Alaska's popularity as a summer destination continued its fast growth in 2005 and is likely to continue in 2006. For visitors, the thriving tourism industry means you should reserve well ahead for the busiest destinations and for unique lodgings and activities. It also means construction and investment in new facilities is happening at a fast pace. A factory in Anchorage is spending the winter prefabricating yet another huge hotel for the entrance area at Denali National Park. Big cruise lines, that bring the majority of visitors to the park, have consolidated many of the existing properties. Additional hotel construction has happened in the cities, as well. However, the smaller, independently owned places, which have more character -- the places I concentrate on in the book -- are always in shorter supply, and that's why I advise booking early.
The warming of the North due to global climate change has been widely reported in the media, and a lot of visitors now ask what that means for them. (I've written a book on climate change in the Arctic, which you can learn about on my website at www.wohlforth.net. I also answer reader questions on the site.) The summers of 2004 and 2005 were both exceptionally hot and sunny with forest fire activity far beyond normal. The warm weather is good for summer travelers, while the pall of smoke is bad. The areas most affected are the Interior, around Fairbanks and up and down the highways, but Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula can get hit, too. Southeast Alaska and most coastal communities get little smoke. It's hard to offer advice on when to come to avoid smoke, but there are traditional patterns: fire season usually starts sometime in June and ends when the fall rains come by mid-August. However, recent fires haven't followed the old patterns because of climate change. This year's fire season started extremely early and didn't stop when it usually does.
For travelers considering a visit this winter, I can report excellent news: plenty of snow and cold weather so far in Southcentral and Interior Alaska (the Southeast is drowning under record rains). The skiing is exceptional and lake skating is getting underway. Knock on wood!
For several years now I've had to report that the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry System was in constant, unpredictable change. Our previous governor, Tony Knowles, enacted an ambitious modernization and restructuring plan for the ferry system. Our current governor, Frank Murkowski, doesn't seem to like that plan and keeps changing elements of the system, experimenting with different routes and schedules, and generally making users mad. Even at the late date that I am writing this, it's impossible to predict what service will be available on certain routes: fast ferries or traditional ferries, frequency, and so on. At the moment, the system is running a 30% off sale to make up for the confusion. The website at www.ferryalaska.com has comprehensive information, but sometimes is not updated with last minute changes. For that, call tel. 800-642-0066.
Here's a super-handy website for travelers who carry their laptop computers: www.toursaver.com/alaska-wireless.php. The page, updated frequently by travel consultant Scott McMurren, who sells a popular travel coupon book, lists dozens of free wireless hotspots around the state. There's no reason to pay to get on line.
Southeast
Want to start a lively discussion? Ask any local about Ketchikan's "Bridge to Nowhere," which briefly put the town on the map when a federal funding allocation for the span became a national laughingstock (thanks Jon Stewart!). The bridge would link the town with Gravina Island, where the airport is located -- not exactly "Nowhere," but still a questionable expenditure of $315 million since you can get there now on a five-minute ferry ride. To halt the bad publicity, Congress cut the project designation from their funding bill, but not the funding itself. At this writing, a feeding frenzy is getting underway among state politicians drooling over the money.
In Ketchikan, the remodeling and expansion of the Best Western Landings hotel (tel. 800/428-8304 or 907/225-5166; www.landinghotel.com) is looking good and should be completed in time for the summer season. Also, there's a great new coffee house in Ketchikan roasting its own beans and baking its own treats: Refiners Roast Coffee, on Dock Street near the library.
The earth-shattering news in Juneau is that the Fiddlehead Restaurant and Bakery has closed. An institution dating to the 1970s, the Fiddlehead was once Alaska's most famous restaurant. New ownership emphasized the up-scale DiSopra Restaurant in the same building and locals stopped frequenting the Fiddlehead as much as they had in former years. Plans to reopen the Fiddlehead have been announced, but at this writing have not yet come to pass. Two new Asian restaurants downtown get rave reviews from Juneauvians, although I've tried neither as yet: Mongolian Grill at 2nd and Seward and Kenny's Wok at 1st and Main.
A company under new ownership is offering bike tours and rental in Juneau now, Cycle Alaska (tel. 907/780-2253; www.cycleak.com). Bikes make good sense for transportation in Juneau. Formerly, the only rental choices were the old bikes from the Driftwood Lodge Motel, so this is an improvement.
Southcentral
Check out the new Bridge in Anchorage -- no, not the infamous second "Bridge to Nowhere," a $600-million-plus route to undeveloped wilderness across Knik Arm from Anchorage -- but a terrific new restaurant that occupies an old wooden bridge near downtown. The Bridge, at 221 W. Ship Creek Rd., (tel. 907/677-6771) has a beautiful dining room over the water of Ship Creek, a short walk downhill from the main downtown area. The bridge itself carried traffic years ago, and then became a hokey gold mining tourist attraction, until most recently becoming this very fashionable restaurant. The cuisine is European and Asian fusion and, although a little uneven in its earliest days, is often top-notch.
The Interior
Fairbanks opened a new railroad depot and the University of Alaska Museum of the North (tel. 907/474-7505; www.uaf.edu/museum) inaugurated its spectacular expansion. The latter, however, opened without being complete. Curators promise everything will be ready by the time summer visitors arrive.
Outside of town, the Ice Hotel at Chena Hot Springs Resort (tel. 800/478-4681; www.chenahotsprings.com) was re-engineered and continues to stand in its frozen state.
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