Planning a trip to Alaska

Insurance

Travelers from within the U.S. are often covered under their regular health insurance as long as they remain in the country. Take a minute to check your coverage, making sure it adequately covers emergency medical transportation and treatment, especially if you will be adventuring in remote areas. The cost of a medevac flight can easily be in the five figures. Check the coverage offered by your credit cards and, if necessary, buy a travel insurance policy to cover you just for the trip.

International visitors should certainly make health insurance arrangements before traveling to the U.S. Doctors and hospitals are expensive and often require proof of coverage before they render services (in an emergency, of course, you'll always get quick treatment, regardless of ability to pay). For advice on medical insurance while traveling, visit www.frommers.com/planning.

There are several kinds of travel insurance: for trip cancellation or interruption, for medical costs, and for lost or delayed luggage. Typically, they are sold together in a per-trip or annual comprehensive plan. Insurance for trip cancellation or interruption is a must if you have paid the large cash deposits demanded by many Alaska outfitters, fishing guides, wilderness lodges, package tour operators, and cruise companies. A premium of 5% to 7% of the cost of the trip is well worth the protection against the uncertainty of Alaska weather (most deposits are lost in case of weather delays or cancellations) or unexpected crises that might prevent you from being able to depart as planned. Interruption insurance will get you home under covered circumstances. Major insurers such as those listed below offer policy holders access to 24-hour phone assistance to help handle crises. Read the policy carefully to find out when you are covered. Purchase your travel insurance directly from an insurance company not with the trip operator holding your deposit.

Insurance on your baggage is included in most travel insurance plans. If not, consider the pros and cons of a separate policy. Your baggage is often covered under your homeowners' policy or credit card benefits, but read the fine print. If an airline loses or damages your bags, they are usually responsible for up to $2,500 per passenger on domestic flights or, on international flights, up to approximately $635 per checked bag, excluding expensive items such as jewelry and cameras. Good luck getting an airline to actually pay in a reasonable period of time, however, as it is notoriously difficult. Travel insurance companies pay faster. Various companies sell travel insurance online, including Travel Guard (tel. 800/826-1300; www.travelguard.com) and Access America (tel. 800/284-8300; www.accessamerica.com).

Or look for the best deal around by going to www.insuremytrip.com. The site allows travelers to get instant quotes from many insurance companies at once by providing the dates of the trip, amount and type of coverage, and ages of the travelers.

With rental cars, you face a whole different set of insurance considerations. Most of these are the same as renting a car anywhere. You are likely covered by your own auto policy or credit card issuer, but do check before traveling. If you are not covered, do buy it: The potential costs you face are even larger than having a crash at home, because they include the rental company's lost business.

One special Alaska consideration: Ask the reservation agent or check the rental contract for rules about driving on unpaved roads, such as the Dalton, Denali, or Steese highways. We've listed two companies in Fairbanks that rent for use on unpaved highways, and one in Anchorage; very few others allow it. Cars do get damaged on these roads, and you may be setting yourself up for a real headache if you violate the rental contract and that happens. There are alternatives if you want to drive the Copper River Highway from Cordova or the McCarthy Road in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park.

Sustainable Travel & Ecotourism

The Iditarod

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race -- a 1,150-mile run from Anchorage to Nome that takes place over 2 weeks in mid-March -- is the biggest event of Alaska's year, not only in terms of sports, but also culturally and as a unifying event. The race is big news -- TV anchors speculate on the mushers' strategies at the top of the evening news and break away live to cover the top finishers, regardless of the time of day or night. Schoolchildren plot the progress of their favorite teams on maps and over the Internet. Increasingly, the world is joining in. Visitors, especially Europeans, fill hotels in Anchorage and Nome for the Iditarod. Flight services drop spectators at remote checkpoints along the trail to see the mushers come through. It's a wonderful time of year to visit, with light skies, excellent late-season skiing, and winter festivals enlivening many towns. Nome goes crazy when the mushers hit. Even if the first team crosses the finish line at 3am in -30°F (-34°C) weather, a huge crowd turns out to congratulate the winner. And crowds keep turning out until the last competitor crosses the finish line.

Given all this, it's difficult to report objectively on the activities of animal rights opponents to the race, currently led by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). While PETA opposes all human use of animals, some mainstream animal welfare advocates also criticize the race. They charge that dogs can suffer and die on the trail and, while not racing, are inhumanely tethered in dog lots. Iditarod mushers insist that the dogs, which are worth thousands of dollars, receive veterinary care superior to the doctoring that most people get. Sick dogs have been evacuated from the trail by helicopter, and mushers who abuse dogs are kicked out of the sport.

However, harmful practices do occur in the lower ranks of mushing. For example, uncontrolled breeding by amateurs or careless professionals produces too many pups that end up being killed, and sled dogs can be tethered excessively or otherwise abused. Successful mushers -- including Iditarod competitors -- must give their dogs thorough exercise, as only that way can the animals perform as athletes, but there's no law limiting how many dogs an irresponsible musher or pet owner can acquire or how often they must be run.

Visitor Information

For Coupon Clippers

A coupon book called The Great Alaskan Tour Saver (tel. 907/278-7600; www.toursaver.com), which costs $100, is well worth the price if you plan on traveling as a couple, especially in the Southcentral region. The 130-plus coupons are two-for-one deals on some of the best activities, tours, train rides, flightseeing, fishing trips, and lodgings, valuable enough to pay for the book with just a couple of uses. Readers say they've saved a lot and it has become quite popular.

Calendar of Events

Here are some of the biggest community events of the year in Alaska's cities and towns. Event plans can change, so don't set up your vacation around any of these dates without checking for current details. Fishing derbies go on in almost every coastal town in the summer.

February

The Yukon Quest International Sled Dog Race (tel. 907/452-7954; www.yukonquest.com). Many mushers say this rugged 1,000-mile race is even tougher than the Iditarod. It runs between Fairbanks and Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, trading the direction each year. Starts February 4, 2012, in Whitehorse.

The Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Winter Festival (tel. 907/274-1177; www.furrondy.net). The citywide winter celebration includes community events, fireworks, craft fairs, dog-sled rides, and other fun.

March

The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (tel. 907/376-5155; www.iditarod.com). The world's most famous sled-dog race starts with fanfare from Anchorage; then the teams are loaded into trucks for the Iditarod Restart, north of the city, the real beginning of the race, where the historic gold-rush trail becomes continuous for the dogs' 1,000-mile run to Nome. The start and the finish in Nome are the biggest sporting and cultural events of Alaska's year, drawing world media attention and turning Nome into a huge party for a few days (they even play golf out on the sea ice). Along the way, visitors can stay in remote lodges and fly bush planes to see the checkpoints (with plenty of advance planning and a big budget). In 2012, the race starts March 3.

The Nenana Ice Classic (tel. 907/832-5446; www.nenanaakiceclassic.com), Nenana. This is a betting pool on the date of spring breakup that has happened every year for the last 9 decades. The kick-off is Tripod Days, when a "four-legged tripod" that will mark the ice going out on the Tanana River is erected during the first weekend in March, with a celebration of dance performances, dog mushing, and other activities. The ticket buyer who guesses the minute the tripod will move, usually about 2 months later, wins the jackpot, typically more than $300,000.

April

The Alaska Folk Festival (tel. 907/463-3316; www.alaskafolkfestival.org), Juneau. April 9 to April 15, 2012. This is a communitywide celebration, drawing musicians, whether on the bill or not, from all over the state.

May

The Kachemak Shorebird Festival (tel. 907/235-7740; www.homeralaska.org), Homer. The festival includes guided bird-watching hikes and boat excursions, natural-history workshops, art shows, performances, and other events. Early May.

Little Norway Festival (tel. 907/772-3646; www.petersburg.org), Petersburg. This festival celebrates the May 17, 1814, declaration of the independence of Norway from Sweden. The town has several days of community events. The festival takes place on the third full weekend in May.

Kodiak Crab Festival (tel. 907/486-5557), Kodiak. This Memorial Day weekend event is the town's biggest of the year, including fun events, the solemn blessing of the fleet, and a memorial service for lost fishermen and other mariners.

June

The Sitka Summer Music Festival (tel. 907/747-6774; www.sitkamusicfestival.org), Sitka. Since 1972, this chamber music series has drawn musicians from all over the world for most of June. Performances take place Tuesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, with other events all week, over 3 weeks in June.

