Ten sights not to be missed in the 49th state

click to go directly to #5 - Glacier Gardens

1. Denali National Park
The best view in Alaska may be from a helicopter hovering near the snowy crowns of Mount McKinley, at left, the 20,320-foot centerpiece of Denali National Park. Summertime visitors board helicopters near the park entrance, then fly above the clouds for close-up views of the massive mountain. On the way to McKinley, pilots search for grizzly bears, moose, caribou, Dall sheep and other critters that dwell in the park. Fare for 50-minute helicopter flights is $195 a person.
Details: Era Helicopters, 800-843-1947.

2. Prince William Sound
Brad Phillips promises passengers that they "can go to Harvard for $119." Harvard Glacier, that is, a dazzling river of ice deep inside Prince William Sound's College Fiord. Phillips has a new high-speed catamaran, the Klondike Express, above, that can reach Harvard Glacier on five-hour trips that cruise by a galaxy of 26 glaciers.
Excursions are scheduled May 7 through Sept. 17 from the Prince William Sound port of Whittier.
Details: Phillips Cruises & Tours, 800-544-0529.
Internet: www.26glaciers.com

3. Alaska Railroad
Passengers will view Alaska from deluxe dome cars next season. The state-owned railroad has ordered 14 new passenger coaches, including eight dome cars, for mainline runs between Anchorage, Denali National Park and Fairbanks. The railroad also is building a $28 million rail terminal at Anchorage International Airport, to open in 2002. Arriving cruise-ship passengers will be able to board trains at the airport for downtown Anchorage and the port of Seward. Departing passengers arriving at the airport depot will be only an escalator ride from airline counters.
Details: Alaska Railroad, 800-544-0552
Internet: www.akrr.com

4. Whittier
It isn't long as highways go. But this year Alaska travelers will be able to drive from Anchorage to the Prince William Sound port of Whittier on the state's newest highway.
Until then, the only way to get to roadless Whittier from Alaska's largest city is aboard the Alaska Railroad.
The Whittier Access Project, as the 16.5-mile-long route is known, is scheduled to open in late May. The new highway takes off from a spur of the Seward Highway (south of Anchorage), then shares a tunnel with the railroad on the way into Whittier. Vehicles and trains will alternate on one-way traffic schedules. It will be a toll road, with likely charges of $20 round trip for autos, $40 for RVs or cars with trailers.
Alaska ferries call at Whittier on runs that include Valdez and Cordova.
Details: Anchorage Convention & Visitors Bureau, 800-478-1255. Internet: www.anchorage.net

5. Juneau
A botanical garden in an Alaskan rain forest? One of Juneau's newest attractions is Glacier Gardens, a 49-acre botanical garden about a mile from Juneau's airport. Steve and Cindy Bowhay, Juneau landscapers, decided to create the garden when developers began talking about building condominiums on the site. "We want this property to stay beautiful forever," Bowhay says.
Season is May 1 to Sept. 30. Tickets: $14.95 for adults, $8 for children.
Details: Glacier Gardens, 907-790-3377.

6. Seward
It has been called "Alaska's Theater of Nature." It is Kenai Fjords National Park. The port town of Seward is the portal. Day cruises from Seward roam the national park, with attractions ranging from whale watching to glacier viewing.
Seward is 127 highway miles south of Anchorage. The coastal town also is served by the Alaska Railroad. Six-hour cruises are priced at $109 a person for adults; half price for children.
Details: Kenai Fjords Tours, 800-478-8068.
Internet: www. kenaifjords.com

7. Ketchikan
It's called the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show. The setting is Ketchikan, a timber town in America's largest national forest. The 90- minute show is presented three times a day, from April through October, on what used to be a sawmill site in downtown Ketchikan. Events include log rolling, ax throwing and pole climbing. Tickets: About $25.
Details: Ketchikan Visitors Bureau, 800-770-3300.
Internet: www.visit-ketchikan.com

8. Fairbanks
Gold mining has played an important role in Alaska for more than 100 years.
Now visitors can "go for the gold." Destination: Gold Dredge No. 8 on the outskirts of Fairbanks. The huge dredge, one of a dozen or so that used to scoop gold around Fairbanks, is the only one in Alaska open to the public. Visitors tour the dredge, then try their luck at panning for gold. "Finders, keepers" is the policy. Tickets: $20 ; $13 for children.
Details: Gray Line of Alaska, 800-544-2206.
Internet: www.graylineof alaska.com

9. Native cultures
Holland America Line will feature native artists on all of its seven-day Alaska cruises in 2000. The "Artists in Residence" demonstrations will run the gamut from basket weaving to ivory carving. In addition, members of Southeastern Alaska's Huna Tribe will share their history as Holland America liners glide through Glacier Bay National Park. Huna natives are the original residents of the Glacier Bay area.
Details: Holland America Line-Westours, 800-426-0327.
Internet:www.holland america.com

10. Skagway
The 100-year- old White Pass & Yukon Route railroad plans steam- train excursions each Saturday this summer between Skagway and Lake Bennett, British Columbia. Lake Bennett, 40 miles north of Skagway, is where 30,000 stampeders spent the winter of 1898-99 building makeshift boats and rafts to reach the Klondike gold fields. The trip is priced at $165 for adults (half fare for children), including lunch at Lake Bennett.
Details: White Pass & Yukon Route, 800-343-7373.
Internet: www.whitepass railroad.com

Copyright 2000 Sun Sentinel, Fort Lauderdale
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