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A vacation to Alaska presents an opportunity to explore North America’s last great wilderness, an area 663,268 square miles in size—bigger than Texas, California and Montana combined. There’s so much to see on an Alaska trip that it’s difficult to know where to start.
The jaw-dropping sights here range from charismatic wildlife like grizzly bears, salmon, whales, orcas, sea lions, caribou, puffins and eagles, to the Arctic tundra, to Denali National Park and the highest mountain peak in North America, to the isles, rainforests and fjords of Southeast Alaska.
Fortunately, you can easily experience the Last Frontier’s unique beauty on an expedition cruise like those offered by National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, aboard small, nimble vessels that can stop in classic Alaska cruise ports like Juneau, Sitka and Ketchikan and get you up close to rugged shorelines, remote inlets and wild isles. With so much to see, your first step is to figure out how many days to visit Alaska so you can plan your trip accordingly.
How Many Days Do You Need for an Alaska Vacation?
“The minimum duration for your itinerary should be roughly a week, minus travel on either end,” suggests Sarah Friedlander, who develops Alaska itineraries for National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions and previously worked as a naturalist aboard the fleet in Alaska.
Given Alaska’s expansive size, complex coastline, lack of connecting roads and the time needed to travel between destinations, a too-short trip is likely to leave you feeling shortchanged. “Anything less than a week is going to limit what you can see,” adds Friedlander.
As an example, the shortest itineraries offered by National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions are six days long. Thanks to the nimbleness of the small ships and the ease with which they can access remote inlets and bays, these trips are packed full of glacier and wildlife viewing, plus invigorating hikes into the region’s lush rainforest.
If you have the time and flexibility, consider tacking on extra days or even one more week to your itinerary. That will give you the chance to take a longer Alaska cruise that sails farther west to places like Katmai National Park or Prince William Sound. Or it allows you to spend more time in port cities like Anchorage and venture inland to Denali or Fairbanks after disembarking your cruise.
Time on an Alaskan Cruise Vs Sightseeing by Land
There is really no right or wrong answer to the question, Is it better to visit Alaska by cruise or land? The state is vast and filled with myriad possibilities, so it ultimately should come down to your preferences. If you enjoy riding the rails, for example, exploring from Anchorage to Fairbanks on a scenic train ride might be your ideal choice, but if you dream of seeing humpback whales up close in the wild, of course, cruising is the only way to go.
Keep in mind that traveling by land is likely going to require a lot more logistics and hours spent driving or flying from place to place, depending on how much you’re hoping to see. If you only have a week or less to explore and want to make the most of your time, cruising will allow you to experience a large swath of Alaska’s majestic offerings—from tidewater glaciers and dramatic fjords to mist-covered mountains—and you only have to unpack once!
Recommendations Based on How Much Time You Have to Visit
Alaska is reachable via air from all over North America, and as one of the 50 U.S. states, it's open to American citizens without a passport. Travelers coming from west coast cities like Portland, Seattle or San Francisco can reach common embarkation ports like Anchorage and Juneau in under four or five hours, making a shorter getaway more feasible.
However, if you're coming from further afield, it can take anywhere from 7 to 12 hours or more with connecting flights and layovers, so you may want to consider spending more time in the state to make the trip worthwhile.
No matter how long you plan to spend among the wildlife and scenic beauty, note that the best time for an Alaska cruise is April through September when the weather is milder and the days are longer.
4 or 5 Days
With a state this big, you’ll want to be focused with a shorter itinerary—you could either fly into Anchorage or Fairbanks and rent a car, plus take short excursions on a boat or floatplane to local sights. Or, if you're interested in Southeast Alaska, fly into Juneau or Haines and pursue the many outdoor-recreation opportunities there. Here are some easy-access options for a shorter trip:
Whale-watch from Juneau:
Set in a temperate maritime rainforest, Alaska’s tiny capital was also rated by Trip Advisor as the world’s leading whale-watching destination; a day trip on a boat will get you up close with charismatic humpbacks feasting on krill and herring.
Get up close to a glacier:
Mendenhall Glacier juts out of the massive Juneau Icefield and is a popular destination for first-time visitors. Learn about the glacier at the visitor center before tackling one of the hiking trails which provide excellent viewpoints—or get even closer on a guided glacier trek.
“Surf” the Turnagain Arm:
Drive the seaside Seward Highway south from Anchorage along the Turnagain Arm, which, with its 40-foot tides, produces a “bore tide,” an up to 6-foot-tall wave caused by water rushing into the arm. Bird Point is a good viewing spot, and you may even see intrepid surfers.
