Transportation

Getting There & Away

Whether you’re from the US or overseas, traveling to Alaska is like traveling to a foreign country. By sea it takes almost a week on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry to reach Whittier in Prince William Sound from the lower 48. By land a motorist in the Midwest needs 10 days to drive straight to Fairbanks.

If you’re coming from the US mainland, the quickest and least expensive way to reach Alaska is to fly nonstop from a number of cities. If you’re coming from Asia or Europe, it’s almost impossible to fly directly to Alaska as few international airlines maintain a direct service to Anchorage, except for seasonal flights from Frankfurt on Condor Airlines (%800-524-6975; www.condor.com). Most international travelers come through the gateway cities of Seattle, Portland, Minneapolis or Denver.

Flights, cars and tours can be booked online at lonelyplanet.com/bookings.

Entering the Country/Region

Since the September 11 terrorist attacks, air travel in the USA has permanently changed and you can now expect vigilant baggage-screening procedures and personal searches. In short, you’re going to have to take your shoes off. Non-US citizens should be prepared for an exhaustive questioning process at Immigration.

Crossing the border into Alaska from Canada used to be a relaxed process – US citizens often passed across with just a driver’s license. Now this process has also become more complicated, and all travelers should have a passport and expect more substantial questioning and possible vehicle searches.

CLIMATE CHANGE & TRAVEL

Every form of transport that relies on carbon-based fuel generates CO₂, the main cause of human-induced climate change. Modern travel is dependent on airplanes, which might use less fuel per kilometer per person than most cars but travel much greater distances. The altitude at which aircraft emit gases (including CO₂) and particles also contributes to their climate change impact. Many websites offer ‘carbon calculators’ that allow people to estimate the carbon emissions generated by their journey and, for those who wish to do so, to offset the impact of the greenhouse gases emitted with contributions to portfolios of climate-friendly initiatives throughout the world. Lonely Planet offsets the carbon footprint of all staff and author travel.

Passport

If you are traveling to Alaska from overseas, you need a passport. If you are a US resident passing through Canada, you will need a passport to re-enter the USA. Make sure your passport does not expire during the trip, and if you are entering the USA through the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) you must have a machine-readable passport. If you are traveling with children, it’s best to bring a photocopy of their birth certificates. If one parent is traveling with children alone, they will likely be asked for a letter of agreement from the other parent.

Air

Airports & Airlines

The vast majority of visitors to Alaska, and almost all international services, fly into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC; MAP; www.dot.state.ak.us/anc; W; g7). International flights arrive at the north terminal; domestic flights arrive at the south terminal and a complimentary shuttle service runs between the two every 15 minutes. You’ll find bus services, taxis and car-rental companies at both terminals. The airport has the usual services, including baggage storage, ATMs, currency exchange, free wi-fi, and courtesy phones to various Anchorage hotels.

Alaska’s only other (very limited) international airport is Fairbanks International Airport (MAP; %907- 474-2500; www.dot.state.ak.us/faiiap), with seasonal flights to Frankfurt in Germany.

Airlines serving Alaska include:

Alaska Airlines (%800-426-0333; www.alaskaair.com)

American Airlines (%800-443-7300; www.aa.com)

Condor Airlines (%800-524-6975; www.condor.com)

Delta Air Lines (%800-221-1212; www.delta.com)

JetBlue (%800-538-2583; www.jetblue.com)

Sun Country Airlines (%800-359-6786; www.suncountry.com)

United Airlines (%800-863-8331; www.united.com)

Tickets

Due to its lack of direct and international flights, Anchorage, and thus Alaska, is not the most competitive place for airfares. Begin any online ticket search by first checking travel websites and then compare the prices against the websites of airlines that service Alaska, particularly Alaska Airlines, as it often has internet specials offered nowhere else. For a good overview of online ticket agencies and lists of travel agents worldwide, visit Air-info (www.airinfo.aero).

Seattle serves as the major hub for flights into Alaska. Alaska Airlines owns the lion’s share of the market, with 20 flights per day to Anchorage as well as direct flights to Ketchikan, Juneau and Fairbanks.

You can also book a nonstop flight to Anchorage from a number of other US cities. Delta flies in from Minneapolis, Atlanta and Salt Lake City. American Airlines arrives in Anchorage from Dallas, LA and Phoenix; JetBlue from Portland;. Alaska Airlines, naturally, flies nonstop from numerous cities including Los Angeles, Denver, Chicago and Portland.

Condor has direct seasonal flights to Frankfurt in Germany from both Anchorage and Fairbanks.

DEPARTURE TAX

Departure tax is includ-ed in the price of a ticket.

