Alaska is known for its breathtaking views and spectacular wildlife which I can now say I verify. For anyone interested in Alaska and who wants to venture out there all I can say is go for it! This blog is what I did during my time in Alaska and to give anyone interested some ideas of what they should do.
Things you’re going to need:
Things you’re going to need:
- A cruise ship, because most of Alaska such as their capital Juneau, is only accessible by boat (I took the Norwegian Jewel and I would definitely recommend it)
- Book all excursions before you go, as their is a chance fellow passengers will book the same excursions as you and they do fill up fast
- Bravery is a must, if you are afraid of doing something DON’T think about it just remember that this once in a lifetime
- Tons of jackets, the temperature drops at night, just remember its better to take off the layers of sweaters than have no layers and be freezing
- A good camera, there are just so many things you are going to want to remember
Day 1: Ketchikan:
My family decided to not book any excursions in Ketchikan and instead poke around ourselves. We went into some shops to get a feel for the place but ended up taking a trolley tour. The trolley tour was amazing we made four stops, the first was along the coast which was great we saw tons of bald eagles. The second stop we were looking for bears but instead of finding them, we saw a very interesting sight of salmon jumping straight in the air trying to get up the stream (it was spawning season). The third stop was at one of Alaska’s state parks in Saxman they have one of the largest amounts of totem poles in the world, I learned that these totem poles were not worshiped as gods as I previously thought but rather told stories or even display momentous occasions in history. The last stop was on Creek Street this is where the famous “Red-light district” was at in the 1800s during the gold mining days in Alaska, it is now a huge tourist attraction.
Ketchikan was the place where we all got our bearings and it gave us the opportunity to marvel at Alaska’s natural beauty.
My family decided to not book any excursions in Ketchikan and instead poke around ourselves. We went into some shops to get a feel for the place but ended up taking a trolley tour. The trolley tour was amazing we made four stops, the first was along the coast which was great we saw tons of bald eagles. The second stop we were looking for bears but instead of finding them, we saw a very interesting sight of salmon jumping straight in the air trying to get up the stream (it was spawning season). The third stop was at one of Alaska’s state parks in Saxman they have one of the largest amounts of totem poles in the world, I learned that these totem poles were not worshiped as gods as I previously thought but rather told stories or even display momentous occasions in history. The last stop was on Creek Street this is where the famous “Red-light district” was at in the 1800s during the gold mining days in Alaska, it is now a huge tourist attraction.
Ketchikan was the place where we all got our bearings and it gave us the opportunity to marvel at Alaska’s natural beauty.
Day 2: Juneau:
The state capital of Alaska has a whopping population of 31,118 people one of the smallest populations for a state capital. Juneau is renowned for its enormous glaciers, we booked a helicopter tour (this is where the bravery comes in). For weeks I had decided not to think about getting on a helicopter where you soar hundreds if not thousands of feet in the air with hundreds if not thousands of mountains. I was not terrified until I started walking up to the helicopter and realizing I was actually going in it, I’m going to be honest tears were shed but I sat myself in the front seat next to the pilot telling myself how I made a commitment to doing it and I was not backing out. My parents were so excited telling me this was going to be fun and as soon as the helicopter started my fear was wiped away, I was elated. The funny thing is my former fear transferred to my parents who were silently freaking out. We landed on Taku glacier which was absolutely stunning, I got to drink the glacier water which was the purest water I have ever drunk in my life. Overall the glacier was beautiful and we all jumped in to the helicopter to finish the tour we saw many more glaciers and dodged a ton of mountains. I loved the helicopter tour, my parents on the other hand were just happy to be back on the land, but they did enjoy the sights too.
The state capital of Alaska has a whopping population of 31,118 people one of the smallest populations for a state capital. Juneau is renowned for its enormous glaciers, we booked a helicopter tour (this is where the bravery comes in). For weeks I had decided not to think about getting on a helicopter where you soar hundreds if not thousands of feet in the air with hundreds if not thousands of mountains. I was not terrified until I started walking up to the helicopter and realizing I was actually going in it, I’m going to be honest tears were shed but I sat myself in the front seat next to the pilot telling myself how I made a commitment to doing it and I was not backing out. My parents were so excited telling me this was going to be fun and as soon as the helicopter started my fear was wiped away, I was elated. The funny thing is my former fear transferred to my parents who were silently freaking out. We landed on Taku glacier which was absolutely stunning, I got to drink the glacier water which was the purest water I have ever drunk in my life. Overall the glacier was beautiful and we all jumped in to the helicopter to finish the tour we saw many more glaciers and dodged a ton of mountains. I loved the helicopter tour, my parents on the other hand were just happy to be back on the land, but they did enjoy the sights too.
Day 2½: Sawyer Glacier:
So after Juneau the Norwegian Jewel took us through the fjords to see Sawyer Glacier, it was extraordinary. But what I think I enjoyed the most were the few dozen seals resting on the icebergs around the boat. They were Harbor seals aren’t they adorable!