Take a floatplane to Lake Clark:
A stunning, one-plus-hour plane ride from Anchorage brings you to Lake Clark National Park & Preserve, a mountainous, 4-million-acre wilderness known for its pristine, volcanic and glaciated topography and many bears—both black and brown.
Hike and rock climb in Hatcher Pass:
Hatcher Pass is one of Alaska’s most accessible hiking venues, with day hikes ranging from a half mile to 32 miles, as well as opportunities to boulder and do roped climbs on the exposed granite. It’s only an hour-plus by car from Anchorage.
7 Days
A week in Alaska gives you ample time to fly into a port town like Juneau or Sitka and take an immersive expedition cruise that encompasses iconic sights like fjords and marine life, tidewater glaciers and rocky coastline, but also provides active opportunities to get off ship to hike, Zodiac cruise and view wildlife.
Cruise Southeast Alaska’s wild waterways:
Take a small expedition cruise through the Tracy Arm Fords-Terror Wilderness where you’ll be regaled by waterfalls and wildflowers as well as see “the tidewater glacier that has carved out everything you’ve been traveling through,” once you reach the fjord’s head, says Friedlander.
View a Steller sea lion haul-out:
The Inian Islands, at the northern entry into Alaska’s Northwest Passage, are a great place to photograph sea lions. At their haul-outs, these massive creatures—adult males can reach 2,500 pounds and 11 feet long—come ashore to rest and socialize in throngs.
Watch calving glaciers in Glacier Bay:
Glacier Bay is famed for its calving tidewater glaciers. “You can hear the internal popping and cracking, and that will echo through the fjord,” says Friedlander. Once the ice falls in, there’s a big, rumbling, rushing noise and the birds circle to hunt the churned-up water for fish.
Explore a muskeg in Petersburg:
This tiny, authentic fishing village on Mitkof Island is only accessible by water or air. Hike on a boardwalk over a muskeg, a unique Southeast Alaska ecosystem that is home to stunted coniferous trees, Sphagnum mosses and carnivorous plants like the sundew.
10 Days
Ten days in Alaska gives you time for a longer cruise, one with daylong stopovers in port towns and excursions on land, with sightseeing on either end. Or, if traveling solely by car, 10 days is ample time for a nice, long driving tour, perhaps with the nine-hour ferry trip from Homer out to Kodiak Island—famed for its fishing, whales and of course bears.
Visit the Alaska Raptor Center:
Sitka, home of the Alaska Raptor Center, is a great embarkation point for smaller expedition cruises to Southeast Alaska and the Inside Passage. In this town with notable Russian heritage, the center rehabilitates around 200 birds a year, including owls and bald eagles.
Take a “moss nap”:
A small cruise ship, with Zodiacs, can you get into coastlines and islands you’d never be able to access otherwise. In Southeast Alaska’s coastal rainforest, with its fresh, oxygenated air, pause to lie on a carpet of springy, green moss. “It’s this incredibly soft bed, and you’re probably wearing your rain gear anyway,” says Friedlander.
Kayak in the “ABC Islands”:
Kayak amongst Baranof or Chichagof’s sparkling bays, listening for the call of bald eagles and perhaps taking a group hike on land to look for wildlife like newt, banana slugs and bears—Chichagof is often cited as having the highest density of bears per square mile of anywhere on Earth.
Fish for salmon:
If your cruise ends in Juneau, you might try a day of saltwater salmon fishing on a charter boat (June and July are best) or hire a fishing guide to take you inland to a river or stream (late July through early September).
14 Days
With two weeks, your best bet for seeing the state’s wonders will be to combine a one-week cruise with a one-week land tour, such as a trip into Denali National Park, like you can do with the pre- or post-voyage extension offered by National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, or embark on a bush-plane flight into the wilderness to visit bear habitat, as you can with Nat Hab’s Alaska Bear Camp.
Tour LeConte Bay, Wrangell Island and Misty Fjords:
A weeklong Southeast Alaska expedition can sail among electric-blue glacial icebergs in LeConte Bay, stop on Wrangell Island to visit a tribal house and see petroglyphs on Petroglyph Beach and end with a day hike in the vibrant rainforest of the Misty Fjords National Monument.
Soak in Chena Hot Springs:
After your cruise, Fairbanks is a good launching point for Interior Alaska’s attractions, one being nearby Chena Hot Springs, whose geothermal mineral waters are prized for their healing powers, long known by Alaska’s Indigenous people and the gold miners of the early 1900s seeking relief for their aching bodies.
