Page 17 - AAA Magazine – Ohio Auto Club – September 2022

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moose and several other animals on a Tundra Wilderness Tour offered by Denali’s park services. She also recommended taking a flightseeing helicopter tour.
“We did the tundra one that took us to the top of the mountain and landed,” said Sliva. “The views were breathtaking.”
INSIDE PASSAGE
Stretching 500 miles along the Pacific Ocean with spectacular scenery around every bend, the Inside Passage is Alaska’s most popular cruise route for a reason. Coastal fjords, glaciers, whale watching and the Tongass National Forest – the largest intact temperate rainforest in the world – are only the tip of the iceberg of must-see Passage highlights.
Sliva was fortunate enough to take a boat tour into Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve, voyaging 130 miles through a rich landscape full of marine life, stunning views and beloved tidewater glaciers. A noteworthy highlight for her: watching sea lions lying around and playing in the water.
WRANGELL-ST. ELIAS NATIONAL PARK
At 13.2 million acres, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park rightfully holds the title as America’s largest national park – about six times the size of Yellowstone. Among several outdoor adventure activities like ice climbing and flightseeing, visit North America’s second-highest peak, Mount St. Elias, or fly over the Bagley Ice Field, the largest non-polar ice field in the world.
If you enjoy naturally scenic road trips, McCarthy Road could be the highlight of your Alaskan vacation. This 60-mile gravel road follows old railroad tracks through unspoiled wilderness and historic towns with eye-catching views along the way.
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Sliva hopes to visit Wrangell and its famous abandoned copper mining town, Kennicott Mine, on her next visit
up north.
FAIRBANKS
As Alaska’s second-largest city, Fairbanks – or the “Golden Heart City” – is a popular year-round destination used as a jumping-off point for visits to Denali and journeys into the Arctic Circle. It’s home to several museums, including the Pioneer Air Museum and Fairbanks Ice Museum.
Tourists flock here every year during the winter months for the chance to catch a glimpse of the elusive, but beautiful Northern Lights. The city is located directly under the Auroral Oval, where the light’s activity is very concentrated. And with minimal light pollution, this makes it a prime location to chase the Aurora Borealis.
READY TO JOURNEY TO ALASKA?
For people visiting Alaska for the first time, Sliva offers this advice: “Use a travel agent and plan ahead of time,” she said. “Go with a cruise or tour company to see the state highlights, then stay longer on your own to explore places that weren’t on your itinerary. You’ll want to read up on Alaska to make sure you see what you want. The state is so large, you can’t just decide on a whim to see a copper mine when it could very well be five hours away.”
Looking for an Alaskan adventure? Visit AAA.com/AlaskaTour or scan the QR code to discover coming AAA guided tours exploring the Last Frontier.
SEPTEMBER 2022 | 15
Alex Futo serves as copywriter for AAA Ohio.