Watch the Aurora from Alaska's Aurora Cam!

Overlooking Murphy Dome, Alaska's Aurora Cam is housed at the remote Sirius Sled Dogs Cabin in Fairbanks, Alaska. This cabin is off the grid and powered by solar panels and in the dark months, supplemented with a generator. Connected online via cellular network, the camera offers beautiful views of the Fairbanks night sky including the magical Northern Lights.  

New e-bike tours in Ketchikan

Ketchikan Kayak Co. is introducing the first and only e-bike tour (electronic assist) in Southeast Alaska. The tour explores the northern end of Ketchikan and takes guests along the “road to nowhere” – the end of Ketchikan's paved road system. Here, the end of the road provides extensive wilderness as the tour moves on foot for a guided hike in the area's dense rainforest. The group will trek past stunning views of cascading waterfalls and rumbling rapids with a stop to rest along a stream's edge.  Following the hike, the group will continue on bike to the nearby shoreline. After taking in the views and beachcombing around the area, the group will enjoy a smoked salmon picnic before returning to the Ketchikan Kayak Co. oceanfront centre.

Adventure Safari Network expands itinerary to include Kodiak

This summer, travellers with Adventure Safari Network will get a snapshot of Kodiak Island on an extended itinerary tour of Alaska. Teaching photography skills along the way, Adventure Safari Network's itinerary “The Alaska: The Final Frontier” begins in Anchorage and covers Seward, Whittier, Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Preserve, Talkeetna, Denali National Park and Preserve and now Kodiak.  In Kodiak, the last stop on the trip, guests will enjoy fishing, bear viewing, a gourmet galley trip out on the water and iconic views of Fort Abercrombie State Historical Park. Visitors can also enjoy local museums and ocean-to-table dining that features fresh Alaska seafood during their time on Kodiak Island. The itinerary runs from 9-20 June 2015.

Alyeska Spring Carnival and 38th Annual Slush Cup

With one of the longest ski seasons in North America, Alaska's Alyeska Resort, located in the ski resort of Girdwood, embraces spring in typical Alaskan fashion. Spring Carnival (10th – 12th April) takes advantage of the long days with extended hours of lift operations, great spring-skiing conditions, and Alyeska's largest and most popular winter event, Taco Bell Slush Cup, where competitors in fancy dress attempt to skim across a 90-foot long pool of freezing water. Other activities include the KWHL Fancy Dress Party, Idiot Swim, Dummy Downhill, XTRATUF Pull Tug-of-War, live music, and more.

Anchorage celebrates its centenary

In 1915 the city of Anchorage was founded when Ship Creek was chosen as a construction camp to build the Alaska Railroad. By the end of the year, a temporary settlement of tents gave way to the first wood frame structures along the streets which now make up downtown. Today, Alaska's largest city, Anchorage, is a vibrant, eclectic metropolis with a frontier spirit, located in one of the world's most spectacular settings embraced by six mountain ranges. From its roots as a railroad construction camp and tent city, Anchorage has grown to nearly 300,000 people with more than 95 languages spoken. Yet it is still home to 230 bird types and 53 mammal species.

To celebrate the centenary, Anchorage is hosting a whole host of events throughout the year. Of note is the “City Limits” exhibition taking place at Anchorage Museum running until 11 October 2015. Revealing how Anchorage's population has changed through time to become the ethnically, culturally and linguistically diverse community that it is today, the exhibition includes objects, artwork, historical images and rare maps from the museum's permanent collection.

New Iditarod Record

For most people, even completing the Iditarod, known as the “Last Great Race on Earth” is a major achievement but one father and son dog mushing duo, Mitch and Dallas Seavey, have dominated the thousand mile dog sled race across Alaska for the last four years. For the third time, 28 year old Dallas was first to cross the finish line, completing the gruelling race at 4.13am on Wednesday 18 March in a time of eight days, eighteen hours and thirteen minutes. Dallas, who also won the race in 2012 and 2013 was followed closely by his father, 55 year old Mitch who has won the race twice, in 2004 and 2014. The 2015 result established a new Iditarod record with the first father and son team finishing back to back.

-Ends-

For more information on Alaska as a travel destination, please visit www.alaskatravel.com  

Editorial enquiries: Alaska is represented in the UK by Lotus UK, please direct all media enquiries to Kate McWilliams (kate@lotus-uk.co.uk)

Photo credits: High resolution versions of the above images are available on request: photographer credit Chris McLennan