Alaska Railroad Scenic Rail Tours departs from 411 W. First Ave. Narrated sightseeing tours are offered northward between Anchorage and Fairbanks with stops at Wasilla, Talkeetna and Denali National Park and Preserve. Southbound trips from Anchorage to Whittier follow the Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet and stop at Girdwood and Portage. Domed cars with glass-covered viewing platforms allow for 180-degree views. Excursions and connections to air, rail and boat tours also are available.

Alaska Zoo is 7.5 mi. s. on SR 1 (Seward Hwy.), then 2 mi. e. on O'Malley Rd.; a shuttle provides transportation from some local hotels. The grounds encompass a 20-acre wooded home to arctic, subarctic and Alaskan native animals, including Amur (Siberian) tigers, black and polar bears, seals, snow leopards, Tibetan yaks and wolves. Visitors may interact with selected animals during 90-minute Guided Encounter and 2-hour Discovery tours. The Animal Encounter program allows visitors to work with animal handlers as they clean, feed and train the animals. Picnicking is permitted.

Anchorage, on a high bluff enfolded by the two branches of Cook Inlet, lies as far west as the Hawaiian Islands and as far north as Helsinki, Finland. The tides in the inlet rise from 30 to 33 feet, and the surrounding mountains loom several thousand feet overhead. The protective mountain barrier and the proximity of the ocean afford Anchorage a surprisingly moderate climate, relative to most of Alaska.

Era Helicopters Flightseeing Tours is at 1 Glacier Way. The company offers a narrated, 50-minute aerial tour of North America's highest mountain, Mount McKinley, as well as 75-minute glacier landing tours. Four-hour heli-hiking excursions also are available. Caribous, moose and Dall sheep can be seen in the valleys. Free transportation is provided from area hotels.

Fairbanks, near the geographical center of Alaska, is a major visitor center and the northern terminus of the Alaska Railroad. The military, transportation and market nucleus of the Alaskan interior, Fairbanks is a supply point for arctic oil operations and a departure point for airlines statewide.

Riverboat Discovery, departing from a pier on Discovery Rd. off Airport Way, provides 3.5-hour trips on the Chena and Tanana rivers aboard the stern-wheeler Discovery III. Guides discuss area wildlife, history, anthropology, geology and customs. Views vary from wilderness to elegant houses, and the trip includes a guided walking tour of the Chena Indian village.

DESCRIPTION: Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Float Trips, on Sawmill Rd., pass through the Bald Eagle Preserve on the Chilkat River and offer views of the Chilkat Mountains and bald eagles in their natural habitat. Transportation to and from the river is provided. Bring warm clothes, binoculars, camera, sunglasses and rain gear. Inquire about weather policies.

Haines lies in a spectacular setting on the Chilkat Peninsula near the northern end of Lynn Canal between the waters of the Inside Passage and the Chilkat River. The Alaska Marine Highway links Haines with Prince Rupert, British Columbia, and Bellingham, Wash., and enables visitors to connect with the Alaska Highway at Haines Junction, Milepost 1016, via SRs 7 and 4. For information about the Alaska Marine Highway phone (907) 766-2111 or (800) 642-0066 , ext. 9604.

Homer Pennock landed a party of gold and coal prospectors in the schooner Excelsior in 1896 and established Homer. Gold was not found, but an abundance of coal was and the settlement remained. Healthy fishing and tourism industries support Homer's economy. Kachemak Bay, a 30-mile arm of lower Cook Inlet, provides a usually ice-free deepwater harbor for Homer.

Juneau, Alaska's capital city, lies along the beautiful Gastineau Channel at the foot of snowcapped mounts Roberts and Juneau. The borough of Juneau covers 3,108 square miles of towering mountains, islands, saltwater bays, forested valleys and residential flatlands. Its road system extends from Thane, 6 miles southeast of downtown, northwest to Echo Cove at Milepost 40.2 on the Glacier Highway. The city is accessible by air or by sea.