Ride the Denali Star into the park:
Splurge for Goldstar service on the Alaska Railroad, and you’ll be riding from Fairbanks to Denali National Park in style, in cars with glass-dome ceilings and outdoor viewing decks, a full-service dining car and a guide calling out the passing sights and wildlife.
Take a sightseeing flight around Denali:
Fly out of charming Talkeetna with the expert pilots who circumnavigate North America’s highest peak and can even land on the glaciers there, at Kahiltna Basecamp where climbers begin their ascent of Denali, and in the Ruth Gorge, home to an array of mind-blowing granite peaks.
How to Make the Most of Your Time?
To make the most of your time in Alaska, first consider your timing, so that the weather and logistics best align with the experiences and activities you are planning. High season in Alaska for outdoor adventures like hiking, kayaking, fishing or rafting is spring through early autumn, when the days are long and at their warmest, the flora and fauna are abundant and active, and the snow is melting or has melted, facilitating travel.
As just one example, in Denali National Park, the 92-mile Denali Park Road is only open to passenger cars in summer, and just along its first, paved 15 miles—buses go the rest of the way. It’s also during this period that the seas are calmer and free of ice, making it prime time to take a cruise.
Since numerous destinations are reachable only by plane and boat, you might also consider how much you’ll be traveling by land versus by sea. And, given Alaska’s vastness, keep the focus during your stay on only one or two geographic regions—say Southeast Alaska and Denali National Park; Anchorage and the Aleutian Islands; or Fairbanks and the Northern Alaskan Tundra.
Another tip: prepare to be flexible and accepting of the fluctuating weather in this wet and often cold climate. If you’re going to let the weather deter you from your plans, then you’ll likely miss out on a lot. In Southeast Alaska, the season begins drier, then the rain and wildflowers—as well as the mosquitoes—pick up mid-June, says Friedlander, though, “it could potentially rain every day.” However, as the saying goes, “there is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing.” Just pack the proper Alaska gear and you’ll be prepared to continue on with your plans, come rain, wind or shine!
How Long Are Alaskan Cruises Typically?
Most cruises in Alaska last between one or two weeks. Companies with large cruise ships typically operate seven- to fourteen-day round-trips from the major Pacific Northwest cities of Seattle, Washington, and Vancouver, BC, as well as San Francisco, California; while smaller operations might have similar itineraries or more curated experiences that begin and end in smaller ports like Juneau, Sitka, Haines and Ketchikan, with air travel as part of the voyage.
If you explore Alaska with National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions, you can choose from an array of options that include six-day getaways to places like Haines, the “adventure capital” where you can bike, hike, raft or flyfish, as well as more in-depth journeys that pair Alaska with destinations like British Columbia or Japan.
How to Choose the Best Alaskan Cruise for Your Trip
If you’re fine debarking only in major ports and enjoy the big-boat experience—things like all-day buffets, swimming pools, ballrooms, nightlife and other onboard entertainment—then go with a larger cruise line. But if you’re more interested in getting off the ship and up close with life on land and in the water, opt for a small expedition ship outfitted with Zodiacs, kayaks and other tools that let you access otherwise inaccessible parts of the state.
Friedlander also suggests you pick your cruise based on fitness level, trip length and preferred highlights, whether it’s fishing towns and Native American history, hiking, viewing calving glaciers or wildlife photography, like snapping the classic Alaska photo of a breaching humpback.
“Guests choose National Geographic-Lindblad Expeditions because they have a natural inclination and wonder about the world—they’re really interested in seeing Alaska and learning about it,” says Friedlander. “Plus, the naturalists aboard the fleet are incredible; they’re specialized in ornithology, in marine mammals, in geology—all sorts of interesting things.”
When you go in the season also affects your choice. For example, says Friedlander, “Bears are more predictable later because of the salmon streams. Whereas earlier, they’re a little less predictable because they’re going around looking for berries and digging up roots.” So, if a bear sighting is what you’re hoping for, travel later and make sure your itinerary includes a stopover at a known salmon run like Wrangell’s Anan Creek Wildlife Viewing Site.
This, of course, is only a sampling of the endless things to discover in Alaska, a place so big, pristine and unpeopled that everywhere you turn you’ll be connecting with raw nature and bringing home memories and souvenirs that will last a lifetime.
Seeing the Southeast Alaska coastline via an expedition cruise is certainly a must for its glaciers, fjords and wildlife, but a driving tour will reveal treasures as well—things like the oft-photographed sign for the Arctic Circle on the Dalton Highway north of Fairbanks. No matter what, a trip to the Last Frontier will leave you changed, fulfilled and humbled.