Midnight Sun Baseball Game, Fairbanks. A century-old summer-solstice tradition: a game without artificial lights beginning at 10:30pm. The local semipro baseball team, the Alaska Goldpanners (tel. 907/451-0095; www.goldpanners.com), has hosted since 1960. June 21.

The Last Frontier Theater Conference (tel. 907/834-1614; www.pwscc.edu), Valdez. The conference brings playwrights and directors from all over the nation to the community for a week of seminars and performances. June 10 to June 16, 2012.

July

Independence Day. Most of the small towns in Alaska make a big deal of the Fourth of July. Seward always has a huge celebration, exploding with visitors, primarily from Anchorage. Besides the parade and many small-town festivities, the main attraction is the Mount Marathon Race, which goes from the middle of town straight up rocky Mount Marathon to its 3,022-foot peak and down again. Seldovia, Ketchikan, Skagway, and Juneau also have exceptional Fourth of July events.

The Southeast Alaska State Fair (tel. 907/766-2476; www.seakfair.org), Haines. Held for 4 days in late July, this is a regional small-town get-together and music festival, with exhibits, cooking, a logging show, a parade, and other entertainment.

August

The Alaska State Fair (tel. 907/745-4827; www.alaskastatefair.org), Palmer. The region's biggest event of the year is a typical state fair in some ways, but you won't see vegetables this large anywhere else. The good soil and long Valley days produce cabbages the size of beanbag chairs. Try to imagine a 19-pound carrot. Held the 12 days up to and including Labor Day.

October

Alaska Day Festival (tel. 907/747-8806), Sitka. Alaska Day, commemorating the Alaska purchase on October 18, 1867, is a big deal in this former Russian and U.S. territorial capital city. The festival lasts 4 days, with exact dates changing annually.

November

Sitka WhaleFest (tel. 907/747-7964; www.sitkawhalefest.org), Sitka. Over a weekend in early November, during the fall and early winter period when humpback whales congregate in Sitka Sound, experts from around the world present a 3-day symposium, and there are whale-watching tours, concerts, an art show, a run, and community events.

The Alaska Bald Eagle Festival (tel. 907/766-3094; www.baldeaglefestival.org), Haines. Five days of seminars and special events mark an annual congregation of 3,000 eagles near Haines. Mid-November.

December

Anchorage International Film Festival (www.anchoragefilmfestival.org). As many as a dozen screenings a day feature films from every corner of the world and include the obscure, the bizarre, and the profound. Two weeks beginning December 7, 2012.

Health & Safety

Crime & Emergency Services

Crime -- Sadly, crime rates are not low in Alaska's larger cities, although muggings are rare. Take the normal precautions you'd take at home. You're safe in daylight hours anywhere tourists commonly go, less so late at night leaving a bar or walking in a lonely place. Women need to be especially careful on their own, as Alaska has a disproportionately high rate of rape. The late-night sunlight can be deceiving -- just because it's light out doesn't mean it's safe. Sexual assaults occur in towns big and small. Women should never hitchhike alone. If you are a victim of a crime, you can reach police from almost anywhere by calling tel. 911.

Medical Emergencies -- You'll find modern, full-service hospitals in each of Alaska's larger cities, and even in some small towns that act as regional centers. There's some kind of clinic even in the smallest towns. Call those numbers, too, for referrals to a dentist or other health professional. In an emergency, call tel. 911.

If health is a particular concern, consider joining MedicAlert (tel. 800/ID-ALERT [432-5378]; www.medicalert.org) and wearing its engraved bracelet, which will inform emergency medical personnel of a primary preexisting medical condition and provide them with access to the organization's response center for your information on file, such as medications and emergency contacts. The cost is $40 for the first year, then $30 a year.

Outdoors Health & Safety

Avalanche -- When snow sliding down a mountain comes to a stop, it hardens to a consistency that only metal tools can dig through. No one should go into the snowy backcountry without training in avalanche avoidance and recovery equipment, including locator beacons, probes, and shovels. Go with a guide if you are unsure.

Bears & Other Wildlife -- Being eaten by a bear is probably the least likely way for your vacation to end. More people die from dog bites than bear attacks. But it's still wise to be prepared for bears and to know how to avoid being trampled by a moose, which can be fatal.

The first safety rule for bears is to avoid attracting them. Be tidy with your food and trash when you're camping, putting everything away in sealed containers. When backpacking, you can protect your food by hanging it from a long tree branch or, above the tree line, storing it in a bear-resistant canister (for rent or loan in Anchorage or at Denali or Wrangell-St. Elias National Park). Be careful not to spread food odors when you're cooking and cleaning up. Clean fish away from your campsite. Never keep food, pungent items, or clothing that smells like fish in your tent.

Make noise when walking through brush or thick trees to avoid surprising a bear or moose. Call out, sing, or carry on conversation. You might not scare a bear away this way, but at least you won't startle it. At all costs, avoid coming between a bear and its cubs or a bear and food (if a bear wants the fish you just caught, that's his food, too). Moose also are strongly defensive of their young, and a moose on its own can attack if it feels you're getting too close or if it previously has been stressed by contact with people or dogs. People are badly hurt every year trying to sneak by a moose on a trail. If you see a bear, stop, wave your arms, make noise, and, if you're with others, group together so you look larger to the bear. Avoid running, tempting the bear to chase (unless, of course, you can run a few steps to your car); depart by slowly backing away, at an angle if possible. If the bear follows, stop. Once in a great while, the bear may bluff a charge; even less often, it may attack. If you're attacked, fall and play dead, rolling into a ball facedown with your hands behind your neck. The bear should lose interest. In extremely rare instances, a bear may not lose interest because it's planning to make a meal of you. If this happens, fight back for all you're worth.

Many Alaskans carry a gun for protection in bear country, but that's not practical for visitors or for anyone not practiced in shooting. For most of us, a better alternative is a bear-deterrent spray. These are canisters that you fire to produce a burning fog of capsaicin pepper between you and a threatening bear. While less deadly than a gun, and with limited effectiveness in wind or rain, research shows they have a better overall track record against bear attacks than guns. You can't bring bear-deterrent spray on an airplane, even in your checked baggage, so if you fly, you will have to buy it on arrival and get rid of it before you leave, or ship it to yourself in Alaska. The product is easily available at Alaska sporting goods stores for about $45, or order direct from Counter Assault (tel. 800/695-3394; www.counterassault.com). Whatever brand you buy, get a large canister, as this is one product you definitely don't want to run out of -- sprays made for personal defense are not large enough. Also be sure to get a holster, as the spray is of no use buried in your backpack. If you do take a gun, it had better be a big one, such as a .300-Magnum rifle or 12-gauge shotgun loaded with slugs. No handgun is big enough to reliably stop a large bear bent on attacking.

Boating Safety -- Because of the cool temperatures, unpredictable weather, and cold water, going out on the ocean or floating a fast river is more hazardous in Alaska than in most other places, and you should go only with an experienced, licensed operator unless you know what you're doing. There's little margin for error if you fall into the water or capsize in this cold water. Always wear a life jacket. Always. If you do get wet, it is essential that you get warm and dry as soon as possible. The body temperature of a wet, cold person can easily sink so far he or she cannot get warm without external heating, a deadly condition called hypothermia. If you're sea kayaking or canoeing, always wear a life jacket, stay close to shore, and use rubberized dry bags (also called float bags) to pack everything you need to quickly warm a person who gets wet. Having a way to get help in an emergency is also important.

Dangerous Plants -- Two shrubs common in Alaska can cause skin irritation, but there is nothing as bad as poison ivy or poison oak. Cow parsnip, also called pushki, is a large-leafed plant growing primarily in open areas, up to shoulder height by late summer, with white flowers. The celerylike stalks break easily, and the sap is highly allergenic for some people and has the quality of intensifying the burning power of the sun on skin for everyone. Wash it off quickly to avoid a rash or blisters. Never burn cow parsnip, as the smoke can be toxic. Devil's Club, a more obviously dangerous plant, grows on steep slopes and has ferocious spines that can pierce through clothing and cause infections. Also, don't eat anything you can't positively identify, as there are deadly poisonous mushrooms and plants.

