#21 Alaska

Moose antlers are huge! Trying on a pair at Denali National Park

Alaska has such an allure - wilderness, wildlife, and weird people! - and was one of the last locations I was willing to go on a family cruise to!

Cruising to Harvard Glacier

Lucky last clear views of Mt Denali on a coach to Fairbanks

We took a Holland America cruise to Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Glacier Bay National Park, and College Fjord, then embarked on a land tour from Anchorage to Denali National Park to Fairbanks. It was the last few weeks of the summer season, so we saw a lot of yellow trees turning for the autumn across the landscapes. We enjoyed lovely clear skies to see glaciers shining blue and white as well as some good views of Mount Denali and the Alaskan mountains! The loop hike around Horseshoe Lake in Denali was also gorgeous on a sunny afternoon.

Whales bubble feeding together near Ketchikan

Whale breaching the water repeatedly near Ketchikan

Moose scenically posing in Denali National Park

Animal-wise we saw tons of humpback whales, bald eagles, sea otters, and moose. We also spotted some Dall’s porpoises and reindeer! Particularly in the small boat taking us to our kayaks, we saw one whale on his back slapping his pectoral fins with a crack and then doing dozens of breaches up into the air. On the way back from kayaking, the driver spotted a swarm of birds which prefaced a bubble net feeding of a bunch of humpbacks popping their noses out at once. Later, on a whale watching boat in Juneau, two humpbacks surfaced right next to us and lingered so we could see their eyes and texture of their backs and faces.

Super fun sled dog tour in Skagway

We also saw so many Alaskan Husky sled dogs - riding in a cart behind them for summer training in Skagway, working in Denali National Park, and doing a demo in Fairbanks for our Riverboat Discovery tour group.

Quick hike to Skagway’s Yakutania Point

The towns of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway, Anchorage, and Fairbanks were small with a Wild West wink wink nudge nudge vibe. I especially loved the historic Creek Street boardwalk, Skagway’s Yakutania Point, and the view from dinner at Simon and Seafort’s!

Item 23 Completed 9/9-18/2025
53/57 items complete = 92.9%