Travel Spotlight: Alaska

Bucket List Alaska Highway Tiny Town Roadtrip This 650-mile one-way trip takes you to towns with less than 1,000 residents. These less visited and highly underrated places let you skip the crowds and enjoy some of the best scenery Alaska has to offer. It begins in Fox just north of Fairbanks and ends on the Cook Inlet.

FOX: Northern Lights NENANA: Mears Memorial Bridge

HEALY: Stampede Trail

CANTWELL: Igloo City

TALKEETNA: Aurora Borealis

EKLUTNA: Eklutna Spirit Houses

PORTAGE: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center HOPE: Cook Inlet

COOPER LANDING: Russian River Falls NINILCHIK: Caribou Hills

Off the beaten path 

 Osoyoos, BC, Canada – It’s surrounded by desert, vineyards and mountains. Osoyoos Lake is known for its warm water, beaches and water sports facilities. Nk’Mip Desert Cultural Centre and Osoyoos Desert Centre have hands-on exhibits and trails exploring the local desert and ecosystem. The Osoyoos Museum traces the town’s history with aboriginal and pioneer artifacts.

 Prince George, BC, Canada – The Central British Columbia Railway and Forestry Museum displays old trains. Contemporary Canadian art is on show at Two Rivers Gallery. The Exploration Place has hands-on science exhibits. Beyond town, trails wind through wildlife-rich Eskers Provincial Park and Fort George Canyon Provincial Park, with its dramatic whirlpools.

 Dawson Creek, BC, Canada – Best known as the Alaska Highway Mile ‘O’ site, Dawson Creek has bird watching, waterfalls, alpine meadows and mountain ridges. There are many opportunities for outdoor recreation here, including skiing, fishing, hiking and much more. Visit historical and heritage sites such as the Kiskatinaw Bridge and walk on one of the last remaining original structures of the Alaska Highway.

 Delta Junction, AK – Delta is an agricultural community, and visitors can taste the local produce at Highway’s End Farmer’s Market at the Triangle visitor’s center or during the Deltana Fair. Deltana includes livestock, garden and craft exhibits, fair staples of tractor pulls, food vendors and carnival rides. The Alaska Homestead and Historical Museum offers a unique look at a large collection of early farming equipment. The Big Delta State Historical Park includes Sullivan Roadhouse built in 1905 and acted as the original roadhouse from Valdez to Fairbanks.

 Fairbanks, AK – At 65 degrees north latitude, the sky wakes on a capricious life of its own--a canvas for the aurora borealis, the midnight sun and sunsets and sunrises that last forever. Here there are serious mountain ranges, pristine rivers and lakes, abundant wildlife and a certain poignant solitude that is found nowhere else on earth. Locals embrace the natural world and have created a vibrant river city in the far north. Where else can you travel to such a remote locale and still enjoy all the amenities of a charming downtown, a thriving arts community, rich Alaska Native culture, authentic Alaskan activities and attractions and endless opportunities to explore.

 Denali National Park, AK – More than a mountain, Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of the road. Travelers along it see the relatively low elevation taiga forest give way to a high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America’s tallest peak, 20,310' Denali. Wild animals large and small roam unfenced lands, living as they have for ages. Solitude, tranquility and wilderness await. Renowned for conserving wildlife and supporting intact ecosystems, Denali is recognized early for its contribution to scientific research and discovery. A protected, living laboratory in which to observe the natural process at work.

 Kenai, AK – The Kenai is home to one black bear per square mile. Black or brown bears may be spotted from your vehicle, from your raft as you float by, or up on the mountainside while hiking our miles of improved trails. Over the eons, glacier ice has carved valleys that are now submerged under seawater, thus forming the fjords. Kenai Fjords National Park preserves this magical part of the peninsula, and a diverse fleet of small ships delivers the experience. Further south, Kachemak Bay State Park is easily accessed from Homer where you can get out and explore the Bay by sea kayak, charter cruise, or water taxi. Across the Bay you will find hiking trails through lush forests, over mountains, and next to glaciers.

 Homer, AK – On stunning Kachemak Bay at the end of Sterling Highway, 200 miles south of Anchorage, surrounded by wilderness and ocean. Homer was made famous as “The End of the Road” in Tom Bodett’s tales. Home to the Discovery Channel’s “The Last Frontier” Kilcher family, and homeport to the fishing vessel Time Bandit of “Deadliest Catch” fame, the museums, art galleries, fine dining and seaside accommodations all help create Alaska-sized memories to last a lifetime.