REGIONS OF ALASKA
Travel information on the regions of Alaska, including the Far North, Interior, Southwest, South Central and South West / Inside Passage regions of Alaska and the things to do there.


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Far North Alaska

The Far North region of Alaska, where the sun rises in May and sets in August, offers a diversity of natural wonders and cultural attractions.

North of the Arctic Circle, the landscape features everything from mountain ranges to coastal plains and is home to the Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, the Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument, Kobuk Valley National Park, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and the Noatak National Preserve

Wildlife includes a wide variety of bird species, reindeer, bears, wolves, and sheep.

The communities of Nome, Kotzebue and Barrow offer cultural attractions that are closely tied to the rich Native heritage of the area. Attractions reflecting the modern history of the far north region celebrate the gold rush history of the area and the importance of the petroleum industry today.

Other notable towns include Prudhoe Bay, Hooper Bay, Galena, and Fort Yukon. more


Interior Alaska

Originally home to the Athabascan Indians, the vast expanse of the Interior region of Alaska offers a wealth of wildlife and landscapes including Mount McKinley (Denali), the Denali National Park and Preserve and the Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve along the Canadian border.

The largest city in the interior is Fairbanks, Alaska's second-largest city, and hub of the region. Fairbanks is home to The University of Alaska Museum.
The museum is the state's primary repository of natural and cultural history and is internationally recognized for its comprehensive northern collections.

Other towns in the region are North Pole, just south of Fairbanks, Eagle, Tok, Talkeetna, Glennallen, Delta Junction, Nenana, Anderson, Healy and Cantwell. more


Southwest Alaska

From the Kodiak Archipelago to the Aleutian Islands, Alaska’s expansive Southwest region is home to the communities of Bethel, King Salmon, Unalaska, Dillingham, Kodiak and the Pribilof Islands.

The area is as diverse as it is big. From the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of the Holy Ascension and the Bishop's House in Unalaska to the famous brown bears of Kodiak island, from archaeological excavations to the the biggest commercial salmon fishery in the world, Southwest Alaska offers everything from culture to astonishing wildlife viewing.

The numerous state and federal protected areas in the Southwest region include Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve, the Katmai National Park and Preserve, Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge, and the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge. more


South Central Alaska

Home to most of the state’s population, South Central Alaska, encompassing Anchorage, the Kenai Peninsula and the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, features some of the best the state has to offer in wildlife, scenery and culture.

From the Alaska Native Heritage Center in Anchorage, a unique cultural site dedicated to educating visitors about Alaska Native groups, to the Seward Highway, recently named an All-American Road and boasting some of the country’s most spectacular scenery, the diversity of this region keeps travelers coming back.

The variety is endless - from the hip and funky town of Girdwood, and the ski town of Alyeska, home to a group of artists who like the small-town feel of the place, to the wild majesty of the Kenai area (including the Kenai Fjords National Park) and its growing reputation as a place of creative expression.

As a fishing mecca, nearly three-quarters of Alaska sport fishing is done in the South Central region of the state, South Central Alaska is home to Homer, known as the Halibut Fishing Capital of the World. more


Southeast Alaska

Southeast Alaska, also often referred to as the Inside Passage is a popular cruise destination - and for good reason. Much that makes Alaska such a hot destination ofr travelers of all tastes can be found in Southeast Alaska.

For those intent on culture and historical attractions, Southeast Alaska abounds with living reminders of the gold rush hisotry of the state, the mining heritage of many areas, and the culture of the native indians. Cultural items like totem poles, for example, can be found in forests and galleries and museums from Ketchikan and extending north throughout many of the Southeast Alaska Inside Passage communities. And the gold rush history comes alive on the boardwalks of the Historical district in Skagway and on the Chilkoot Trail just outside of Skagway, where visitors will find history at their feet, literally. Hundreds of discouraged gold miners ditched their supplies as they gave up their dreams of Klondike gold and headed home. Russian history too is celebrated in ports like Sitka where the onion dome of St. Michael's Cathedral dominates the skyline.

For those with the natural wonders of Southeast Alaska in mind, this region of Alaska bounds with dramatic landscapes and wildlife sighting oportunities. The bald eagle population, for example, is reported to be more than 30,000 in Alaska, and Haines, Alaska, located in the Southeast, boasts one of the largest concentrations of bald eagles in North America.

Juneau, known as the “Gateway to theGlaciers” offers more than 40 glaciers in the near vicinity, including Mendenhall Glacier.

Glacier Bay is world famous not only for glaciers but whale watching too. And many places along the Southeast Inside Passage offer the best fishing spots in the state, if not the country. more


regions

 southeast Alaska
south central Alaska
southwest Alaska
interior Alaska
far north Alaska











LITTLE KNOWN
ALASKA FUN FACTS

Pipeline

The Trans-Alaska Pipeline transports approximately 1.8 million barrels of oil a day from the North Slope to the port of Valdez in Prince William Sound. Oil moves at a rate of five to seven miles per hour and takes under six days to travel the 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay to tankers in the port of Valdez.


Alaska Marine Highway System

Alaskan ferries travel a route covering 3,500 miles and serving 30 Alaskan ports.


Bald Eagles

The largest known concentration of bald eagles, over 3,000, converges near Haines from October through January to feed on late run salmon in the Chilkat River.


Floatplanes

Lake Hood, located in Anchorage, is the world’s busiest floatplane base. It averages 800 takeoffs and landings on a peak summer day.


Fishing

Nearly three-quarters of Alaska sport fishing is done in the Southcentral region of the state where most of the state’s population resides. Dutch Harbor/Unalaska is the number one producing commercial fishing port in the nation.


Volcanoes

Alaska is home to 80 percent of all the active volcanoes in the US


Big Game

Alaska has 12 species of big game, including moose, caribou, black bear, Dall sheep, musk ox, wolverine, brown bear, wolf, mountain goat, black-tailed deer and elk.