America's Least Visited State Is A Destination Full Of Breathtaking Parks, Mountains, And Abundant Wildlife

The largest state in the United States consists of more than 665,000 square miles — and is more than double the size of its closest contender, Texas. It has the longest coastline and is also home to the biggest national forest, the tallest mountain and the largest national park in the United States. With all of those impressive titles, it sounds like the perfect vacation destination for outdoor adventurers, but it's also the least-visited state. That itself makes it even more desirable for those who are more interested in wildlife than wild parties, and who prefer breathtaking landscapes to concrete cityscapes. Alaska is America's last true wilderness full of wildlife and pristine beauty and is a must-visit for those seeking an opportunity to experience pure, undisturbed scenery, while catching a glimpse of spectacular creatures in their natural environment. 

Alaska is an enormous state, so you'll want to narrow down where you want to visit and plan your route before you go. The Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) is the state's largest airport, but you can also fly into Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) if you're planning to visit Alaska's interior, or Juneau International Airport (JNU) if you want to visit the state's capital city. Some people also opt for an Alaskan cruise as a way to easily see multiple destinations within a short period of time, and you can find several options that depart from Seattle or Vancouver.  

The hardest part of planning a trip to Alaska is trying to decide on which adventure to start with. Maybe you'll want to start with a visit to one of the 15 locations that are designated as national parks, preserves, monuments and national historical parks. If you want to see breathtaking glacial landscapes, you'll want to visit Kenai Fjords National Park near Seward. If you're basing in Southeast Alaska, Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve is a great spot, too, and is home to over 1,000 glaciers. Denali National Park, at the edge of Interior Alaska, is where you'll find the tallest mountain in North America. It's a popular park since it's only about 2 hours south of Fairbanks or about 5 hours north of Anchorage, and it has bus tours available. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park is the largest national park in the United States and is made up of 13 million acres. If you love mountain landscapes and don't mind a difficult journey to get there, this park has to be on your Alaska itinerary. 

There's plenty of landscape to explore in Alaska, and multiple ways to do it. You can ride an ATV through the Mat-Su Valley with Alaska Backcountry Adventure Tours, kayak through mountains, fjords, waterfalls, and glaciers with Anadyr Adventures in Valdez, or take a guided hike up the Mount Edgecumbe volcano with Alpenglow Adventures in Sitka. If you want to go dog-sledding or take a helicopter tour, you can do that, too. Just make sure you save time to chase the northern lights — Alaska is one of the best places in the world to see them.  

Alaska is also a prime hotspot for those hoping to see both land and aquatic creatures. Witnessing the majestic beauty of a whale in the wild is something that people travel thousands of miles for, and there are plenty to see in America's largest state. Humpback and gray whales tend to visit Alaska in the summer, but orcas have taken up permanent residence there. You'll find the most whale-watching tours running between March and October. Juneau, Hoonah, Sitka, Ketchikan, Seward, Whittier, and Valdez are just a few of the spots where you can embark on this amazing excursion. 

If you want to see bears, Alaska's Kodiak Island is known as the brown bear capital of the world. You can book an all-inclusive stay at the Kodiak Brown Bear Center & Lodge if you want to spend a few days bear-watching in the heart of the Kodiak National Wildlife Refuge. Katmai National Park & Preserve is another popular spot, and one of the best places to see wildlife there is Brooks Camp. The bears like to hang out around the river there to feast on salmon, and there are four viewing platforms where you can safely see them. If you want to see bears up close, you can visit Fortress of the Bear in Sitka. This sanctuary provides care to bears that were orphaned as cubs, and you can get within 25 feet of the brown bears.