DESCRIPTION: Macaulay Salmon Hatchery, 2697 Channel Dr., hatches more than 122 million salmon eggs annually, including chum, coho and king. The hatchery features many exhibits and saltwater aquariums that contain live adult salmon and more than 100 species of southeast Alaska sea life. Guided tours are available. Allow 30 minutes minimum.

DESCRIPTION: Mendenhall Glacier Transport Ltd., departing from the cruise ship dock downtown, provides sightseeing excursions of Juneau by bus. The tour stops at the Chapel by the Lake and Mendenhall Glacier. Other tours are available.

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DESCRIPTION: Mount Roberts Tramway, 490 S. Franklin St. on the cruise ship dock, offers a 6-minute ride to the 1,800-foot level of Mount Roberts. At the top, visitors can stop at the nature center, see a live bald eagle displayed by the Juneau Raptor Center, take wildlife or nature walks and view the spectacular scenery. “Seeing Daylight,” a movie about Alaska's native Tlingit, is presented in the Chilkat Theater. Food is available. Allow 1 hour, 30 minutes minimum.

DESCRIPTION: Deer Mountain Tribal Hatchery and Eagle Center, .5 mi. n.e. at 1158 Salmon Rd. across the bridge from the Totem Heritage Center, raises king (chinook) and coho (silver) salmon, and steelhead and rainbow trout. Bald eagles also are featured in a landscaped enclosure. Allow 30 minutes minimum.

Alaska's southernmost city sits on stilts at the base of the Tongass National Forest. On Revillagigedo Island, separated from the mainland by Behm Canal, Ketchikan claims to be the salmon capital of the world. An average annual rainfall of 156 to 162 inches makes it the wettest community in North America. The city's economic base relies on fishing, canning, mineral exploration, tourism and logging and cold-storage operations.

DESCRIPTION: Saxman Native Village, 2.5 mi. s. on S. Tongass Hwy., is a Tlingit (KLINK-it) Indian village of about 350 residents. The totem park contains 30 totem poles, and master carvers can be seen at work in the carving center. Other highlights include the Beaver Tribal House and the Old School House. Tickets for Cape Fox Dancers performances can be purchased at the village store. Guided tours are available. Allow 30 minutes minimum.

DESCRIPTION: Tongass Historical Museum, 629 Dock St. in Ketchikan's Centennial Building, displays pioneer items as well as art and artifacts from northwest cultures. Historical and changing exhibits are offered. Allow 30 minutes minimum.

DESCRIPTION: Alaska SeaLife Center, on Seward Hwy. (SR 9) at Milepost 0, is dedicated to understanding and maintaining the integrity of Alaska's marine ecosystem through research, rehabilitation, conservation and public education. Highlights include Steller sea lions, harbor seals, Giant Pacific octopus and a sea bird habitat that allows visitors to get up close to puffins, kittiwakes and other Alaskan avian wonders.

DESCRIPTION: Kenai Fjords Tours depart from the Seward Small Boat Harbor. The company offers glacier and wildlife cruises into the waters that surround Kenai Fjords National Park. Cruises also explore Resurrection Bay and the northwestern fjords, where active tidewater glaciers are a highlight. A variety of marine mammals can be seen; gray whales often are spotted on whale-watching tours.

DESCRIPTION: Major Marine Tours depart from the Seward Small Boat Harbor, 1 blk. e. of Seward Hwy. Narrated glacier and wildlife sightseeing cruises visit Kenai Fjords National Park. Passengers may spot bald eagles, otters, porpoises, puffins, sea lions and whales. Food is available. Inquire about weather policies.

DESCRIPTION: Renown Charters and Tours depart from the Seward Small Boat Harbor. Six-hour catamaran cruises into Kenai Fjords National Park, 3-hour Resurrection Bay cruises and 4-hour Gray Whale-watching cruises are guided by local, experienced captains. In addition to glaciers, humpback whales, orcas, sea otters, Steller sea lions, Dall's porpoises, bald eagles and puffins may be spotted.

Named for William H. Seward, who negotiated the purchase of Alaska, Seward is an ice-free port in a setting of great beauty. At the northeast end of a bay named Resurrection by Russians who arrived in its waters on Easter, the city is surrounded by lush, tall mountains and ice fields.