‘The Last Frontier State’
Alaska is BIG! When planning your trip allow enough time for the region(s) you want to see and the things you want to do. All you need to do is determine what type of activities and adventures top your “must do” list and choose the region(s) that offer those experiences.
Travel Articles: Sightseeing, Nature, Top Attractions
All our ALASKA articles can be found in the category Alaska and are also tagged as Colorado. Or just search for Alaska
Weather & Climate
During winter you can experience real winter, blue skies, and the beauty of the land.
During (short) summers you’ll love deep green wilderness, wild flowers, and in higher elevations of course snow.
During spring you may pretty muddy places and due to the moisture everywhere the mosquito season starts, so you better put insect repellent in your baggage when going camping, hiking, etc.
Climate / Temperatures
The average temperature during July is around 53 degrees F (~12 Grad C), the average temperature in January: 8 F / -13 Grad C. That doesn’t mean that you won’t experience wonderful summer days. The highest reported temperatures was June 27th, 1915, near Fort Yukon: 100 F / 38 Grad C! So what was the lowest temperature? The thermometers dropped to -79 F / -62 C on January 23rd, 1971, near Stevens Village / Prospect Creek!
Alaska Facts
Size Alaska’s 570,373 square miles is one-fifth the size of the continental U.S. and over twice the size of Texas.
Mountains Of the nation’s 20 highest peaks, 17 are in Alaska. That includes the legendary Denali (former Mount McKinley), the tallest mountain in North America at 20,320 feet. Denali is the tallest mountain in the world from base to peak.
Glaciers Alaska has an estimated 100,000 glaciers, which cover almost five percent of the state. There are more active glaciers in Alaska than in the rest of the inhabited world.
Time Zones Alaska has its own time zone, which is one hour earlier than Pacific Time. The westernmost Aleutian Islands are on Hawaii-Aleutian Time, two hours earlier than Pacific Time.
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.
Water Alaska has 3 million lakes, over 3,000 rivers and more coastline (47,300 miles) than the entire continental United States.
Parklands Alaska has 15 National Parks, Preserves and Monuments, and 3.2 million acres of State Park lands.
Lake Hood located in Anchorage, is the world’s busiest floatplane base. It averages 800 takeoffs and landings on a peak summer day.
Snow The state’s record snowfall in a single season was recorded at Thompson Pass north of Valdez in 1952-53 at 974.5 inches.
The nation’s two largest national forests are located in Alaska. The Tongass in Southeast includes 16.8 million acres, and the Chugach in Southcentral has 4.8 million acres.
Lakes There are more than three million lakes in Alaska. Lake Illiamna in Southwest Alaska is the second largest freshwater lake in the U.S.
Nearly three-quarters of Alaska sport fishing is done in the Southcentral region of the state where most of the state’s population resides.
Volcanoes Alaska is home to 80 percent of all the active volcanoes in the U.S.
Dutch Harbor/Unalaska is the number one producing commercial fishing port in the nation.
Wildlife 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.
Temperature The highest temperature ever recorded in Alaska was 100° at Fort Yukon in 1915, and the lowest recorded temperature was -80° at Prospect Creek Camp in 1971.
Essentials of the State
State Name
Alaska – State Abbr.: AK
Statehood
3-Jan-1959
– Statehood Ranking: 49
Land Area
571,951 sqaremiles (1,481,296 qkm)
– Land Area Ranking: 1
Population
626,932
(2000; Census every 10 years)
Capital
Juneau
Biggest City
Anchorage
Nickname
The Last Frontier
Motto
North To The Future
Highest Point
6.194 m / 20,322 ft (Denali)
Lowest Point
Sea Level
Timezone
Alaska Time Zone (GMT-9hrs, MEZ-10hrs)
– Dayligh Saving Time
– yes
Tree
Sitka Spruce
Flower
Forget Me Not
Bird
Willow Ptarmigan
Animal
Moose
Song
“Alaska Flag Song” (Lyrics: Marie Drake / Music: Elinor Dusenbury)
Other Symbols
State Mineral: Gold
Special Holidays
-Seward’s Day (27-March) – marks the day (30-March-1867), when the United States bought Alaska from Russia.;-Alaska Day (18-October)
