STATEWIDE

Holland America Line is expanding its Alaska program with four new 10-to-20 day round-trip Seattle Cruise Tours, offering guests the convenience of combining an Inside Passage cruise with an in-depth overland tour via coach. www.hollandamerica.com

Visitors can immerse themselves in Alaska's natural world and learn about the state's parks, forests and refuges with Alaska Geographic's 2013 line-up of field seminars, suitable for individual travellers or families. The short courses are designed for those looking for ways to connect to Alaska's vast wilderness. www.alaskageographic.org

 

SOUTHCENTRAL

 

Rust's Flying Service is offering travellers their own experienced Alaska bush pilot as a personal tour guide for six hours. There are three suggested Pilot for a Day itineraries that include a variety of customizable options or guests can choose their own adventure. www.flyrusts.com

 

Alaska Wildland Adventures is kicking off a new tour that introduces guests to Alaska birding. It teaches birding basics, including how to spot, identify and classify various species in Kenai Fjords and Denali national parks. The itinerary also includes wildlife viewing and options for guided hikes, kayak trips and small boat explorations. www.alaskawildland.com

 

Bald Mountain Air, based in Homer, is now offering once-in-a-lifetime trips to Alaska's Arctic coast to observe polar bears in their natural habitat. Day trips depart from Anchorage on a two-hour flight to the Native village of Kaktovik on Barter Island. Tours run on weekends from mid-September to late October. baldmountain.powweb.com

 

The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Centre, 49 miles south of Anchorage, has opened a bear-viewing boardwalk spanning the 17-acre black and brown bear enclosures. The BEARS boardwalk allows guests to safely view more bear activity in the enclosures at the wildlife centre. www.alaskawildlife.org

 

The Tsaina Lodge is now offering a range of new summer packages including access to a variety of outdoor activities in Thompson Pass such as heli-fishing and wildlife viewing. www.tsaina.com

 

INTERIOR

 

Camp Denali & North Face Lodge, located 90 miles into Denali National Park and Preserve, has expanded its 2013 Special Emphasis Series offered at North Face Lodge. Throughout the summer, specialists are invited to share their expertise on topics including bird migration, mountaineering and photography. www.campdenali.com/live/page/special-emphasis-series

 

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Mount McKinley in Denali National Park and Preserve, the University of Alaska Museum of the North has opened a new exhibition, "Denali Legacy: 100 Years on the Mountain." Open until April 12, 2014, the exhibit examines the journey through the original journals of the climbing group, including what it took to carry supplies more than 100 miles by dog sled before beginning the ascent. www.uaf.edu/museum

 

INSIDE PASSAGE

Pack Creek Bear Tours in Juneau takes guests to Admiralty Island, home to more than 1,500 brown bears, for a five-hour bear viewing adventure to watch and photograph bears close-up. www.packcreekbeartours.com

 

With Alaska Sea Cycle Tours, travellers can set off on an aquatic adventure of water biking in a nearby cove in Ketchikan. The tour takes guests to a wildlife estuary and to the Tongass Narrows, while teaching how Alaskans utilize the land and sea. www.alaskaseacycletours.com

 

Alaskan Food Tours takes guests on a three-hour culinary adventure through the streets of Juneau, Alaska's capital city. From dining on seafood to satisfying a sweet tooth and taking in a view of the city, the tour provides a well-rounded experience of the sights, tastes and culture of Alaska. www.alaskanfoodtours.com

 

Pearson's Pond Luxury Inn will offer a new tour to Hoonah for its guests in 2013. This day trip will include airfare and transportation to the Native village for bear viewing and a ride on the world's longest and highest ZipRider zipline at Icy Strait Point. www.pearsonspond.com

 

The recently renamed Un-Cruise Adventures is introducing a new cruise ship in August. The 88-guest S.S. Legacy will sail two 11-night Gold Rush Legacy cruises between Seattle and Juneau. www.un-cruise.com

 

SOUTHWEST

Unalaska's resident birding and naturalist guide, Suzi Golodoff, is now offering year-round tours highlighting the various birds in the Aleutians and the natural history of the Unalaska/Dutch Harbor area. www.unalaska.info

 

FAR NORTH

Visitors to Nome can embark on various adventures with the help of Akau Alaska Gold and Resort in 2013. Activities range from gold prospecting tours of historic mines, expeditions to nearby hot springs and Native villages to hiking and salmon fishing. www.akaugold.com

 

EVENTS AND ANNIVERSARIES

Alaskans and visitors are celebrating the 100th anniversary of the first successful ascent of Mount McKinley, North America's tallest peak, with a number of activities throughout the year. A special National Parks exhibit at the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum of the North and a sustainable summits symposium in Talkeetna, Sept. 8-11, are just a couple of events to celebrate this historic milestone. www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

Celebrating 50 years of service in 2013, the Alaska Marine Highway System is the only marine route with the designation of National Scenic Byway and All-American Road. AMHS will hold community events in each region of the state they serve throughout summer 2013 to celebrate its golden anniversary. www.ferryalaska.com/50years
 

2013 will commemorate the quarter-century anniversary of the "Friendship Flight" from Nome to Provideniya, Siberia, signaling the beginning of an open border relationship between Alaska and Russia after the Cold War. www.ltgov.alaska.gov

Timed in conjunction with the 100th anniversary of powered flight in Alaska, the Anchorage Museum unveiled a new exhibit, "Arctic Flight: A Century of Alaska Aviation." The exhibit chronicles the pioneers of aviation, World War II flyers and modern day adventurers in Alaska. Co-curated with the Smithsonian Institution's National Air and Space Museum, artifacts include footage from the first flight over the North Pole, military aviation uniforms and gear and a Stearman biplane brought to Alaska in 1928. www.anchoragemuseum.org

 

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For more information / images please visit www.travelalaska.com or contact Kate McWilliams at Lotus UK (kate@lotus-uk.co.uk / 02079537470).