AlaskaTransportation News

Alaska travel representatives met with travel met media & shared news

Alaska is one of my favorite places. I've been from Southeast (Juneau, Wrangell, Petersburg, Ketchikan, Skagway, Haines, Sitka) to Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. I've been there is summer (glorious weather, abundant wildflowers, sport fishing, hiking) and in winter (fabulous skiing, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, dogsledding). The cities and towns are enticing year-round. Here are some recent and upcoming developments in transportation that are of interest to Alaska visitors:

Transportation (Cruise Ships, Ferries, Trains)

Alaska Marine Highway - The ferries remain the best way for thrifty independent travelers to explore the coat. Eleven ferries travel on 3,500 miles of sea lanes between Bellingham, Washington, to Dutch Harbor in the Aleutians. Ferries accommodate vehicles (including RVs), motorcycles, bicycles and kayaks. Reserve for vehicles and staterooms, but foot passengers can just walk on. They're welcome to pitch a tent on the back deck and eat their own food.

Alaska Railroad - A self-propelled railcar, the Chugach Explorer, entered service earlier this year on the Glacier Discovery Route between Whitier and Trail Creek. The railroad partnered with the Forest Service for ranger-guided hikes on the Spencer Glacier Trail, a whistle stop on the route. It is efficient, quiet and emits for fewer pollutants than conventional locomotives. During 2009, the railroad has been offering a free one-day Adventure Class train trip to anyone turning 50 during the year. Perhaps, it or a similar promotion will be available in 2010 -- but meanwhile, if you celebrated the big 5-0 in '09 and will be in Alaska, grab your free ticket.

American Safari Cruises - In 2010, seven-day sailings to/from Juneau on intimate 12-, to 36-passenger yachts include two days in Glacier Bay. Guests can sea kayak or zodiac to explore the shore, opportunities not offered to big-ship cruises passengers. The first of two larger (but not much larger) vessels enters service in 2011 under the brand, InnerSea Discoveries.

Cruise West - The "Spirit of Oceanus" won't be sailing Alaskan waters in 2010, because this small ship embarks on The Voyages of the Great Explorers, a round-the-world cruise on March 6, 2010.

Gray Line Alaska - Sixty-year-old operator of sightseeing programs operates more than 200 motorcoaches, 10 railcars and two day boats now has new packages that include overnights in Princess Lodges.

Holland America - In 2010, the line's "Amsterdam" sails a regular 14-day Seattle-Anchorage itinerary that includes the new (to Holland America) ports of Homer and Kodiak Island.

Princess Cruises - For 2010, new Family Fun Cruisetour, a 12-night cruise + land package with pricing discounted for entire families, not just additional passengers sharing the cabin. Land portion includes two nights in Fairbanks, two just outside of Denali National Parks.

Seldovia Bay Ferry - New ferry at the southern end of the gorgeous Kenai Peninsula linking the artsy town of Homer with Seldovia, a seldom-visited (until 2010), roadless village where the Seldovia Village Tribe has a new museum. Also, abundant birding, hiking and a historic Russian Orthodox Church. Fare: adult $59, $29.59 ages 12 and under roundtrip, including a look at the Gull Island Bird Sanctuary, where some 16,000 seabirds nest.

Where to Watch Wild Weather

The Weather Channel stormwatcher picked 10 spots; I have an 11th

If you've ever seen a tornado, you've watched wild weather. Those who were in Miami for Hurricane Andrew, in New Orleans for Hurricane Katrina or on Galveston Island for Hurricane Ike certainly witnessed devastatingly wild weather, as did those in the path of assorted tsunamis, typhoons and earthquakes. If you want to experience wild weather, check out The Weather Channel's stormtracker's Jim Cantore list of 10 vacation destinations for experiencing "wacky weather." He added suggestions of the best (therefore least wild and wacky) times to go there, but I'm not including those here. After all, if you're seeking wild weather, you don't want mild weather -- and I have one of my own to add (photo at right, and my suggestion below).

Cantore's Top 10 Wild Weather Destinations

• Death Valley, California - The hottest, driest and lowest-elevation spot in North America; 760-786-3200


• Breaux Bridge, Louisiana - Cantore was there during Hurricane Gustav and watched the storm roll in over the Delta; 888-565-5939


• Dangriga Town, Belize - Hurricanes and tropical storms can wallop the coast of this Central American town; 800-624-0686


• International Falls, Minnesota -Nicknamed "the icebox of America," this is the coldest town the continental United States; 800-325-5766. Just last year, Fraser, Colorado, was vying for the title, and everything in the lower 48 pales beside places inland in Alaska. think Fairbanks.


• Gulf Coast, Mississippi - Cantore cited Hurricane Katrina as an example of the coast's brutal wather phenomena; 888-467-4853


• Sydney, Australia - "Vast Australia experiences weather ranging from snowstorms to sandstorms, said Cantore, but singled out Sydney for its "phenomenal dust storms"; 310-695-3200


• Killington, Vermont -"Mountains on one side and the coastline on the other," said Cantore, described as a native Vermonter. I wonder why he picked Killington. How about Sugarloaf, Maine, of Mont Ste.-Anne, Quebec, like Killington, ski mountains that rise above the surrounding countryside; 802-773-4181


• Big Island of Hawaii, Hawaii - Cantore cited thick clouds atop snow-capped Mauna Kea, but he didn't mention the fumes that blow from Kilauea, a volcano that has been erupting and producing lava flows since January 3, 1983; 800-464-2924


• Crater Lake, Oregon - Cantore mentions "snow [that] can cover the landscape from October through June in some areas," but that's no big deal for us Coloradans. He also mentiones that "the coastal region of Oregon can get more than 100 inches of rain annually, which in higher elevations translates to a lot of snow — as much as 16 feet at times." The Sierra Nevada range is similar; 541-594-3000


• Barrow, Alaska - Cantore says that temperatures in the country's northernmost city average temperature is 10 degrees plus 64 days without sun, 907-852-5211

No. 11 from Claire

How could a stormwatcher ignore the west coast of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, where the storm-watching season stretches from November through Feburary. Hotels and resorts in and between the hamlets of Tofino and Ucluelet offer storm-watching packages for guests who really want to experience wild Pacific storms. The photo above comes for the Wickaninnish Inn; 250-725-3100.

Do You Have a 12th to Add?

Let me here from you. Leave a comment with your suggestions.