Land

What began as the Alaska-Canada Military Hwy is today the Alcan (the Alaska Hwy). This amazing 1390-mile road starts at Dawson Creek in British Columbia, ends at Delta Junction and in between winds through the vast wilderness of northwest Canada and Alaska. For those with the time, the Alcan is a unique journey north. There are basically two options on the Alcan: car or bus.

Bus

A combination of buses will take you from Seattle via the Alcan to Alaska, but service is limited and the ride is a very long. From Seattle, Greyhound (%800-661-8747; www.greyhound.com) goes to Whitehorse, a 60-hour-plus ride. A one-way ticket is around $200 if you purchase in advance online. From Whitehorse, Alaska/Yukon Trails (MAP; %907-479-2277; www.alaskashuttle.com) leaves Sunday, Tuesday and Friday for Fairbanks for $385. This journey, via Dawson City, takes two days.

Car & Motorcycle

Without a doubt, driving your own car to Alaska allows you the most freedom. You can leave when you want, stop where you feel like it and plan your itinerary as you go along. It’s not cheap driving to Alaska, and that’s not even considering the wear and tear from the thousands of miles you’ll put on your vehicle.

The Alcan is now entirely paved and, although sections of jarring potholes, frost heaves (the rippling effect of the pavement caused by freezing and thawing) and loose gravel still exist, the infamous rough conditions of a few decades ago no longer prevail. Food, gas and lodging can be found almost every 20 to 50 miles along the highway, with 100 miles being the longest stretch between fuel stops.

On the Canadian side, you’ll find kilometer posts (as opposed to the mileposts found in Alaska), which are placed every 5km after the zero point in Dawson Creek. Most Alcan veterans say 300 miles a day is a good pace – one that will allow for plenty of stops to see the scenery or wildlife.

Along the way, Tourism Yukon (%800-661-0494; www.travelyukon.com) operates a number of visitor centers stocked with brochures and maps.

Hitching

Hitchhiking is probably more common in Alaska than it is in the rest of the USA, and even more so on rural dirt roads such as the McCarthy Rd and the Denali Hwy than it is on the major paved routes. Hitching is never entirely safe, and we don’t recommend it. Travellers who hitch should understand that they are taking a small but potentially serious risk. That said, if you’re properly prepared and have sufficient time, thumbing your way along the Alcan can be an easy way to see the country while meeting local people and saving money.

The Alcan seems to inspire the pioneer spirit in travelers who drive along it. Drivers are good about picking up hitchhikers, much better than those across the lower 48; the only problem is that there aren’t really enough of them. Any part of the Alcan can be slow, but some sections are notoriously bad. The worst is probably Haines Junction, the crossroads in the Yukon where southbound hitch-hikers often get stranded trying to thumb a ride to Haines in Southeast Alaska.

If you’d rather not hitchhike the entire Alcan, take the Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Bellingham, WA, to Haines, stick your thumb out and start hitchhiking from there; you’ll cut the journey in half but still travel along the highway’s most spectacular parts.

Sea

As an alternative to the Alcan, you can travel the Southeast’s Inside Passage from the lower 48. The comprehensive Alaska Marine Highway (AMHS; %800-642-0066; www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs) runs regular car ferries up from Bellingham, WA, linking all of the main cities in the Panhandle as well as communities in Prince William Sound and the Kenai Peninsula.

Alternatively there are cruise ships. Indeed, the bulk of Alaska’s tourists (around one million per year) arrive on pre-arranged cruise-ship packages, which generally start out from Vancouver, Seattle or San Francisco.

Tours

Package tours can often be the most affordable way to see a large chunk of Alaska, if your needs include the better hotels in each town and a full breakfast every morning. But they move quickly, leaving little time for an all-day hike or other activities.

Companies offering Alaska packages:

Alaska Collection (%888-602-3323; www.alaskacollection.com)

Alaska Wildland Adventures (%800-334-8730; www.alaskawildland.com; tours $3000-8100)

Gray Line (MAP; %888-425-1737; www.graylineofalaska.com; Hilton Anchorage, 500 W 3rd Ave, Anchorage)

Green Tortoise Alternative Travel (%800-867-8647, 415-956-7500; www.greentortoise.com; tours $789-1089)

Getting Around

Air

Scheduled flights are cheaper than charter flights.

Airlines in Alaska

Alaska Airlines (%800-426-0333; www.alaskaair.com) serves a surprisingly comprehensive list of destinations. The rest is picked up by several smaller airlines:

Alaska Seaplanes (%907-789-3331; www.flyalaskaseaplanes.com) Juneau, Haines and Northern Panhandle

PenAir (%800-448-4226; www.penair.com) Aleutian Islands, Alaska Peninsula and Bristol Bay

Ravn Alaska (%907-266-8394, 800-866-8394; www.flyravn.com) Fairbanks, Nome, Barrow, Deadhorse, Valdez and Kodiak

Taquan Air (%800-770-8800; www.taquanair.com) Ketchikan, Prince of Wales Island and Southern Panhandle

Bush Planes

With 75% of the state inaccessible by road, small, single-engine planes known as ‘bush planes’ are the backbone of intrastate transport. They carry residents and supplies to desolate areas of the Bush, take anglers to some of the best fishing spots in the country and drop off backpackers in the middle of untouched wilderness.

