Best Alaska Tours & Vacations 2023/2024 | Intrepid Travel US - Chia Sẻ Kiến Thức Điện Máy Việt Nam

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Part of the allure of an Alaskan adventure is the chance to see the diverse wildlife that roams the land and fills the waterways. With huge chunks of truly untamed wilderness, Alaska often has more in common with a safari than a walk through a nature reserve. You may just be lucky enough to see some of these:

Bald eagle

A modern emblem of freedom in the US, the bald eagle has also traditionally been revered among numerous Native American groups. What’s so special about the bird? It’s a combination of size, speed and style. With females sporting a wingspan that can reach eight feet (240 centimeters), a dive speed of up to 99 miles (160 kilometers) per hour and an iconic look, this eagle is bad to the bone.

See them: Look up for a chance to see them in Denali National Park, Resurrection Bay and Anchorage, year-round.

Puffins

Easily distinguished by their orange beaks, puffins in Alaska come in two varieties – tufted and horned. The tufted kind is all black with yellow feathers on either side of their head, while the horned ones have white bellies.

See them: Around Valdez, Homer and the waterways of Kenai Fjord National Park in summer.

Grizzly bears

These creatures are located throughout Alaska though they do tend to spread out, so spotting them is a rare treat. That being said, their impressive size makes them easy to see, even from a distance. Females can weigh up to 800 pounds (360 kilograms), but males really take the salmon-cake with top weights of 1700 pounds(770 kilograms).

See them: It’s possible to see grizzlies from March to September, depending on the area, but the peak time for viewing is generally June to July. The best spots are Kenai Fjords National Park, Denali National Park and Wrangell-St Elias National Park.

Black bears

It’s the face shape and nail length, rather than coat color, that will help you tell black bears from brown bears (like grizzlies). While they can be any color from black to brown, their longer, straighter face (some have called it Romanesque) and short claws make it relatively easy to tell the difference.

See them: Black bears, like grizzlies, hibernate during winter. The best times for spotting them are the warmer months from March to September when they hunt for fish in Kenai Fjords National Park and live in the forests of Denali National Park and Wrangell-St Elias National Park.

Moose

It’s the males that have the antlers, which they grow a fresh set of every year, giving new meaning to the phrase ‘grow a pair’. Male moose begin shedding the velvet coating on their antlers around September in preparation for dropping them in the winter months, a very gnarly process that is a real treat, albeit a gross one, to see in real life.

See them: Pretty much everywhere throughout the year, though the best spots are in Denali NP, Wrangell-St Elias NP and Anchorage.

Caribou

You may know caribou by their more whimsical name – reindeer. Santa’s hoofed helpers have natural snowshoes and gorgeous, multi-pronged antlers adorn both males and females.

See them: There’s a fairly large herd that lives inside Denali National Park, and your best chance for catching these active animals is during the summer months.

Dall sheep

These white sheep sport a wise expression and curved horns, though the males undeniably have the more impressive set. They have the distinct honor of being the northernmost wild sheep in the world and they will eat almost anything to survive, from grass and moss to soil.

See them: As they tend to live in rocky, mountainous areas, your best bet is near rugged environments. Be particularly alert on some of the hiking trails in Denali NP, like the Savage River Loop and the trails around Igloo Mountain.

Sea otters

With a face that looks adorably stunned at all times, these beautiful weasels are playful and dexterous. Their amazing coats meant they were hunted to the brink of extinction by the 20th century and while numbers are improving, they remain a threatened species in Alaska.

See them: In the waterways around Valdez, Homer and Seward.

Humpback whales

Humpbacks are big enough to be spotted from land, but there’s nothing quite like seeing one from the water by boat or kayak. Even the runts grow to around 40-feet (12-meters) long and a 10,000-strong pod heads to Alaska every summer.

See them: Resurrection Bay is a reliably great spot for whale watching in the summer months. You can also spot them in Prince William Sound and off the coast of Homer.

Orcas

The ‘killer whale’ is technically part of the dolphin family. With their glossy black back and striking white bellies, there is little chance of missing these mammals if they are close by, and luckily for you they tend to travel to Alaska’s waters in large pods.