Drinking Water -- Unpurified river or lake water may not be safe to drink. Hand-held filters available from sporting-goods stores for around $75 are the most practical way of dealing with the problem. Iodine kits and boiling also work. The danger is a protozoan cyst called Giardia lamblia, which causes diarrhea and is present in thousands of water bodies all over the United States. If symptoms show up after you get home, tell your doctor you may have been exposed so that you can get tested and cured.

Getting Lost/Wilderness Communications -- Even experienced people get lost outdoors. Hiking off trail or voyaging in a canoe, raft, or kayak, you quickly find that one mountain looks a lot like another. If you are unsure of your navigational skills, maps, or equipment, don't go. Beyond those basics, the most important safety precautions are to go with another person and to make sure someone knows where to look for you if you don't come back. For extended trips (more than a dayhike), leave a written trip plan with a person who will call rescuers if you are late. At the very least, leave a note in your car indicating where you are bound. Cellphones sometimes work near towns and highways, but not reliably, and there is little coverage beyond populated areas.

For serious outdoors people, technology can add an extra safety backup outdoors. Personal locator beacons with built-in GPS are the state-of-the-art solution. A range of units are available for $300 to $650 from outdoor and marine suppliers.

It is also possible to rent an Iridium satellite phone that will fairly reliably work outdoors anywhere on earth, but you need to know where you are and whom to call at all times. A good rental firm is RoadPost (tel. 888/290-1616 or 905/272-5665; www.roadpost.com), based in Canada. Prices start at $9 a day, $1.80 a minute, plus a $30 delivery fee. The phone arrives with all needed accessories in an express package, which contains a prepaid return envelope to send it back.

Hypothermia -- A potentially fatal lowering of core body temperature can sneak up on you. It's most dangerous when you don't realize how cold you are, perhaps in 50°F (10°C) weather on a damp mountain hike or rainy boating trip. Dress in material (whether wool or synthetic) that keeps its warmth when wet, choosing layers to avoid chilling perspiration. Eating well and avoiding exhaustion also are important. Among the symptoms of hypothermia are cold extremities, being uncommunicative, displaying poor judgment or coordination, and sleepiness. A shivering victim still has the ability to warm up if better dressed; a lack of shivering means the body has gone beyond that point and warmth must be added from the outside or from warm drinks. Get indoors, force hot liquids on the victim (except if not fully conscious, which could cause choking), and, if shelter is unavailable, apply body heat from another person, skin on skin, in a sleeping bag.

Insect Bites -- The good news is that Alaska has no snakes or poisonous spiders. The bad news is that Alaska makes up for it with mosquitoes and other biting insects. West Nile virus has not arrived here, so the mosquitoes are not dangerous, but they can ruin a trip. Effective insect repellent is a necessity, as is having a place where you can get away from them. We use shirts with hoods of netting when the bugs are at their worst. Mosquitoes can bite through light fabric close to the skin, which is one reason why people in the Bush wear heavy, baggy Carhart pants and jackets (made of canvas) even on the hottest days. Benadryl tablets or other antihistamines will often relieve swelling caused by mosquito bites.

River Crossings -- Hiking in Alaska's backcountry often requires crossing rivers without bridges. Use great caution: It's easy to get in trouble. Often the water is glacial melt, barely above freezing, and heavy with silt that makes it opaque. The silt can fill your pockets and drag you down. If in doubt, don't do it. If you do decide to cross, unbuckle your pack, keep your shoes on, face upstream, use a heavy walking stick if possible, and rig a safety line. Children should go in the eddy behind a larger person or be carried.

Seasickness -- Most summertime visits to Alaska involve boat rides for fishing or sightseeing. Seasickness probably ruins more of these outings than any other cause. Avoid seasickness by abstaining from alcohol the night before, eating a light breakfast, limiting coffee, and sitting low and near the middle of the boat, away from odors and with your eyes on the horizon -- no reading. While some swear by home remedies such as ginger or acupressure, the most reliable treatment is the scopolamine skin patch, available only by prescription, which lasts up to 3 days. The main choices for over-the-counter drugs are meclizine (brand names Bonine, Antivert, or Dramamine II) and dimenhydrinate (original Dramamine). Both are drowsiness-inducing antihistamines, but there's less of that side effect with the newer meclizine. To be effective, the drugs need at least 2 hours to get through your digestive system, so you must take the pill well before you get on the boat. For best effectiveness, take a tablet before bed and another on the morning of the outing. If you've taken nothing and feel yourself getting seasick, there is a last-minute cure that sometimes works: Chew up the tablets but don't swallow them, holding the mush under your tongue or against your cheek. The drug is partly absorbed through the lining of the mouth.

Shellfish -- Don't eat mussels, clams, or scallops you pick or dig from the seashore unless you know they're safe to eat. Generally, that means you need some specific and reliable local knowledge. There is a government program to ensure that commercial shellfish areas are safe, but the only easily accessible beaches it affects are on the eastern shore of Kachemak Bay. The risk is paralytic shellfish poisoning, a potentially fatal malady caused by a naturally occurring toxin. It can cause total paralysis that includes your breathing. A victim may be kept alive with mouth-to-mouth resuscitation until medical help is obtained. For more information, check the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation website at www.dec.state.ak.us/eh/fss/seafood/psphome.htm, or go to www.alaska.gov and search for "PSP").

Driving Safety

Road Reports -- The Alaska Department of Transportation has centralized highway reports with a handy toll-free phone and Internet system (tel. 511; http://511.alaska.gov). Even in dry summer conditions, it is worthwhile to make the call or check the site before heading on an intercity drive, because road construction can cause long delays -- at times, workers will close a major highway overnight for work. In winter, checking on conditions is a safety essential. Here are more seasonal tips.

Summer -- Alaska's highways are two lanes except close to Anchorage and Fairbanks. Keep your headlights on all the time to help oncoming vehicles see you. Drivers are required to pull over at the next pullout whenever five or more cars are trailing them on a two-lane highway, regardless of how fast they're going. This saves the lives of people who otherwise will try to pass. When passing a truck going the other way on a gravel highway, slow down or stop and pull as far as possible to the side of the road to avoid losing your windshield to a flying rock. Always think about the path of rocks you're kicking up toward others' vehicles. Make sure you've got a good, full-size spare tire and jack if you're driving a gravel highway. For remote driving, bring along a first-aid kit, emergency food, a tow rope, and jumper cables, and keep your gas tank full.

Winter -- Drivers on Alaska's highways in winter should be prepared for cold-weather emergencies far from help. Take all the items listed for rural summer driving, plus a flashlight, matches, and materials to light a fire; chains, a shovel, and an ice scraper. A camp stove to make hot beverages is also a good idea. If you're driving a remote highway (such as the Alaska Hwy.) between December and March, take along gear adequate to keep you safe from the cold even if you have to wait overnight with a dead car at -40°F (-40°C). Never drive a road marked CLOSED or UNMAINTAINED IN WINTER. Even on maintained rural roads, other vehicles rarely come by in winter. All Alaska roads are icy all winter. Studded tires are a necessity. Also, never leave your car's engine stopped for more than 4 hours in temperatures of -10°F (-23°C) or colder. Virtually all vehicles in Alaska have electrical head-bolt heaters installed to keep the engine warm overnight; you'll find electrical outlets everywhere in cold Interior Alaska areas.

Entry Requirements & Customs

Passports

For information, contact the following agencies:

For Residents of Australia -- Contact the Australian Passport Information Service at tel. 131-232, or visit www.passports.gov.au.

For Residents of Canada -- Contact the central Passport Office, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Ottawa, ON K1A 0G3 (tel. 800/567-6868; www.ppt.gc.ca).

For Residents of Ireland -- Contact the Passport Office, Setanta Centre, Molesworth Street, Dublin 2 (tel. 01/671-1633; www.foreignaffairs.gov.ie).

For Residents of New Zealand -- Contact the Passports Office, Department of Internal Affairs, 47 Boulcott St., Wellington, 6011 (tel. 0800/225-050 in New Zealand, or 04/474-8100; www.passports.govt.nz).

For Residents of the United Kingdom -- Visit your nearest passport office, major post office, or travel agency, or contact the Identity and Passport Service (IPS), 89 Eccleston Sq., London, SW1V 1PN (tel. 0300/222-0000; www.ips.gov.uk).

For Residents of the United States -- To find your regional passport office, check the U.S. State Department website (http://travel.state.gov/passport) or call the National Passport Information Center (tel. 877/487-2778) for automated information.

