Cruising in Alaska and Beautiful Landscapes

Introduction

​Alaska the 49th state and the largest in the United States is a perfect spot for those individuals seeking an Alaskan adventure. It's dramatic and diverse terrains consisting of wide spaces, forests, and mountains with an abundance of wildlife is a site to behold. 

​If you love extremes, Alaska travel is the best place for you, its beauty is breathe-taking and there are a lot of activities to do.

Temperatures can be as low as -80-degrees F and can as well shoot up to 100-degrees F, such are the extremezs associated with Alaska.

Cruising in Alaska

In Alaska, cruises are the most popular mode of transportation due to the fact that they offer an extremely great experience in exploring otherwise difficult to access regions in Alaska.

​It is important to note that, Alaska is an intriguing region with thousands of kilometers of scenic coastline as well as a diverse cultural destination.

Alaska travelers get to enjoy the ambiance of the frontier as well as the rich history of the untamed region. The main attractions in Alaska are its wide range of wildlife and beautiful sceneries, massive glaciers are abounding with huge towering mountains.

The biggest factor that determines your time of cruising is the weather due to its extremities, therefore, it is important to know the best time to visit for you to reap the maximum benefit and avoid disappointments.

The best time for Alaska cruises is the months of May through to September, these months usually coincides with the summer season which is better for having higher chances of seeing wildlife on your various expeditions.

It is also fun for those who enjoy photography, Alaska photography can present you with the most scenic and beautiful images you could ever see anywhere else.

Many cruising options are available in Alaska based on the choice you want, you can either opt for a round trip passage cruises which usually starts and ends at the same port or one-way cruise which are North-bound or South-bound based on the destination of your choice.

Both kinds of cruises usually last about a week in duration, however, the former cruise is great as it allows you to explore the highlights of the Alaskan South East regions.

The latter has its great features too; it takes you through South Alaska and you get an opportunity to spend on land and in interior Alaska. Both cruise types mainly hit the inside passage which harbors the most popular scenic regions of South East Alaska.

Another important decision to make is considering the best itinerary that best suits your needs in regard to glacier viewing as well as the preferred ports of call.

Your individual interest and what you intend to do in each individual destination will also determine your choice of itinerary. It is also important to note that the duration of the cruise ship docking at individual ports varies for each cruise line.

The round trip option gives you an opportunity whether to sail from either Seattle in the US or Vancouver in Canada. Choosing to sail from Seattle takes you through an open pacific sea and into the west of the Vancouver islands although some sails choose the inside passage south of Ketchikan.

​Either way, they all dock in Victoria, however, sailing from Vancouver is more superior as the cruise sails between the Vancouver mainland and the Vancouver islands in sheltered waters. The scenic views along the way are breathe-taking.

Alaskan beautiful landscapes

Glaciers

Alaska is known to be a land of extremes, being untamed and still maintains its natural appearance, the land is so immense and so is its diverse range of landscapes.

The most dominant features of Alaska’s environment is its beautiful land forms, valleys, hills, mountains and rivers all make a complex combination of this vast land. One of the most notable features that you will never miss to see on your Alaska travel is its glaciers.

Glaciers are formed due to low temperatures that see snowfall in high altitude mountains exceeding snow melting. Over time, the snow builds up immensely and subsequently breaking as a huge mass of ice.

​These glaciers can flow out of the high mountains into the sea creating tidewater’ glacier. Most Alaska adventures seeking people go to Glacier Bay to see this spectacular type of glaciers.

Mountains in Alaska make up one of the most beautiful sceneries of the Alaskan landscapes. In fact, Mount McKinley probably the highest point in America standing tall at about 6194 m in altitude is found here.

Other equally impressive Mountains of Alaska that dominates its skyline includes Mt. hunter and Mt. Foraker. Taking a flight-seeing tour will get you up close to these great landscapes of Alaska, flying over Denali Park will present you with an opportunity to savor this beautiful peaks and ridges.

​There are three categories of mountains in Alaska, Aleutian Range, Brooks Range and Alaska Range. These mountain ranges give Alaska it's rugged and scenic terrain that runs through its entire expanse.

Rivers and lakes

Hundreds of water bodies dot this vast extreme region of the earth both rivers and lakes Yukon being the major river spanning about 2,000 miles long. There are 3 million lakes of which many are within reach however, some are inaccessible unless by air.

​Some of these lakes are used as sporting sites and for recreation purposes if you love kayaking, fishing or canoeing then Alaska adventure should be on your list of your favorite destinations.

Forest cover and wildlife

Most of Alaska’s vast landscape is protected and it still maintains its tranquil and remote form. The forest cover is one of the landscape features creating a land of spectacular beauty and it also provides a habitat for its various wildlife species.

Some of the wildlife sheltered in this untamed forests includes wolves, black and brown bears, moose, bald eagles and many more animals that can never be found anywhere else in the world.

​Alaska’s landscaped is undoubtedly the wildest and the animals inhabiting this region are known for their adaptation to such extreme climate.