Adventuring In Alaska

Features hiking, skiing, paddling, biking, and more New and substantially revised trips with all new full-color photos and maps throughout Emphasis on traverses and loop trips for both summer and winter, always with simpler and shorter options Originally published in 1972, the classic guide known as 55 Ways to the Wilderness in Southcentral Alaska has been fully updated and reinvented as Alaska Adventure 55 Ways. This robust reboot covers a diverse range of activities for year-round fun, from quick day trips to adventures that could extend to a week or longer, including canoe trails, wilderness cabins, easy summits, forest walks, cross-country ski routes, summer mountain biking and winter fat bike trails, wild skating, and more. John Wolfe Jr. and Rebecca Wolfe, a father-daughter team, describe activities spanning the broad swath of Southcentral Alaska, 300 miles north to south and 350 miles east to west. The guide features activities on the lakes and peaks of the Kenai Peninsula, the Anchorage front range, the Matanuska and Susitna Valleys, and the Copper River basin, taking in Chugach and Denali State Parks, Chugach National Forest, Kenai Fjords and Wrangell St. Elias National Parks, several wildlife refuges, and portions of the Iditarod National Historic Trail. With an emphasis on adventures regular people can enjoy and destinations that don’t require highly technical skills, expensive flights to remote locations, or demanding levels of athletic fitness, this guide appeals to all ages, with family-friendly shorter options and trip extensions adding up to more than a hundred "ways" to adventure.

For fans of Cheryl Strayed, the gripping story of a biologist's human-powered journey from the Pacific Northwest to the Arctic to rediscover her love of birds, nature, and adventure. During graduate school, as she conducted experiments on the peculiarly misshapen beaks of chickadees, ornithologist Caroline Van Hemert began to feel stifled in the isolated, sterile environment of the lab. Worried that she was losing her passion for the scientific research she once loved, she was compelled to experience wildness again, to be guided by the sounds of birds and to follow the trails of animals. In March of 2012, she and her husband set off on a 4,000-mile wilderness journey from the Pacific rainforest to the Alaskan Arctic, traveling by rowboat, ski, foot, raft, and canoe. Together, they survived harrowing dangers while also experiencing incredible moments of joy and grace -- migrating birds silhouetted against the moon, the steamy breath of caribou, and the bond that comes from sharing such experiences. A unique blend of science, adventure, and personal narrative, The Sun is a Compass explores the bounds of the physical body and the tenuousness of life in the company of the creatures who make their homes in the wildest places left in North America. Inspiring and beautifully written, this love letter to nature is a lyrical testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Winner of the 2019 Banff Mountain Book Competition: Adventure Travel

This colourful guide lists all the road routes in Alaska with recommended dirt road excursions past mines, mountains and streams. The book includes ideal itineraries, the most interesting side roads, and great places to sleep, eat, and get off your bike to sightsee.

"A staple for paddlers.... [The Packraft Handbook has] now become the bible for outdoor recreators taking their inflatable rafts into the backcountry." ― Anchorage Daily News 2021 National Outdoor Book Award Winner in Outdoor Adventure Guides 2022 Banff Mountain Book Competition Guidebook Winner Alaska-based author is a leading expert on wilderness travel Emphasis on skill progression and safety applies to wide range of outdoor water recreation Vibrant illustrations and photos inform and inspire The Packraft Handbook is a comprehensive guide to packrafting, with a strong emphasis on skill progression and safety. Readers will learn to maneuver through river features and open water, mitigate risk with trip planning and boat control, and how to react when things go wrong. Beginners will find everything they need to know to get started--from packraft care to proper paddling position as well as what to wear and how to communicate. Illustrated for visual learners and featuring stunning photography, The Packraft Handbook has something to offer all packrafters and other whitewater sports enthusiasts.

This is the second book in Jeff Corwin's young middle-grade fiction series, which shows kids that no matter where you live, you can have fun discovering the plants, animals, and natural life around you.

The premier guide to outdoor activities in one of the world's great, unspoiled regions. This book is designed for independent, nature-oriented travelers of all ages, updated and filled with indispensable advice and insider tips as well as the latest information on where to stay, what to see, and how to get there. Maps. Illustrations. 34 photos.

The author has worked to answer all your questions about travel and recreation in a state so remote. This guide attempts to target your interests and save you time, money, and effort so that nothing is wasted during your trip. Because Alaska is so big and your options so varied, the guide is organized so you can zero in on the activity or activities that appeal to you most. Thirteen chapters focus solely on adventure travel, each devoted to a single activity. The five regional chapters that follow focus primarily on the basics in a given area of the state: getting around, shopping, lodging, dining, and entertainment. Once you've chosen the adventure of your dreams, you can go to the appropriate regional chapter to get the scoop on the best places in the vicinity to stay, eat, buy gear, rent a car, and learn about local culture and history. Outdoor travelers also are likely independent travelers. A multitude of companies offer exciting-sounding jaunts to scenic places all over the state, but many of these outfits work only with tour providers, such as cruise-ship operators, to obtain large numbers of clients per trip--thus excluding people who wish to travel on their own. In this guide, all our listings are available to independent travelers as well as those in tour groups. The objective is not to provide the most information about destinations or attractions, but, rather, the most useful information. The guide is opinionated, and for good reason. Any destination or outfitter listed here has made the cut by proving itself a wonderful place to visit or a reliable company with which to do business. If, for example, you want to learn more about sea kayaking in Alaska, you will not be supplied with every operation in the business--and believe us, there are many of them competing for your dollars. What you will get is a select assortment of those we consider best, and why. After all, isn't the point of a guidebook to help you make the most informed choices?

At the Fairbanks International Airport's main terminal, we went to the ticket counter to pay for our plane trip. The young lady working asked us if we were going to Lake Minchumina for trophy fishing. She continued to tell us that a lot of people go there for the big fish. I made the mistake of telling her that we were going on a hike to the federal land settlement area to find land to stake a claim. Her mouth said nothing, but her eyes screamed "crazy person." I resisted the urge to try and explain further because it was obvious her mind was made up. I said no more and walked away with my dignity (somewhat) intact.