Visas

The U.S. State Department has a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allowing citizens of the following countries to enter the United States without a visa for stays of up to 90 days: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. (Note: This list was accurate at press time; for the most up-to-date list of countries in the VWP, consult http://travel.state.gov/visa.) Even though a visa isn't necessary, in an effort to help U.S. officials check travelers against terror watch lists before they arrive at U.S. borders, visitors from VWP countries must register online through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) before boarding a plane or a boat to the U.S. Travelers must complete an electronic application providing basic personal and travel eligibility information. The Department of Homeland Security recommends filling out the form at least 3 days before traveling. Authorizations will be valid for up to 2 years or until the traveler's passport expires, whichever comes first. Currently, there is a $14 fee for the online application. Existing ESTA registrations remain valid through their expiration dates. Note: Any passport issued on or after October 26, 2006, by a VWP country must be an e-Passport for VWP travelers to be eligible to enter the U.S. without a visa. Citizens of these nations also need to present a round-trip air or cruise ticket upon arrival. E-Passports contain computer chips capable of storing biometric information, such as the required digital photograph of the holder. If your passport doesn't have this feature, you can still travel without a visa if the valid passport was issued before October 26, 2005, and includes a machine-readable zone; or if the valid passport was issued between October 26, 2005, and October 25, 2006, and includes a digital photograph. For more information, go to http://travel.state.gov/visa. Canadian citizens may enter the United States without visas but will need to show passports and proof of residence.

Citizens of all other countries must have (1) a valid passport that expires at least 6 months later than the scheduled end of their visit to the U.S.; and (2) a tourist visa.

Australian citizens can obtain up-to-date visa information from the U.S. Embassy Canberra, Moonah Place, Yarralumla, ACT 2600 (tel. 02/6214-5600), or by checking the U.S. Diplomatic Mission's website at http://canberra.usembassy.gov/consular.

British subjects can obtain up-to-date visa information by calling the U.S. Embassy Visa Information Line (tel. 0891/200-290) or by visiting the "Visas to the U.S." section of the American Embassy London's website at www.usembassy.org.uk.

Irish citizens can obtain up-to-date visa information through the U.S. Embassy Dublin, 42 Elgin Rd., Ballsbridge, Dublin 4 (tel. 353/1-668-8777; http://dublin.usembassy.gov).

Citizens of New Zealand can obtain up-to-date visa information by contacting the U.S. Embassy New Zealand, 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington (tel. 644/472-2068; http://newzealand.usembassy.gov).

Customs

What Foreign Visitors Can Bring In -- Personal effects, which are items you use yourself, such as clothing, cameras, and fishing rods, are exempt from duties. In addition, every visitor over 21 years of age may bring in the following without paying duties: 1 liter of wine, beer, or hard liquor; 200 cigarettes, or 50 cigars for your own use and another 100 as gifts (but not from Cuba), or 2 kilograms (4.4 lb.) of smoking tobacco; and $100 worth of gifts. To claim these exemptions, you must spend at least 72 hours in the United States and cannot have claimed them within the preceding 6 months. The duty on goods exceeding these exemptions is 3% of the value on the first $1,000 (the flat rate); above that amount, it depends on the item. The flat rate applies only to items for your own use or gifts and can be used only once in 30 days. Importation of most raw food and plant material is prohibited or requires a special license. Foreign visitors may bring in or take out up to $10,000 in U.S. or foreign currency, traveler's checks, securities, and so on, with no formalities; larger sums must be declared to U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) on entering or leaving, and paperwork must be filed. For more information, consult CBP's website (www.cbp.gov), contact a U.S. consulate or embassy, or call CBP officials in Anchorage (tel. 907/271-6855).

Don't think about bringing firearms into the United States except for a hunting trip. Unless you are a U.S. citizen or permanent resident alien, you cannot bring in, buy, or even possess a gun without a permit from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (tel. 304/616-4550; www.atf.gov); these take up to 2 months to process (the application, Form 6NIA, is on the ATF website: www.atf.gov/forms/download/atf-f-5330-3d.pdf). The application must be accompanied by a valid hunting license (there are a few narrow exceptions, such as athletes involved in shooting competitions or visitors carrying certain invitations to qualifying events).

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game (tel. 907/465-6085; www.alaska.gov/adfg) sells hunting licenses to nonresident aliens for $300 (tags are that much or more); however, aliens can hunt only with a registered guide. First find the guide, then let him or her help with all the paperwork, but start many months in advance and be ready to pay.

Taking Home Wildlife Products -- Authentic Alaska Native art and crafts made from protected marine mammals are perfectly legal to buy and own under U.S. and Alaska law, even though possessing marine mammal parts is not legal for non-Natives. Alaska Natives have used these materials for thousands of years, and their subsistence harvest is not a danger to the species. But some individual states have more restrictive laws (you may want to check), and generally marine-mammal products you buy made of any threatened or endangered species cannot be taken out of the country unless they're at least 100 years old. To leave the United States, including going through Canada, you will need a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declaration form (Form 3-177), and you may also need a wildlife export permit recognized by the Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species, known as CITES. These permits can be complicated to obtain and take 60 to 90 days for processing. For international visitors, the most practical advice is simply to avoid buying anything made from marine mammals or any other species requiring a CITES permit, including brown or black bear, wolf, lynx, bobcat, or river otter. Before you buy an item, make sure you can legally take it home, then have the shop mail it to you insured, and have them take care of the paperwork. If you carry it with you in your baggage or mail it yourself, perhaps because you bought it from someone who can't handle the paperwork, you'll need to get your own permits and clearance from Fish and Wildlife. For information, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in Anchorage (tel. 907/271-6198; alaska.fws.gov/law). Foreign visitors exporting wildlife may need to contact the agency's Division of Management Authority in Washington, D.C. (tel. 800/358-2104; http://international.fws.gov), regarding permit requirements.

When to Go

Alaska's vastness means the seasons change at different times in various parts of the state, and as a result, sports and cultural activities take place at different times in different places.

Climate & Seasons

The weather in Alaska can be extreme and unpredictable. The state is the first to get whatever Arctic Siberia or the void of the North Pacific have to throw at North America. The extremes of recorded temperatures are a high of 100°F (38°C) and low of -80°F (-62°C). At any time of year, your vacation could be enlivened by weeks of unbroken sunny weather or weighed down by weeks of unbroken rain. All you can do is play the averages, hope for the best, and if you do get bad weather, get out and have fun anyway -- that's what Alaskans do.

June, July & August -- Summer in Alaska is a miraculous time, when the sun refuses to set, the salmon run upriver, and people are energized by limitless daylight. The sun dips below the horizon in Anchorage for only about 4 hours on June 21, the longest day of the year, and the sky is light all night. Weather gets warmer, although how warm depends on where you go. June is the driest of the summer months, July the warmest, and August generally the rainiest month of the brief summer, but warmer than June. In most respects, June is the best summer month to make a visit, but it does have some drawbacks to consider: In the Arctic, snow can linger until mid-June; in Southcentral Alaska, trails at high elevations or in the shade may be too muddy or snowy; it's too early for prime wildlife viewing, and not all activities or facilities at Denali National Park open until late June. It's also the worst time for mosquitoes.

Summer is also the season of high prices. Most operators in the tourism industry have only these 90 days to make their year's income, and they charge whatever the market will bear. July is the absolute peak of the tourist season, when you must book well ahead and when crowds are most prevalent. Before June 15 and after August 15, the flow of visitors relaxes, providing occasional bargains and more elbowroom. Real off-season prices show up before Memorial Day and after Labor Day. But the length and intensity of the visitor season varies widely in different areas: In cruise-ship ports, it's busy from chilly early May into stormy October.

May & September -- More and more visitors are coming to Alaska during these "shoulder months" to take advantage of the lower prices, reduced crowds, and special beauty.

May is the drier of the 2 months, but as you travel farther north and earlier in the month, your chances of finding cold, mud, and even snow increase. In Alaska, there is no spring -- the melt of snow and resultant seas of mud are called breakup. Flowers show up with the start of summer. Many outdoor activities aren't possible during breakup, which can extend well into May. Except in cruise-ship towns, most tourist-oriented activities and facilities are still closed before May 15, and a few don't open until Memorial Day or June 1. Where visitor facilities are open, they often have significantly lower prices. The very earliest salmon runs start in May, but for a fishing-oriented trip, it's better to come later in the summer. Cruise ships begin calling May 1, and the towns they visit swing into action when they arrive.

