ALASKA EASY CRUISE GUIDEWritten by Travelmake.com
WHAT TO SEE: Legendary beautiful scenery of Alaska- magnificent coastal fjords, rugged glaciers, vast evergreen forests, sky-high mountains, 7 of which are tallest peaks in North America (to see Mt. McKinley, North America's tallest peak, you'll need to take a tour to shore into Denali National Park), abundant land and marine wildlife- moose, kodiak and grizzly bears, caribou, dall sheep, puffin, otters, seals, humpback and killer whales, dolphins, bald-headed eagles and much more. Shore excursions are optional, as well as guided tours in a cruise ship's port of call. They are offered in all Alaska ports and cities and are a great way to enrich your cruise experience with visiting coastal attractions, historical places, challenging yourself in kayaking, helicopter tours, mountain biking,... CRUISE LENGTH: 7 days on average.There are some 11 and 14 day cruises which include more ports of call and more glacier touring. There are 2 different kinds of cruises available: Inside Passage Cruise: roundtrip departure from Vancouver/ Seattle, usually 7 days long. You cruise inside passage through islands offshore from British Columbia and Alaska. Stops usually include Ketchikan, Sitka, Skagway and Juneau. Gulf of Alaska Cruise (or Glacier Route Cruise): You cruise one-way northbound from Vancouver/ Seattle or one-way south from Seward, Alaska. You will see more glaciers on this route and an additional port or two. WHEN TO GO: The usual Alaska cruise season lasts from early May to late September. Alaskan summers are cool, daytime highs in these months range from 10 to 27 degrees Celsius (50 to 80 Fahrenheit). May and June tend to be drier months, July is warmest one. June and July are best months to watch Humpback and Orca whales, White-Sided dolphins. An additional bonus to an Alaskan cruise vacation is that in summer days are much longer than they are further south. This is land of midnight sun. Your longest days will be in June and July (up to 20-21 hours of daylight) and will offer you many opportunities to enjoy active glaciers. Early and late season cruises (May and September) tend to be slightly cheaper and ports of call are less crowded. You can check next week weather forecast for Anchorage here.
| | ALASKA SPORT FISHING GUIDEWritten by TravelMake.com
WHAT TO FISH AND WHERE: Alaska offers some of most diverse and incredible fishing opportunities in world. You can drop a line into a roadside river and catch a nice size rainbow trout. Or charter a boat and reel in one of Alaska's giant Pacific halibut. You also can treat yourself with a freshly caught shellfish- shrimp, crab, clam. There are almost 400 fish species in Alaska's fresh and salt waters including all five species of Pacific Salmon: King (chinook), Silver (coho), Red (sockeye), Chum (dog, keta), Pink (humpy).It is not uncommon to catch a 50-pound King salmon, Alaska record was set by a fish weighing 97 pounds. Arctic greyling, sheefish and northern pike are easy to find in many inland streams. Diverse Alaska geographic areas offer adventure for everyone, give us various choices: Interior Alaska. From mountains and rolling hills , river valleys covered with forests to vast spaces of treeless tundra at higher altitudes and in far north. Temperaure varies greatly throughout year, from -50 Celsius (-58 Fahrenheit) in winter months to +30 Celsius (+86 Fahrenheit) during summers. There are just a few highways in interior part of Alaska. Most of area can only be reached by plane, boat or by foot. Almost every settlement has a good all weather airport served daily by small commercial air carriers. Summer is warm but short, it is best time for fishing in land of midnight sun. Pacific salmon enter Yukon River in early June and move almost 2,400 km (1,500miles) up river. They spawn along way, provide best fishing in June and July for king salmon, and in August and September for silver salmon. Chum salmon can be caught throughout summer and fall. Catch sheefish in July and August, especially in Kobuk River. Best fishing season for lake trout and arctic char is May and early June. Ice fishing fans can take pleasure in good fishing for trout and burbot. Southeast (the narrow and long part between Pacific ocean and Canada). Consists of mainland and many treed mountainous islands along coast. Inland waterways are well sheltered from Pacific ocean. The main fishing trophies are all five species of Pacific salmon and Pacific halibut. Rainbow, cutthroat, brook and steelhead trout are easy to catch in some inland streams. We can add arctic grayling and Dolly Varden to list. On coast crab and lingcod are available. South and Southwest (to south and west of Yukon river). Mountainous inland with many rivers and lakes, ragged coastal line dotted with numerous islands. The region offers widest variety of saltwater fishing and inland fishing in state. The Bristol Bay area is well known for outstanding rainbow trout fishing. Lake trout and northern pike are abundant in some lakes in area. Arctic grayling, burbot, arctic char and Dolly Varden can be found in some waters. June and July yield best fishing results for Pacific salmon. You can catch Pacific halibut in Gulf of Alaska and some inlets. Razor clams are best to dig from April to September, especially on Kenai Peninsula. FISHING LICENSE REQUIREMENTS: - An Alaska sport fishing license is required for all nonresidents 16 and over, and most residents from 16 to 59 (see below), to fish in all Alaskan fresh and salt waters. It is valid for a calendar year. - Sport fishing licenses and king salmon stamps may be purchased from a license vendor (most sporting goods stores), by mail from ADF&G Licensing Section, P.O. Box 25525, Juneau, AK 99802-5525, (907) 465-2376, or online. Licenses, stamps, and tags are non-refundable. - A sport fishing license permits you to take or attempt to take any finfish or shellfish in fresh or salt waters, except anadromous (sea-run) king salmon, for which you must also have a current year's king salmon stamp. In order for stamp to be valid, anglers must sign their name, in ink, across face of king salmon stamp and stick stamp onto back of their current year's sport fishing license. RESIDENT LICENSE FEES: KING SALMON STAMP FEES: Resident sport fishing license . . . . . . . . . . $ 15.00 Resident king salmon stamp . . . . . . . . . . $ 10.00 NONRESIDENT LICENSE FEES: Nonresident 1-day stamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 10.00 1 -day sport fishing license . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 10.00 Nonresident 3-day stamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 20.00 3-day sport fishing license . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 20.00 Nonresident 7-day stamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 30.00 7-day sport fishing license . . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 30.00 Nonresident 14-day stamp . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 50.00 14-day sport fishing license . . . . . . . . . . . .$ 50.00 Nonresident annual stamp. . . . . . . . . . . . . $100.00 Annual nonresident sport fishing license . . .$100.00 Military annual stamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . $ 20.00
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