So after Juneau the Norwegian Jewel took us through the fjords to see Sawyer Glacier, it was extraordinary. But what I think I enjoyed the most were the few dozen seals resting on the icebergs around the boat. They were Harbor seals aren’t they adorable!
Day 3: Skagway:
Skagway was a fun packed day we booked two excursions with little time in between. The first excursion was the famous White Pass Train which takes you through a trail gold miners would go through in the 1800s sometimes 40 times to take supplies back and forth from the nearest city and where they were mining, all for some supplies. This three hour train ride takes you through mountains and over rivers to give you some of Alaska’s prettiest sights.
Skagway was a fun packed day we booked two excursions with little time in between. The first excursion was the famous White Pass Train which takes you through a trail gold miners would go through in the 1800s sometimes 40 times to take supplies back and forth from the nearest city and where they were mining, all for some supplies. This three hour train ride takes you through mountains and over rivers to give you some of Alaska’s prettiest sights.
The next excursion was gold panning, meeting sled dogs, and 40 below. Gold panning is a must if you go to Alaska a lot of the major cities in Alaska are founded from the gold mining days. The place we went to they guarantee you will get gold if you use the proper methods, the gravel that you pan is from the Yukon River where gold is predominant there.
The sled dog encounter was amazing we met a professional musher and his dogs who has raced in the Iditarod, he has completed the race five times, he explained the race and how he even gives the dogs massages when they stop for breaks. My family was hesitant to go but as soon as we went we saw how much these dogs love to run as soon as he took out the sled which was on wheels because there was no snow, the dogs went crazy. Only five of the dogs could be in the demonstration and the ones who were not chosen were howling and crying, while the dogs who were chose were quite literally jumping for joy. As soon as the gate was opened they bolted out the door, tails wagging. After we got to play with them for a while and then they brought out the puppies which were so cute.
The last event the 40 below (40 degrees fahrenheit) was a room where you see the conditions that these dogs run under, it was freezing, but for the dogs plush fur coats this was perfect.
Day 3½: Sea day:
So technically this is just a whole day of sailing getting to your next destination Victoria, Canada.
So technically this is just a whole day of sailing getting to your next destination Victoria, Canada.
Day 4: Victoria, Canada:
We were planning on just spending a day exploring the city but instead we stopped by a whale watching place. The man running the whale watching trips told us they were all sold out in the city but he’d make a few calls, he told us a family backed out (this should have been a red flag) and this was our only opportunity to see whales. We took it, he walked us over to the Prince of Whales the place who was going to be taking us to see the whales. They gave us these giant orange suits that would keep us warm and keep us from getting us wet they were very similar to the suits to shown in Deadliest Catch (this should have been another red flag). Than our skipper took us to his boat which turned out to be a zodiac (this should been yet another red flag). I have seen very few zodiacs and I was worried but I thought in the back of mind how crazy could it possibly get. For the first few minutes the zodiac was slow and steady on the water, but as soon as we were out of the harbor area we were quite literally jumping from wave to wave it was crazy, some of the waves were ten feet tall and we were doing this for almost an hour until we finally got to San Juan Islands. For me the boat ride was absolutely exhilarating and I would absolutely do it again in a second but for my mom that was debatable.
We were planning on just spending a day exploring the city but instead we stopped by a whale watching place. The man running the whale watching trips told us they were all sold out in the city but he’d make a few calls, he told us a family backed out (this should have been a red flag) and this was our only opportunity to see whales. We took it, he walked us over to the Prince of Whales the place who was going to be taking us to see the whales. They gave us these giant orange suits that would keep us warm and keep us from getting us wet they were very similar to the suits to shown in Deadliest Catch (this should have been another red flag). Than our skipper took us to his boat which turned out to be a zodiac (this should been yet another red flag). I have seen very few zodiacs and I was worried but I thought in the back of mind how crazy could it possibly get. For the first few minutes the zodiac was slow and steady on the water, but as soon as we were out of the harbor area we were quite literally jumping from wave to wave it was crazy, some of the waves were ten feet tall and we were doing this for almost an hour until we finally got to San Juan Islands. For me the boat ride was absolutely exhilarating and I would absolutely do it again in a second but for my mom that was debatable.
The San Juan Islands are famous for the amount of orcas they have and oh my gosh I was lost for words. We saw a huge pod with over two dozen members including the oldest living orca, her name is Granny and she is estimated to be 104 years old. We also saw a calf only a few months old playing with a fish that a fellow pod member gave her. The whales were playing in the kelp, playing with each other, jumping around, and breaching. It was magnificent to see such beautiful animals interacting and seeing them thriving. The crazy boat ride there was so worth it, if you ever want to see orcas see them the way they are meant to be seen out in the ocean with their fellow family members. I was actually brought to tears seeing them I can definitely check seeing orcas in the wild off my bucket list :).
Overall Alaska was a breathtaking trip I have never felt such in awe of how small I am in this world and the amazing sights that are all around us. It made me think we as a people need to stop and check out all the beautiful things going on around us.