In Alaska A Wildlife Tour Is Essential
It’s hard to imagine just how big a grizzly really is, or how surprising it would be to see a moose in your backyard. Does your heart swell with American pride when you see a bald eagle soaring through the blue sky? Your life certainly won’t be complete without seeing a glacier or taking a dogsled journey across the tundra. With the looming energy crisis bringing up the topic of drilling for more Alaskan oil, this could be your last chance to see a wildlife preserve in Alaska.
Whale-watching is one of the main tours that people take in the state of Alaska. “The time the cruise ships are up there is when humpbacks and orcas are feeding, so there’s a good chance you’ll see them,” says Robert Blythman, director for Carnival Cruise Lines. He says some excursions, like the Whale Watching and Wildlife Quest in Auke Bay, comes with a money back guarantee. “It’s a 100 percent guarantee that you’ll see the otters,” Blythman added, noting that there are 70,000 of these playful critters swimming in Alaskan waters. He personally recommends the Sea Otter Quest from the town of Sitka. Humpback whales and killer whales can be seen surfacing and breeching the Inside Passage, which is a popular Alaskan cruise route, or in Prince William Sound, the Kodiak archipelago, Glacier Bay National Park and Kenai Fjords National Park. Humpbacks sometimes disappear for thirty minutes at a time, but the orcas usually move in pods with the ships. Beluga whales are most easily seen in Cook Inlet and Turnagain Arm, near Anchorage. Many drivers pull over between Beluga Point (Mile 110) and Bird Point Scenic Overlook (Mile 96) for a magnificent view of these endangered whales. Bowhead whales, the state marine mammal of Alaska, can be seen in the Arctic Ocean and the Northern Bering Sea.
Wolves are people-shy and rarely seen, though they inhabit 85% of the state of Alaska, averaging one wolf every 25 miles. While you’re in Alaska, don’t miss Denali National Park, where you can catch glimpses of wolves, bear, eagles, caribou and other wildlife from one of the bus shuttles. Wolves live on Unimak Island in the Aleutians and on all Inside Passage islands, except for Admiralty, Baranof and Chichagof. In South Central Alaska, you may want to try the Wolf Country Alaskan adventure tour.
While you may want to choose animal-specific private tours in Alaska, there are a few sights you definitely don’t want to miss! The tours at Denali National Park range from a four-hour Natural History tour, to an eight-hour Tundra Wilderness tour, to a twelve-hour Kantishna Experience tour. The Anchorage Zoo houses many endangered animals in a captive setting, while the Anan Wildlife Observatory in the Tongass National Forest and the Denali National Park showcase animals in their natural environments. The Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve is a breath-taking experience just off the Haines Highway.
By Travel Editor