In the larger cities of Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan, it pays to compare prices before chartering a plane. In most small towns and villages you’ll be lucky if there’s a choice.

Bush aircraft include floatplanes, which land and take off on water, and beachlanders with oversized tires that can use rough gravel shorelines as air strips. Fares vary with the type of plane, its size, the number of passengers and the amount of flying time. On average, chartering a Cessna 185 that can carry three passengers and a limited amount of gear will cost up to $500 for an hour of flying time. A Cessna 206, a slightly larger plane that will hold four passengers, costs up to $550, while a Beaver, capable of hauling five passengers with gear, costs in the vicinity of $600 an hour. When chartering a plane to drop you off in the wilderness, you must pay for both the air time to your drop-off point and for the return to the departure point.

Double-check all pickup times and places when flying to a wilderness area. Bush pilots fly over the pickup point and if you’re not there, they usually return to base, call the authorities and still charge you for the flight.

Always schedule extra days around a charter flight. It’s not uncommon to be ‘socked in’ by weather for a day or two until a plane can fly in. Don’t panic: they know you’re there.

Bicycle

For those who want to bike it, Alaska offers a variety of cycling adventures on paved roads under the Arctic sun that allows you to peddle until midnight if you want. A bicycle can be carried on Alaska Marine Highway ferries for an additional fee and is a great way to explore small towns without renting a car.

Most road cyclists avoid gravel, but cycling the Alcan (an increasingly popular trip) does involve riding over some gravel breaks in the paved asphalt. Mountain bikers, on the other hand, are in heaven on gravel roads such as the Denali Hwy in the Interior.

If you arrive in Alaska without a bicycle, some towns have rentals; expect to pay $30 to $50 a day. You can take your bicycle on the airlines for an excess luggage fee. Alaska Airlines charges $75.

Anchorage’s Arctic Bicycle Club (%907-566-0177; www.arcticbike.org) is Alaska’s largest bicycle club and sponsors a wide variety of road-bike and mountain-bike tours during the summer. Its website includes a list of Alaska cycle shops. Other bicycle groups:

Bike Anchorage (%907-891-8906; www.bikeanchorage.org) S The main bicycle advocacy organization in Anchorage.

Fairbanks Cycle Club (www.fairbankscycleclub.org) Has info on cycling in the Fairbanks region.

Juneau Rides (https://juneaurides.org) Advocates for cycling in Juneau; the website has plenty of local cycling information.

Boat

The Alaska Marine Highway ferry (AMHS; %800-642-0066; www.dot.state.ak.us/amhs) calls at 35 ports across 3500 miles of coastline from Bellingham, WA, to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. There are nine regular vessels serving four main regions: the southeast (Ketchikan up to Skagway), the Cross-Gulf Route (Juneau to Whittier), Southcentral Alaska (Prince William Sound, the Kenai Peninsula and Kodiak) and the Southwest (the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands).

In some cities – namely Juneau, Sitka and Haines – the ferry terminal is located several miles outside town, necessitating a bus/taxi transfer.

The Southeast is also served by the Inter-Island Ferry Authority (%866-308-4848; www.interislandferry.com), which connects Ketchikan with Prince of Wales Island; and Haines-Skagway Fast Ferry (MAP; %888-766-2103; www.hainesskagwayfastferry.com; one way adult/child $36/18), linking Skagway and Haines.

Bus

While there is no statewide bus network, and no Greyhound, various shuttle buses (usually 12-seater vans) cover most of Alaska’s main highways in the summer, though they don’t always run daily. Check online for schedules and prices and book in advance.

Car & Motorcycle

Not a lot of roads reach a lot of Alaska but what asphalt there is leads to some seriously spectacular scenery. That’s the best reason to tour the state in a car or motorcycle, whether you arrive with your own or rent one. With personal wheels you can stop and go at will and sneak away from the RVers and tour buses.

Automobile Associations

AAA (%800-332-6119; www.aaa.com), the most widespread automobile association in the USA, has one office in Alaska, Anchorage Service Center (%907-344-4310; 3565 Arctic Blvd, Anchorage), which offers the usual, including maps, discounts and emergency road service.

Fuel & Spare Parts

Gas is widely available on all the main highways and tourist routes in Alaska. In Anchorage and Fairbanks the cost of gas will only be 10¢ to 15¢ per gallon higher than in the rest of the country. Along the Alcan, in Bush communities such as Nome, and at lone gas stations on remote roads, prices will be shockingly high.

