Just returned from Alaska. I must say it's the most beautiful place I've ever seen. Denali and the surrounding area is really beautiful. Although, the best way to see Alaska is to stay away from tours and plan it out yourself. Nothing worse than having an moment to yourself and have a huge tour bus drive up or whiz by. I went for two weeks and it wasn't nearly enough time. You could literally spend a year exploring that place. I encourage anyone to go. Like I said though, stay of the beaten path. Go hike, camp and stay away from the tourist traps for a real experience. Oh, and wear your "bear bell" lol. Not that it will do you much good.

Please take seancarr54's advice to heart - he is so right. While Alaska is so unbelievable that even a tour is worthwhile, doing it on your own is much better. I was in AK for 10.5 months in 2005 on a work assignment, and felt bad for visitors who for example would get to Denali Nat'l Park via a tour on a cloudy day, and be forced to depart for Fairbanks the next day (which might be sunny); had they not been a 'tour group' pawn they could have experienced so much more on their own. Even the Inside Passage can be visited 'on your own terms' by using the Alaska Marine Highway system instead of Princess, Holland America, or Royal Caribbean.

I travelled to Alaska August 2006 with Princess Cruise, it was a cruise/land tour. It rained the entire time on the cruise and not much better on the land tour. Travelling to Anchorage by train we had to get off due to the heavy rains and travelled the rest of the trip by bus. The next day in Anchorage, we a hail storm. We travelled with a group of 14 so of course we had a lot of fun, but we never saw any animials during our 9 hour trip to Denali National Park. We agree stay away from tours.

Alaska is the newest and the biggest of the 50 United States. With mountain ranges, deep forests, rugged hills, expansive glaciers, and hidden lakes, it is also one of the most scenic and untouched regions on the continent. Many towns have preserved Native and Russian cultures as well. Visitors come to Alaska from all over the world to find appealing attractions and activities.