Sometime between late August and mid-September, weather patterns change, bringing clouds, frequent rainstorms, and cooling weather, and signaling the trees and tundra to turn bright, vivid colors. For a week or two (what week it is depends on your latitude), the bright yellow birches of the boreal forest and the rich red of the heathery tundra can make September the loveliest time of year. Most tourist-oriented businesses stay open, with lower prices, until September 15, except in the Arctic. After September 15, it's potluck. Some areas close up tight, but the silver salmon fishing is still active on the Kenai Peninsula, and the season there continues until the end of the month. A lucky visitor can come in September and hit a month of crisp, sunny, perfect weather, and have the state relatively to him- or herself. Or it can be cold and rainy all month.

October, November, April -- From Southcentral Alaska northward, snow and ice arrive sometime in October; in Southeast Alaska, these are the months of cold, unending rain. Winter starts in November, but you can't count on being able to do winter sports, and darkness is prevalent as the year's shortest day approaches. April is a month of waiting, as winter sports come to an end and summer activities are blocked by melt and mud (although spring skiing can still be great in high-snow years). In-town activities are down in these months, too; with few visitors, many facilities are closed.

December Through March -- Winter is the whole point of Alaska. This is the time to see the aurora borealis. Communities get busy with activities such as sled-dog and snowmobile races; theater, music, and other performing arts; ice-carving competitions and winter carnivals; and all the rest of the real local culture that takes a break in the summer, when most visitors come. If you enjoy winter and its outdoor activities, an Alaska visit is paradise, with superb downhill, cross-country, and backcountry skiing; snowshoeing; snowmobiling; dog mushing; ice-skating -- anything that can be done on snow and ice.

By far the best time to come is late winter, February and March, when the sun is up longer and winter activities hit their peak. Anchorage's Fur Rendezvous is in late February; the Iditarod Sled Dog Race is in early March. Visiting in late March could mean thin snow at lower elevations for cross-country skiing, but downhill skiing and skiing at backcountry locations keep going strong. At Alyeska Resort, south of Anchorage, skiing is still active in April, and upper-mountain skiing sometimes extends beyond Memorial Day if there is enough interest. In Homer, you can cross-country ski and go salmon fishing on the same day in March. In Southeast Alaska, you might hit weeks of cold and clear weather.

Escorted & Package Tours

Hundreds of thousands of visitors come to Alaska each year on escorted package tours, leaving virtually all their travel arrangements in the hands of a single company that takes responsibility for ushering them through the state for a single, lump-sum fee. Many others cut the apron strings and explore Alaska on their own, in the process discovering a more relaxed, spontaneous experience. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages, of course, and which way you choose to visit depends on how you value those pros and cons.

An escorted package tour provides security. You'll know in advance how much everything will cost, you don't have to worry about making hotel and ground-transportation reservations, you're guaranteed to see the highlights of each town you visit, and you'll have someone telling you what you're looking at. Often a package price saves money over traveling at the same level of comfort independently. If there are weather delays or other travel problems, it's the tour company's problem, not yours. Everything happens on schedule, and you never have to touch your baggage other than to unpack. If you sometimes feel like you're a member of a herd on an escorted tour, you'll also meet new people, a big advantage if you're traveling on your own. Many passengers on these trips are retired, over age 65.

If you're short on time, escorted package tours make the most of it, as they often travel at an exhausting pace. Passengers get up early and cover a lot of ground, with sights and activities scheduled solidly through the day. Stops last only long enough to get a taste of what the sight is about, not to dig in and learn about a place you're especially interested in. On an escorted trip, you'll meet few, if any, Alaska residents, since most tour companies hire college students from "Outside" (a term Alaskans use to refer to anyplace other than Alaska) to fill summer jobs. You'll stay in only the largest hotels and eat in the largest, tourist-oriented restaurants -- no small, quaint places loaded with local character. For visiting wilderness, such as Denali National Park, the quick and superficial approach can, in my opinion, spoil the whole point of going to a destination that's about an experience, not just seeing a particular object or place.

It's also possible for an independent traveler to obtain some of the predictability a package tour provides. You can reserve accommodations and activities and control your expenses by using a good travel agent experienced in Alaska travel. Some even offer fixed-price itineraries that allow you to travel on your own. But independent travelers never have the complete security of those on group tours. Once you're on the road, you'll be on your own to take care of the details, and weather delays and other cancellations can confound the best-laid plans. If you can't relax and enjoy a trip knowing unforeseen difficulties could happen, then an escorted package tour is the way to go.

Large Tour Companies

A single cruise-ship company, Carnival, dominates the Alaska package-tour market operating under various brands. The "vertically integrated" operations allow the company to take care of everything you do while in Alaska with tight quality control. Holland America and Princess, both owned by Carnival, developed independently as the primary competitors in Alaska and still offer different brands, although the quality level is similar and the facilities are often in direct competition. With either, you can buy tours as short as a couple of hours or sign up for your whole vacation. All can be booked directly or through any travel agent. Other cruise lines also offer land tours, but typically only for their own passengers. If you will cruise to Alaska and want to add an escorted land tour, check for deals with your own cruise line first.

Independent Travel Planning

With this guide, you can book everything yourself, but for a long trip, it can get quite complicated to keep track of all the dates and deposits. If you're using a trusted travel agency to make trip arrangements, our reviews can help you make informed decisions. Read through the book, make your selections, and approach the agent with as detailed a plan as possible, derived from your own research. Then let the agent make the bookings you have chosen. Most agents who don't specialize in Alaska are aware of only the biggest attractions and best-marketed companies. Another option is to use a travel agency or trip planner based in Alaska. They'll know much more about the place and can help you more in picking out what you want to do.

Unfortunately, there are cautions to be offered in using the agencies. They work on commission, which means they're being paid by the establishments you're buying from. A good agent will disregard the size of the commission and really look out for you, but we've encountered too many visitors on poorly planned itineraries not to advise caution. Some travel agents book visitors on trips to far-flung corners of the state in quick succession, so they wind up staying only briefly in expensive places and then zoom off somewhere else, all with little concern for the visitors' true interests. Your best defense is to do enough research that you can actively participate in the planning.

Here we've gathered the names of some agencies that book Alaska trips. Expect to pay booking fees and to have the agent collect commissions from the businesses you use. Our knowledge of these agencies is limited to contacting them as a journalist, so a mention here is no guarantee; however, all of these have been around for several years, and we remove agencies from the list when we receive justified complaints.

Fast Facts

Alaskan Scheduled Flying Services -- Companies include Air Excursions (www.airexcursions.com), Bering Air (www.beringair.com), Era Alaska (www.flyera.com), Promech Air (www.promechair.com), and Wings of Alaska (www.ichoosewings.com).

Area Codes -- All of Alaska is in area code 907. In the Yukon Territory, the area code is 867. When placing a toll call within the state, you must dial 1, the area code, and the number.

Automobile Organizations -- Motor clubs will supply maps, suggested routes, guidebooks, accident and bail-bond insurance, and emergency road service. The American Automobile Association (AAA) is the major auto club in the United States. If you belong to a motor club in your home country, inquire about AAA reciprocity before you leave. You may be able to join AAA even if you're not a member of a reciprocal club; to inquire, call AAA (tel. 800/222-4357; www.aaa.com). AAA has a nationwide emergency road service telephone number (tel. 800/AAA-HELP [222-4357]).

Business Hours -- In the larger cities, major grocery stores are open until late at night and carry a wide range of products (even fishing gear) in addition to food. At a minimum, stores are open Monday through Friday from 10am to 6pm and on Saturday afternoon, and are closed on Sunday, but many are open much longer hours, especially in summer. Banks may close an hour earlier, and if open on Saturday, hours may be short.

Car Rentals -- Some small towns have only local car-rental agencies.

