Can’t Miss Alaska Attractions

If you can afford the time, plan to spend at least a month RVing in Alaska. Invest in a camera with a telephoto lens if you want to take pictures of wildlife. Here are our favorite attractions:

An old-fashioned paddle wheeler, Riverboat Discovery in Fairbanks cruises up the Chena River with stops at a sled dog training camp and Chena Indian village. A great introduction to Alaska. Pair it with the El Dorado Gold Mine tour and save. Our gold panning efforts netted $52 in gold flakes! Gift shop selections and prices are excellent. You won’t find better.

The University of Alaska Museum of the North overlooking Fairbanks offers excellent displays of native ivory carving and art, historic photographs, and Ice Age animals, including Blue Babe, an Ice Age bison mummy. On clear days, look for Mt. McKinley.

Experience the numbing cold of 40 degrees below zero at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks. The Alaska Salmon Bake is worth the price. Shops offer native crafts at the best prices you’ll find.

Want to travel to the Arctic Circle? Unless you’re an experienced ice road trucker, don’t attempt the Dalton Highway; take a narrated tour with Arctic Circle Fly/Drive Adventure. On the 13-hour drive north, we passed several recent RV hulks alongside this dangerous, isolated gravel road. The Arctic Circle is just a disappointing sign, but the views of the tundra and oil pipeline are fascinating as is the 30-minute flight back to Fairbanks.

We’ll wrap up our Alaska RV tour Monday with Denali and more favorites.