5 Best Places to Visit in Alaska While Cruising

If you love snow and admire the enchanting view of nature, Alaska is the perfect cruise destination for you. Although most individuals consider Alaska a snowy field, it has many other things to offer. The vast wilderness, multiple glaciers, hiking trails, and incredible mountains are perfect seafaring destinations. Besides, if you are a photographer or love exploring nature, you will find the best places to visit in Alaska.

There are multiple destinations that can captivate a traveler within a short time. However, top places to visit in Alaska on a cruise are provided below.

Five Best places to visit in Alaska on a cruise

1. Juneau

Juneau is the capital city of the state of Alaska and is the second-largest city in the US by area. This city is surrounded by scintillating green landscapes and mountains. Juneau is the home of the Alaska State Museum, and travelers can experience the Inuit culture by visiting the city. Travelers can also explore to discover new eateries, shops and other interesting places. Juneau has its own glacier, the Mendenhall Glacier, which travelers can easily access. Besides these, this city is teeming with wildlife and provides myriad opportunities for outdoor activities.

2. Hubbard Glacier

Hubbard Glacier is North America's largest tidewater glacier, measuring 76 meters in length and 7 miles in width. This ultramarine, colored lake has attracted tourists for years and is nicknamed ‘Galloping Glacier’ due to its rapidly advancing ice margin.

3. Ketchikan

Ketchikan, the world's salmon capital, is a place for fishing lovers. This place is situated at the banks of Tongass Narrows and is nicknamed Alaska’s ‘First City’. Here you can go on an adventure on a fishing boat and taste the local fish delicacies to learn their way of life. A swarming waterfront, hiking trails that make way towards the forest, and delicious cuisines make this place a perfect destination for Alaskan travelers.

Also read: What is the best time to see the Northern Lights in Alaska?

4. Sitka

Although there are relatively fewer stops compared to other counterparts, a visit here is worth it. This place is ornamented with onion-domed cathedrals, breath taking views of Mount Edgecumbe and a dormant volcano. Numerous picturesque hiking trails make Sitka one of the best places to visit on an Alaska cruise.

5. Glacier Bay National Park

Out of all other places in Alaska, this one is remarkable and one of the favourites’ among cruisers. You can witness fjords, glaciers, streams and rivers here. Glacier Bay National Park is probably the best place on Earth to witness ice calving. You can find multiple seawater glaciers, and if you have never seen whales, this is undoubtedly one of the best places for that as well.

Besides this list of best places to see on an Alaska cruise, you can also consider other places, such as –

• Kenai Fjords
• Denali National Park
• Mendenhall Glacier
• Harvard Glacier
• Seward
• Petersburg
• Tracy Arm Inlet
• Skagway
• Icy Strait Point
• Inside Passage
• Chichagof Island
• Baranof Island
• Brothers Islands

The best time to go to Alaska on a cruise is between May and September. Conventionally, July and August attract the highest number of tourists, as during this time the temperatures are on the higher side and days are usually sunnier.

But, if you are aiming to see the northern lights, September might be the perfect time as the nights are generally darker during this time, providing maximum chances to view the northern lights. The entire viewing season of northern light is from March to September. To witness Aurora Borealis, Fairbanks is an ideal place, and travelers flock there to get a view of it.

So, Alaska is a one-stop destination for glaciers, mountains, food and everything an explorer can ask for. You can shortlist your favorites from this list of the best places to visit in Alaska on a cruise.