Drinking Laws -- The minimum drinking age in Alaska is 21; ID is often checked, even for the elderly, and in many places every single customer making a purchase in a liquor store must show identification. Most restaurants sell beer and wine, while some have full bars that serve hard liquor as well. Packaged alcohol, beer, and wine are sold only in licensed stores, not in grocery stores, but these are common and are open long hours every day. Under state law, bars don't have to close until 5am, but many communities have an earlier closing, generally around 2am. Open containers of alcohol are not allowed in your car or, with few exceptions, in any public place outside a bar or restaurant. Don't even think about driving while intoxicated, which in Alaska carries mandatory 3-day jail time for the first offense. More than 100 rural communities have laws prohibiting the importation and possession of alcohol (this is known as being "dry") or prohibiting the sale but not possession of alcohol (known as being "damp"). Before flying into a Native village with alcohol, ask about the law or check a list online (go to www.dps.state.ak.us/abc and click on "Dry/Damp Communities"). Bootlegging is a serious crime, and serious bad manners, in Alaska Native communities that are trying to address the damage of alcohol abuse.

Electricity -- As in Canada, the United States uses 110-120 volts AC (60 cycles), compared to 220-240 volts AC (50 cycles) in most of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. Downward converters that change 220-240 volts to 110-120 volts are difficult to find in the United States, so bring one with you.

Embassies & Consulates -- The following nations have consulates in Anchorage: Canada, 310 K St., Ste. 220 (tel. 907/264-6734; www.anchorage.gc.ca); Japan, 3601 C St., Ste. 1300 (tel. 907/562-8424; www.anchorage.us.emb-japan.go.jp); Korea, 800 E. Dimond Blvd., Ste. 3-695 (tel. 907/339-7955; http://usa-anchorage.mofat.go.kr/eng/am/usa-anchorage/main/index.jsp); and Mexico, 610 C St., Ste. A 7 (tel. 907/334-9573).

All embassies are in the nation's capital. If your country isn't listed below, call for directory information in Washington, D.C. (tel. 202/555-1212), or check www.embassy.org/embassies.

The embassy of Australia is at 1601 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20036 (tel. 202/797-3000; http://australia.visahq.com). Consulates are in New York, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, and San Francisco.

The embassy of Canada is at 501 Pennsylvania Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20001 (tel. 202/682-1740; www.canadainternational.gc.ca/washington). Other Canadian consulates are in Buffalo (New York), Detroit, Los Angeles, New York, and Seattle.

The embassy of Ireland is at 2234 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202/462-3939; www.embassyofireland.org). Irish consulates are in Boston, Chicago, New York, San Francisco, and other cities. See website for complete listing.

The embassy of New Zealand is at 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202/328-4800; www.nzembassy.com). New Zealand consulates are in Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and Seattle.

The embassy of the United Kingdom is at 3100 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20008 (tel. 202/588-6500; http://ukinusa.fco.gov.uk). Other British consulates are in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle.

Emergencies -- Generally, you can call tel. 911 for medical, police, or fire emergencies. On remote highways, there sometimes are gaps in 911 coverage. If you can find a phone, dialing 0 will generally get an operator who can connect you to emergency services.

Gasoline -- The cost of gasoline changes too quickly to list in this guide. You can find national and state price averages updated online daily at www.fuelgaugereport.com. Prices in Alaska range from a bit over the national average in Anchorage to much higher in rural areas, where they could be double or more. As elsewhere in the U.S., taxes are already included in the price quoted or on the pump. One U.S. gallon equals 3.8 liters or .85 imperial gallons. Fill-up locations are known as gas or service stations.

Legal Aid -- If you are "pulled over" for a minor infraction (such as speeding), never attempt to pay the fine directly to a police officer; this could be construed as attempted bribery, a much more serious crime. Pay fines by mail or directly into the hands of the clerk of the court. If accused of a more serious offense, say and do nothing before consulting a lawyer; tell the police you want an attorney. Here the burden is on the state to prove a person's guilt beyond a reasonable doubt, and everyone has the right to remain silent, whether he or she is suspected of a crime or actually arrested. Once arrested, a person can make one telephone call to a party of his or her choice. International visitors should call your embassy or consulate.

Mail -- At press time, domestic postage rates were 28¢ for a postcard and 44¢ for a letter. For international mail, a first-class letter of up to 1 ounce costs 98¢ (75¢ to Canada and 79¢ to Mexico); a first-class postcard costs the same as a letter. For more information, go to www.usps.com and click on "Calculate Postage."

You can receive mail addressed to you at "General Delivery" at the post office. Always include zip codes when mailing items in the U.S. If you don't know your zip code, visit www.usps.com/zip4.

Maps -- For most of the popular areas, there are excellent trail maps published by Trails Illustrated, part of National Geographic (tel. 800/962-1643; www.natgeomaps.com). They're sold in park visitor centers, too. The maps are printed on plastic, so they don't get spoiled by rain; however, they don't cover the whole state. For detailed topographic maps covering all of Alaska, the U.S. Geological Service is still the only place to go. Their map sales office in Anchorage (a fascinating place for anyone interested in cartography) is on the campus of Alaska Pacific University, the Earth Science Information Center, at 4230 University Dr. (tel. 907/786-7011; http://alaska.usgs.gov/science/esic/index.php).

Newspapers & Magazines -- The state's largest newspaper is the Anchorage Daily News; you can find its content and a lot of information useful for visitors at www.adn.com. Seattle newspapers and USA Today are often available.

Police -- Dial tel. 911 in an emergency. Nonemergency phone numbers for local police departments are listed throughout the guide.

Smoking -- In Alaska's cities, smoking is prohibited in most indoor public places. In Anchorage and Juneau, smoking is prohibited even in bars. Smoking is more common in small towns, where rules are usually less strict, but virtually all hotels and B&Bs are smoke-free, so ask about smoking areas when you book your room if this is a concern.

Taxes -- Alaska imposes no state sales tax, but most local governments have a sales tax and a bed tax on accommodations. All prices and rates are listed without tax unless otherwise noted. The United States has no value-added tax (VAT) or other indirect tax at the national level.

Time -- Although the state naturally spans five time zones, in the 1980s, Alaska's middle time zone was stretched so almost the entire state would lie all in one zone, known as Alaska Standard Time (AST). It's 1 hour earlier than the U.S. West Coast's Pacific Time, 4 hours earlier than Eastern Standard Time. Crossing over the border from Alaska to Canada adds an hour and puts you at the same time as the West Coast. The balance of the continental United States is divided into four time zones: Eastern Standard Time (EST), Central Standard Time (CST), Mountain Standard Time (MST), and Pacific Standard Time (PST). When it's 8am in Anchorage, it is 9am in Los Angeles (PST), 10am in Denver (MST), 11am in Chicago (CST), noon in New York City (EST), 5pm in London (GMT), and 2am the next day in Sydney.

As with almost everywhere else in the United States, daylight saving time is in effect from 1am on the second Sunday in March (turn your clocks ahead 1 hr.) until 1am on the first Sunday in November (turn clocks back again).

Tipping -- Tips make up a major part of the compensation for many service workers. To leave no tip in a restaurant is socially unacceptable and leaves your server unpaid. To leave a small tip is a powerful indication of displeasure for bad service; to leave no tip suggests you don't know any better. In restaurants, bars, and nightclubs, tip your server 15% to 20% of the check, depending on the quality of service. Tip checkroom attendants $1 per garment, and tip valet-parking attendants $1 each time you get your car. Tipping is not expected in cafeterias or fast-food restaurants where you order at a counter. In hotels, tip bellhops $1 per bag and tip the housekeeper at least $1 to $2 per day. Tip cab drivers 15% of the fare, and tip hairdressers and barbers 15% to 20%. Do not tip gas-station attendants and ushers at movies and theaters.

Toilets -- You won't find public toilets, or "restrooms," on the streets in most U.S. cities, but they can be found in hotel lobbies, bars, restaurants, museums, department stores, railway and bus stations, and service stations. Large hotels and fast-food restaurants are often the best bet for clean facilities. It can be a long way between any toilets on rural Alaskan highways.

Staying Connected

Telephones

By-the-minute cards are often the least expensive way to call home for international visitors. They are sold in grocery stores and convenience stores. Local calls made from public pay phones usually cost 25¢, but in Alaska, you usually can't find one. The dominant phone company is trying to do away with them. Most long-distance and international calls can be dialed directly from any phone. For calls within the United States and to Canada, dial 1 followed by the area code and the seven-digit number. For other international calls, dial 011 followed by the country code, city code, and number you are calling. Calls to area codes 800, 888, 877, and 866 are toll-free but won't work from outside the U.S. and Canada, and occasionally won't work from outside Alaska. For local directory assistance ("information"), dial 411; for long-distance information, dial 1, then the appropriate area code and 555-1212.

