| If you are tired of traveling to the same old | | | | venture as far north as Barrow, which is just 1,300 |
| destinations for your annual vacation, try something | | | | miles from the North Pole. Keep in mind that the |
| new by visiting the largest state in the Union: Alaska. | | | | northern and western regions of the state are not |
| With more than half a million square miles, 39 mountain | | | | highly populated, and highways have not been |
| ranges, and 3,000 rivers, this northern region has much | | | | constructed for these areas. With the help of a tourist |
| to offer that is new and intriguing to those who are | | | | guide or national park ranger, you can see the |
| unfamiliar with the area. Ice fields cover about five | | | | unbroken wilderness that remains untamed by human |
| percent of the state's surface area. Furthermore, | | | | hands. Hike the park trails, set foot on a glacier with |
| nature lovers will enjoy the forests, lakes, glaciers, and | | | | the help of a helicopter, and enjoy break-taking views |
| surrounding seas and islands that beckon visitors from | | | | of the tall mountain peaks-17 of the 20 highest in the |
| all over the globe. | | | | United States, including Mount McKinley at 20,320 feet |
| Water lovers may be interested in booking an Alaskan | | | | in Denali National Park and Preserve. |
| cruise. A weeklong cruise between Vancouver, British | | | | But don't limit your site-seeing excursions to the |
| Columbia and Anchorage, Alaska, is one of the more | | | | unsettled land areas. Kayak or canoe one of the many |
| popular tourist lines, but there are other routes to take | | | | exciting rivers. Sample a cornucopia of cuisines in the |
| as well, including those that follow the seacoast. Visit | | | | larger municipalities. Take a biking tour of fishing towns |
| Kodiak Island, home to numerous species of exotic | | | | or resort areas. Shop the many fine shops and |
| wildlife including the famed Kodiak bears. Seals, | | | | boutiques that can be found predominantly in the |
| walruses, and many types of birds and other | | | | southeast part of the state. Whatever your |
| creatures can be viewed in their natural habitats at | | | | recreational tastes-dining, rest, exercise, sports, history, |
| various intervals along the way. Or you can visit | | | | or wildlife-Alaska has it all. You can fish, take a train |
| well-known museums and preserves for a closer look | | | | ride, enjoy a scenic flight, or do just about anything you |
| at the original inhabitants of this vast land, which is the | | | | please when you come to the Far North for the |
| meaning of "Alaska," an Aleut word possibly coined | | | | ultimate breakaway vacation with family or alone. |
| from Russian origins. | | | | Check with your travel agent about the best time to |
| You may want to visit Juneau, the state capital, or | | | | plan your trip, and get ready to have the time of your |
| Anchorage, a larger city with a population of about | | | | life! |
| 250,000. The truly adventurous of heart may try to | | | | |