Along heavily traveled roads, most towns will have a car mechanic, though you might have to wait a day for a part to come up from Anchorage. In some small towns, you might be out of luck. For anybody driving to and around Alaska, a full-size spare tire and replacement belts are a must.

Insurance

Liability insurance – which covers damage you may cause to another vehicle in the event of an accident – is required when driving in Alaska but not always offered by rental agencies because most Americans are already covered by their regular car insurance. This is particularly true with many of the discount rental places. Major car agencies offer Collision Damage Waiver (CDW) to cover damage to the rental car in case of an accident. This can up the rental fee by $15 a day or more and many have deductibles as high as $1000. It’s better, and far cheaper, to arrive with rental-car insurance obtained through your insurance company, as a member of AAA, or as a perk of many credit cards, including American Express.

Rental & Purchase

For two or more people, car rental is an affordable way to travel, far less expensive than taking a bus or a train. At most rental agencies, you’ll need a valid driver’s license, a major credit card and you’ll also need to be at least 21 years old (sometimes 25). It is almost always cheaper to rent in town rather than at the airport because of extra taxes levied on airport rentals.

Read any rental contract carefully, especially details on driving on gravel or dirt roads. Many agencies, particularly those in the Fairbanks area, will not allow their compacts on dirt roads. If you violate the contract and have an accident, insurance will not cover repairs. Also be conscious of the per-mile rate of a rental. Add up the mileage you aim to cover and then choose between the 100 free miles per day or the more expensive unlimited mileage plan.

Vehicles from affordable car-rental places are always heavily booked during the summer. Try to reserve at least a month in advance.

Motorhomes

RVers flock to the land of the midnight sun in astounding numbers. This is the reason why more than a dozen companies, almost all of them based in Anchorage, will rent you a motorhome. Renting a recreational vehicle is so popular you have to reserve them four to five months in advance.

ABC Motorhomes (%800-421-7456; www.abcmotorhome.com)

Clippership Motorhome Rentals (%800-421-3456; www.clippershiprv.com)

Great Alaskan Holidays (%888-225-2752, 907-248-7777; www.greatalaskanholidays.com; rental per day from $105)

Road Conditions & Hazards

For road conditions, closures and other travel advisories for the Alaska highway system, even while you’re driving, contact the state’s Alaska511 (%511, outside Alaska 866-282-7577; http://511.alaska.gov).

Local Transportation

In cities and most mid-size towns there will be taxi service. On occasion, the Alaska Marine Highway ferry port is located outside town. Sometimes a shuttle service is available, otherwise a combination of taxi and local bus must be used. There are also limited local bus services in some cities, with the most extensive systems in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau and Ketchikan.

Train

Alaska Railroad

It took eight years to build it, but today the Alaska Railroad (%800-544-0552; www.akrr.com) stretches 470 miles from Seward to Fairbanks through spectacular scenery. You’ll save more money traveling by bus down the George Parks Hwy, but few travelers regret booking the Alaska Railroad and viewing the pristine wilderness from its comfortable cars.

Services

The Alaska Railroad operates a year-round service between Fairbanks and Anchorage, as well as summer services (from late May to mid-September) from Anchorage to Whittier and from Anchorage to Seward.

The most popular run is the 336-mile trip from Anchorage to Fairbanks, stopping at Denali National Park. Northbound, at Mile 279, the train passes within 46 miles of Denali, a stunning sight from the viewing domes on a clear day. It then slows down to cross the 918ft bridge over Hurricane Gulch.

The ride between Anchorage and Seward may be one of the most spectacular train trips in the world. From Anchorage, the 114-mile trip begins by skirting the 60-mile-long Turnagain Arm on Cook Inlet and then swings south, climbs over mountain passes, spans deep river gorges and comes within half a mile of three glaciers.

The Anchorage–Whittier service, which includes a stop in Girdwood and passes through two long tunnels, turns Whittier into a fun day trip. So does riding Alaska Railroad’s Hurricane Turn, one of America’s last flagstop trains, which departs from Talkeetna.

Reservations

You can reserve a seat and purchase tickets online through the website of Alaska Railroad (%800-544-0552; www.akrr.com); this is highly recommended for the Anchorage–Denali service in July and early August.

White Pass & Yukon Route

The White Pass & Yukon Railroad was built during the height of the Klondike Gold Rush, and it’s still possible to travel it from Skagway to Carcross in the Yukon and complete the journey to Whitehorse by bus. One-way train-bus combo tickets cost $129/64.50 per adult/child. The trip is classed as a ‘tour,’ with a guide giving interesting commentary.

Reservations are highly recommended at any time during the summer. Contact White Pass & Yukon Route (%800-343-7373; www.whitepassrailroad.com) for information.