The least expensive way to call internationally is by Skype.com and other voice-over-Internet services, which work anywhere you have your computer and a broadband connection, but connection speed is spotty in places.

Cellphones

Pretty much every town that can be reached by road or ferry has cellular voice coverage, as well as some of the paved highways. That means the great majority of the people are covered and the great majority of the land is not. The largest provider is an Alaska company called ACS, which posts maps of its coverage area at www.acsalaska.com (click on "Wireless").

Using the Internet on the Road

If you decide to bring your laptop, you'll find that many hotels and even B&Bs have wireless Internet access for guests, usually for free, and there are numerous other free hotspots all over the state. If you leave the computer at home, you can stop in at an Internet cafe or the public library when you want to log on. Alaskans are the most Internet-connected population in the country, and there is access even in tiny villages where people live largely by hunting and gathering, so you can always count on finding a way of getting online with a little effort. Coverage for wireless Internet technology, such as your BlackBerry or iPhone, is not universal, but the devices should work in the larger towns. Voice cellular coverage has spread to smaller communities, but even that remains spotty or nonexistent beyond city limits. Check on roaming with your own provider.

Money

Alaska is an expensive destination any way you slice it. For the sake of consistency, regular rates are used throughout the book, but keep in mind that when tourism drops drastically, it is easy to negotiate breaks.

With the exception of rural highway motels, rack rates for standard motel rooms are rarely less than $140 in the high season. (We've rated them this way: inexpensive, less than $135; moderate, $135-$174; expensive, $175-$250; very expensive, more than $250.) Airfare from Seattle to Anchorage fluctuates wildly with competition among the airlines and fuel prices, with a round-trip with 14-day advance purchase currently about $600. (Flying is cheaper than the alternatives, driving or taking the ferry and bus.) Flights from Anchorage to Bush communities are that much again, and more. Even the train is expensive, with a one-way fare from Anchorage to Fairbanks (a 350-mile trip) costing $210. A couple ordering a good salmon dinner, appetizers, and wine will pay at least $100 in a fine restaurant, plus tip. One reason cruise ships have become such a popular way to visit Alaska is that, for the same quality level, they're less expensive on a daily basis than independent travel and offer the chance to see remote coastal areas that can be quite costly to get to for land-based visitors.

To travel at a standard American comfort level, a couple should allow $175 per person, per day, for room and board. The cost of an activity such as flightseeing, wildlife cruises, or guided fishing is typically $100 to $350 per person. Add ground transportation: A car is the best way to see much of the state, and you won't do much better than $55 a day for an economy model from the major national firms. Weekly rentals generally cost the same as renting for 5 individual days. You also may need train and ferry tickets.

You can trim your costs, however, by cutting your demands. You'll learn more about the real Alaska staying in B&B accommodations than in a standard hotel room. Expect to pay $100 to $125 for a nice room with a shared bathroom, $125 to $150 for a private bathroom (much more in a luxury B&B inn). The free breakfast cuts down on food costs, too. And there are plenty of family restaurants where you can eat a modest dinner for two for $50, with a tip and a glass of beer. Traveling in that style will bring down the cost of room and board to about $115 per person, per day for a couple.

You can save the most money by giving up a private room every night and cooking some of your own meals. Camping is a fun way to see Alaska and costs only $10 to $20 a night in state and federal government campgrounds. Hostels are available in most towns for around $25 a night.

Don't economize, however, when it comes to activities. Unlike other destinations, where relatively inexpensive museums or an interesting street scene take up much of your time, a trip to Alaska is all about getting outside and seeing nature. You can hike for nothing, but going sea kayaking, whale-watching, or flying out to see bears or to fish in a remote stream, you have to pay. Cut those expenses, and you cut much of the reason for coming in the first place.

You can save on activities, however, by traveling in the shoulder season, before and after the peak summer season. Hotel and guided activity prices drop significantly, typically 25% or more. May and September are solidly in the shoulder season, and sometimes you get bargains as late as June 15 or as early as August 15. Traveling in the winter is a whole different experience but certainly saves a lot of money -- where hotels are open, you'll find their rates typically running a third to a half lower than their high-season levels.

Carrying your money need not be a problem, regardless of your style of travel; those from the United States don't need to make any adjustments in their usual habits. Even Bush hub communities now have ATMs. The only places that don't usually have ATMs these days are remote outdoor destinations such as lodges or parks and tiny Native villages.

Every business you'd expect to take credit, charge, or debit cards at home will accept them here. Even bed-and-breakfasts and greasy-spoon diners take cards. Few businesses of any kind will take an out-of-state personal check. Traveler's checks are good just about anywhere, but there's no longer any reason to go through the hassle and expense.

Special-Interest Vacations

Make Yourself Useful -- You don't have to see Alaska only as an observer -- you can be a participant. The Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race (tel. 907/376-5155; www.iditarod.com), the 1,000-mile trek from Anchorage to Nome in March, uses volunteers at the start and finish and, for those who work their way up through the ranks, in the remote villages along the way. Visitors can be part of it, and become a part of the real Alaska, contributing only their time and travel to the state. Find the application on the website and act early; they get more volunteers than they can use. Other races and events also use volunteers but don't have a formal program like the Iditarod's.

Two facilities dedicated to study and rehabilitation of wildlife also take volunteers. You might not end up working directly with the creatures, but you can work behind the scenes and get much closer than a casual visitor -- while contributing to a good cause.

In Seward, the Alaska SeaLife Center (tel. 888/378-2525; www.alaskasealife.org) studies, exhibits, and heals marine mammals, birds, and other wildlife and makes extensive use of volunteers.

The Alaska Raptor Center in Sitka (tel. 800/643-9425; www.alaskaraptor.org) takes in injured eagles, owls, and other birds of prey and nurses them back to health in an impressive facility set along a rainforest stream. Volunteers work side-by-side with staff doing everything from selling T-shirts to working with birds.

Tips on Shopping

Native Art: Finding the Real Thing

Good estimates of the amount of counterfeit Alaska Native art sold annually don't exist, but authorities have put it close to $100 million. That's money taken from Alaska Bush economies where jobs in the cash economy are virtually nonexistent and prices for essentials such as fuel and housing are astronomical. Buying fake Native art is cultural and financial theft from subsistence hunters and fishermen who can least afford it.

You can avoid being scammed if you pay attention. Ask questions before you buy. Any reputable art dealer will provide you with a biography of the artist who created an expensive work. Ask specifically if that artist actually carved the piece: Some Native artists have sold their names and designs to wholesalers who produce knockoffs. Price is a tip-off. An elaborate mask is more likely to cost $1,000 than $100. Another indicator is the choice of materials; most soapstone carvings are not made in Alaska. Even relatively inexpensive craftwork should bear the name of the person who made it, and the shop owner should be able to tell you how he or she acquired the item.

Another caution, for international visitors: Do not buy products made from marine mammals, such as walrus ivory, whale bone, or seal skin. Except for antiques, export of these materials is illegal. (You may need a permit to export other wildlife items as well.)

The Alaska State Council on the Arts (tel. 907/269-6610) authenticates Native arts and crafts with a silver hand label, which assures you it was made by the hands of an Alaska Native with Alaskan materials. But the program isn't universally used, so the absence of the label doesn't mean the work definitely isn't authentic. Other labels aren't worth much: An item could say ALASKA MADE even if only insignificant assembly work happened here. Of course, in Bush Alaska and in some urban shops, you can buy authentic work directly from craftspeople. Buying in Native-owned co-ops is also safe.

Another program covers any item made within the state, both Native and non-Native. The logo of a mother bear and cub (www.madeinalaska.org) indicates that a state contractor has determined that the product was made in Alaska, when possible with Alaskan materials. Non-Natives produce Alaskan crafts of ceramics, wood, or fabric, but not plastic -- if it's plastic, it probably wasn't made here. Again, price is an indicator: As with anywhere else in the United States, the cheapest products come from Asia.

