Alaska is not all untracked wilderness. More than half of the state lives in the remarkably cosmopolitan city of Anchorage (pop. 280,000) where most travelers start their trips. The capital is Juneau and many visitors also visit the frontier town of Fairbanks, which serves as the gateway to the vast northern parts of the state.
Summer is the best time to visit, with 24 hours of daylight, mild temperatures, and a host of outdoor activities from Alaska rafting to backpacking and canoeing, to outdoor photography and boat excursions.
Generally speaking the climate in the southern part of the state is temperate and wet with locations like Ketchikan receiving over 200 inches of rain annually. As one travels north the climate is drier and more prone to extremes. Fairbanks in the interior of the state has 160 degree Fahrenheit temperature swings annually from -70 in winter to +90 each summer. Barrow (an Eskimo village) in the extreme arctic receives less than 5 inches of precipitation and the average annual temperature is well below freezing.
Because of the remoteness of most of the state, lack of trails and facilities and the extreme weather, many outdoor pursuits are best done in the company of a local
wilderness guide. Fortunately there are many quality guides and outfitters in Alaska. For those interested rafting, canoeing, backpacking or wildlife-oriented trips,
Arctic Wild provides wilderness adventures during the summer months. Whether you are interested in the tundra clad
Gates of the Arctic National Park for its spectacular caribou migrations, or in the historic
Yukon River, wilderness guides can show you the best that Alaska has to offer.
Alaska is a true wilderness paradise, from the whales and glaciers in the south, to the seemingly endless
Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in the north. Arctic Wild can show you the best this unique and beautiful state has to offer.
During winter, the sun is low and temperatures are below freezing. Some locations in the interior will have sub-zero (-18 c) weather for months at a time. Skiing and dog-mushing are popular activities. In February and March, Alaska hosts several dog-sledding races including the famous Iditarod in which dogs and mushers travel over 1,000 miles in ten days through mountains, down rivers and across frozen oceans.
