaska features gorgeous color photos of the sights and experiences that await you.
• Our expert author lets you know your best bets for spotting wildlife, catching salmon or halibut, and getting up-close-and-personal with glaciers. Plus, detailed information on Alaska’s most scenic drives and where you can go to interact with Native people and culture.
• Our cruise experts break down the variety of Alaska cruises, from the debate between small versus large boats to who you can expect to be sailing with when you choose a particular cruise line. 
• Plus, the best scenic drives along Alaska's highways, a guide to exploring Denali and Kenai Fjords national parks, "when, where and how" for viewing bears, whales, and other wildlife and insider advice on getting the most out of your Alaska cruise experience

As a child, when my family traveled outside Alaska for vacations, I often met other children who asked, “Wow, you live in Alaska? What’s it like?” I never did well with that question. To me, the place I was visiting was far simpler and easier to describe than the one I was from. The Lower 48 seemed a fairly homogeneous land of freeways and fast food, a well-mapped network of established places. Alaska, on the other hand, wasn’t even completely explored. Natural forces of vast scale and subtlety were still shaping the land in their own way, inscribing a different story on each of an infinite number of unexpected places. Each region, whether populated or not, was unique far beyond my ability to explain. Alaska was so large and new, so unconquered and exquisitely real, as to defy summation.

In contrast to many places you might choose to visit, it’s Alaska’s unformed newness that makes it so interesting and fun. Despite the best efforts of tour planners, the most memorable parts of a visit are unpredictable and often unexpected: a humpback whale leaping clear of the water, the face of a glacier releasing huge ice chunks, a bear feasting on salmon in a river, a huge salmon chomping onto your line. You can look at totem poles and see Alaska Native cultural demonstrations, and you can also get to know indigenous people who still live by traditional ways. And sometimes grand, quiet moments come, and those are the ones that endure most deeply.

As the writer of this guidebook, I aim to help you get to places where you may encounter what’s new, real, and unexpected. Opening yourself to those experiences is your job, but it’s an effort that’s likely to pay off. Although I have lived here all my life, I often envy the stories visitors tell me about the Alaskan places they have gone to and what happened there. No one owns Alaska, and most of us are newcomers here. In all this immensity, a visitor fresh off the boat is just as likely as a lifelong resident to see or do something amazing.

Alaska's Top Destinations by Category

The Best Views	The Best Alaska Cruises	The Best Glaciers
The Best Fishing	The Best Bear Viewing	The Best Marine Mammal Viewing
The Best Encounters with Native Culture	The Best Hotels	The Best Winter Destinations