You can learn about and buy authentic work from the Alaska Native Arts Foundation, a nonprofit with online shopping at www.alaskanativearts.org and a brick-and-mortar gallery in Anchorage. Sealaska Heritage Foundation offers a nonprofit website selling work by Southeast Alaska Natives at www.alaskanativeartists.com. Even if you don't buy anything from these sites, taking a look will give you an idea of what real Native art looks like and how much it should cost, so you can be a better shopper when you get to Alaska.

Getting There

By Plane

Carriers -- Anchorage (ANC) is Alaska's main entrance and is served by numerous major carriers from the rest of the United States. A few flights arrive in Anchorage from Japan, Korea, or Germany, but the vast majority of international travelers arrive in the U.S. in another major city in the contiguous states and then take a domestic flight to Anchorage. It's also possible to fly into Fairbanks or Southeast Alaska. Most passengers come into Anchorage through Seattle, but for a bit more, you can fly nonstop to Anchorage from various major cities. There are far more choices in summer than in winter. Alaska Airlines (tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com) has more flights than all other airlines combined, with as many as 20 nonstops a day from Seattle in summer and daily summer nonstops from many cities around the country. Alaska Airlines is the only jet carrier with more than token coverage anywhere in the state other than Anchorage and has arrangements with commuter lines that fan out from its network to smaller communities.

Fares -- Fares vary wildly, especially in these days of economic instability and changing fuel costs. It's almost always cheapest to change planes in Seattle due to the competition on the Seattle-Anchorage route. Watching for sales can pay off. Summer sales sometimes hit in April. If you can make a last-minute decision, check for Web specials on the Alaska Airlines website and other airline sites, as there sometimes are bargains to be had you can't get any other way.

Bush Pilots -- To fly to a roadless village, or to fly between most towns without returning to a hub, you will take a small, prop-driven plane with an Alaska bush pilot at the controls. Small air taxis also charter to fishing sites, lodges, remote cabins, or anywhere else you want to go -- even a sandbar in the middle of a river. An authentic Alaskan adventure can be had by taking a bush mail plane round-trip to a village and back. The ticket price is generally less than a flightseeing trip, and you'll have at least a brief chance to look around a Native village, although don't expect to find any visitor facilities without making arrangements in advance. It's cost effective to take these flights from towns that are relatively close to surrounding villages: Kodiak, Homer, Fairbanks, Nome, Kotzebue, and Barrow fit the bill. You will need to do some research, and not on the Internet; find the name of a local flight service that carries mail from the town visitor center, then call and explain what you have in mind. And wait for good weather.

The Cheapest Way to Alaska -- Flying remains the cheapest and by far the simplest way to get to Alaska. Take other means only for the adventure, not for the savings. Round-trip train, ferry, and bus fare between Seattle and Anchorage costs considerably more than a good airfare between the same cities. Driving is expensive, too, when you count rooms, food, and wear and tear on your vehicle.

By Ship

The most popular way to get to Alaska is on a cruise ship.

For an affordable, independent trip by sea, with a chance to stop as long as you like along the way, take the Alaska Marine Highway System (tel. 800/642-0066; www.ferryalaska.com). It's our favorite form of public transportation. The big blue, white, and gold ferries ply the Inside Passage from Bellingham, Washington, and Prince Rupert, B.C., to the towns of Southeast Alaska, with road links to the rest of the state at Haines and Skagway. In summer, a ferry runs once or twice a month from that system across the Gulf of Alaska to the central part of the state. From there, smaller ferries connect towns in Prince William Sound and the Kenai Peninsula to Kodiak Island and the Aleutian Archipelago.

By Rail

You can't get to Alaska by train, but you can get close. From the west coast of the U.S., you can take Amtrak's Cascades train (tel. 800/USA-RAIL [872-7245]; www.amtrak.com) to Bellingham, Washington; the dock for the Alaska ferry is quite close to the railroad station. From the east, it makes more sense to use Canada's Via Rail (tel. 888/VIA-RAIL [842-7245]; www.viarail.ca). The transcontinental route starts all the way back in Toronto; you change in Jasper to end up in Prince Rupert, B.C., where you can catch the Alaska ferry north.

By Car

Time & Distance -- We have included a description of the roads and average speeds you can expect. Divide the distance you plan to drive by the expected speed to get the time it will take. Add some time for stops. For paved highways, you can count on averaging 50 mph. On some roads, you can go faster than 50, but you can't often drive at freeway speeds on these two-lane highways. Even when the surface is smooth -- not always a given -- the roads aren't designed for high speeds and are often clogged in summer with lumbering RVs. Besides, you need to be on the lookout for moose; hit one of those at 75 mph, and you both die.

Driving to Alaska -- Driving from any of the other states to Alaska is a great adventure, but it requires thousands of miles on the road and plenty of time. Allow at least a week each way. By car, Anchorage is 2,250 miles from Seattle and 3,400 miles from Los Angeles. By comparison, New York to L.A. is 2,800 miles. Traveling at an average of 50 mph, few vacationers will want to cover more than 500 or 600 miles a day, and that's a long day of nothing but driving. On such a plan, Seattle is 4 or 5 days from Anchorage without breaks.

Some of the 1,400-mile Alaska Highway is dull, but there are spectacular sections of the route, too, and few experiences give you a better feel for the size and personality of Alaska (and B.C. and Yukon). Putting your car on the ferry cuts the length of the trip considerably but raises the cost; you could rent a car for 2 weeks for the same price as carrying an economy car on the ferry one-way from Bellingham to Haines. The Milepost (Morris Communications) contains good maps and mile-by-mile logs of all Alaska highways and Canadian approaches.

The Rental Option -- Renting a car is the easiest way to see the Interior and Southcentral parts of the state. All the major national car-rental companies are represented in Anchorage, as well as many local operators, which may have lower prices for older cars. In smaller cities and towns, there is always at least one agency; the town descriptions throughout this guide provide details on firms in each. Base rates for major rental companies are in the range of $55 a day for an economy car. Weekly rentals equate roughly to 5 days' cost.

One-way rentals between Alaska towns are an attractive way to travel, but you generally pay steep drop-off charges, so a more popular plan is to fly into and out of Anchorage or Fairbanks and pick up and return the car there. A popular circular route from Anchorage or Fairbanks is through Denali and Fairbanks (or Anchorage) on the Parks Highway and back on the Richardson and Glenn highways. An Anchorage circle is to Valdez by ferry from Whittier and back on another part of the Richardson Highway and the Glenn Highway. When comparison shopping for a car, consider taxes and fees, which can add 40% in Anchorage. Avoiding the fees can pay for an extra flight leg to start your trip in a community with lower car-rental taxes.

Here's a little-known tip for saving money if you want to use ground travel to get to Alaska. Avis car rental needs to get cars back from Haines and Skagway to Anchorage and Fairbanks in the fall. Take the ferry to those towns and rent after August 25, and the Alaska Avis franchise will charge a drop-off fee of only $50 (plus the daily rental). Find the special on the local website: www.avisalaska.com.

By RV

Touring Alaska in an RV makes a good deal of sense. The home on wheels offers spontaneity by freeing you from hotel reservations, and it gets you out of town and into the countryside, closer to the natural Alaska most visitors come for. At the same time, an RV is more comfortable than a tent in cool, unpredictable weather conditions.

Many retirees drive to Alaska in their motor homes, park the RV by a salmon stream, and spend the summer fishing. Sounds nice, but for most of the rest of us, with limited time, it makes more sense to rent an RV after flying to Alaska. Rental agencies are listed in Skagway and Anchorage. Unless you have a large family, an RV rental saves little over traveling with a rental car, staying in hotels, and eating in restaurants (RVs rent for around $1,500 a week, plus gas and possibly mileage charges), so you make this choice to gain advantages, not avoid costs.

Alaska Highway Cruises (tel. 800/323-5757; www.bestofalaskatravel.com) offer the unique option of traveling one-way on a Holland America cruise ship, then picking up an RV for a land tour. You can choose a package that ends up back at Seattle by road or by air. The tours follow set itineraries with reservations along the way -- the service is designed for first-time Alaska travelers and RV drivers who don't want to worry about the details -- so some spontaneity is sacrificed. You get the security and simplicity of a package without being marched around in a group or cooped up in hotels. A cruise of a week followed by a week-long tour costs around $2,300 per person, double occupancy. There are various discounts, including for third and fourth passengers. Simple one-way RV rentals to Alaska are available, too, with, for example, an added drop-off fee of $1,000 to $1,200 between Seattle and Anchorage.