Alaska at 50

USA travel specialist TrekAmerica is inviting customers to join the celebrations in 2009 as Alaska – the state which brought us Sarah Palin, Northern Exposure, Jewel and Into the Wild – celebrates 50 years of US statehood. Alaska became the 49th state of the USA in January 1959 - only Hawaii was admitted later.

“Exhilarating, awe-inspiring, majestic and larger-than-life are just some of the terms we’d use to describe the landscapes of Alaska,” comments Richard Hanson, sales director and ex-tour leader at TrekAmerica. “Its geographical separation from the ‘Lower 48’ states presents a completely different experience from the rest of the USA. With its glaciers, lakes, mountains and forests, travel in Alaska is bigger, wilder and more extreme than anywhere else in North America.”

With over 36 years in the business and several dedicated tours based in Alaska, TrekAmerica has had plenty of chances to explore the best of the 49th state. Here, it provides its top ten reasons to visit Alaska in 2009.

• A COMMON PHILOSOPHY

Alaska epitomises the essence of a TrekAmerica trip. Its vast wilderness areas allow travellers to venture off the beaten path, leave the crowds far behind and share the thrill of new experiences in a distant and unfamiliar land.

• DENALI NATIONAL PARK

Home to Mount McKinley – the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet – and more grizzly bears than people, Denali NP is the centrepiece of the Alaskan wilderness.

• WIDE OPEN SPACES

Alaska is the biggest US state, at more than twice the size of nearest rival, Texas. It has a longer coastline than all the other US states combined, but only one person per square mile of land mass. That’s one large and semi-private playground for travellers to enjoy.

• LAND OF THE MIDNIGHT SUN

In Alaska, you can wear sunglasses at midnight without looking like a poser or a drunk. Visit in June for the longest daylight hours.

• SNOW IN THE SUMMERTIME

Clip on the crampons for vertical ice climbing on Root Glacier; trek over Exit Glacier and Harding Icefields; or simply take a boat trip and listen out for the ear-splitting crack of carving glaciers as huge chunks of ice break off in the summer months.

• NORTHERN LIGHTS

Nothing on earth compares to the sight of the mystical, magical, Aurora Borealis dancing across the sky. For the best chance of seeing the northern lights, book one of TrekAmerica’s tours in late August or September.

• ACTIVE ADVENTURES ABOUND

Alaska inspires a love of the great outdoors into everyone. Take a hike, paddle a wilderness canoe, enjoy a scenic flight, explore by mountain bike or go white water rafting to experience the very best of what the state has to offer.

• WILDLIFE ENCOUNTERS

No need to visit a zoo here – just travel into the wild for the chance to see grizzly bear, moose, caribou, sea otters and perhaps even mighty killer whales.

• IT’S OUT OF THE ORDINARY

Dog mushing is the state sport; the woolly mammoth is the official state fossil; and the state capital, Juneau, has no road access. You can’t fail to love a state with such quirks.

• EVERYBODY LOVES A BIRTHDAY

Celebrations for Alaska’s 50th anniversary have already begun, so travellers visiting in 2009 could well find themselves joining in the fun with a programme of concerts, parades and other festivities promised for 2009.

Sample Alaska packages from TrekAmerica:

Alaskan Denali – Seven days from £549 per person (excluding flights)

Wrangell-St Elias National Park, the Tangle Lakes, the Alaska Mountain Range and Denali National Park are all on the itinerary for this camping adventure. Departures available between May and August 2009.

Alaskan Kenai – Seven days from £579 per person (excluding flights)

Venture out into the Kenai Peninsula and explore Kenai Fjords National Park by boat, stay in a luxury wilderness camp and visit the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Departures available between June and September 2009.

Alaskan Wonder – 14 days from £1,079 per person (excluding flights)

Combine the two itineraries above to create this two-week Alaskan adventure. Departures available between May and August 2009.

To book any of the trips listed above, or to find out more about TrekAmerica’s tours in Alaska, see trekamerica.co.uk.