Alaska offers photographers glaciers, brown bears and gold-rush era towns. There are eight national parks and the tallest land-based mountain on Earth, Denali.

Alaska is the largest U.S. state by area (greater than Texas and California combined); the most northern and western state, and the most eastern, as the Aleutian Islands extend into the Eastern Hemisphere.

You really can see Russia from Alaska. From the hills of Tin City on the mainland, you can see mountains on mainland Russia, 60 miles (100 km) away, and from the top of the Alaska’s Little Diomede Island you can see Russia’s Big Diomede Island, three miles (4.8 km) away.

At least 11,000 years ago, people had crossed the Bering land bridge and settled in today’s Alaska. The area was occupied by numerous indigenous peoples well before the arrival of Russian seafarers, possibly in 1648. After Vitus Bering’s expedition in 1741, his crew returned to Russia with sea otter pelts judged to be the finest fur in the world and fur trading led to competing interests. Britain mapped Alaska’s southern and western coastline in 1778, Spain named Valdez and Cordova in 1790, and Russia took today’s Sitka from the Tlingit people in 1799.

The name “Alaska” was first used in the Russian colonial period and is derived from the Aleut (Unangam) term for the mainland of Alaska, meaning object to which the action of the sea is directed.

In 1867, Russia sold Alaska to the United States for $7.2 million. Gold was discovered near Sitka in 1880, and Joe Juneau’s mining village grew to become the capital in 1906. The Klondike Gold Rush (1896–1899) brought about 100,000 prospectors, mainly to the ports of Dyea and Skagway in Southeast Alaska. And a simultaneous gold discovery in Southern Alaska led to the 1914 founding of today’s largest city, Anchorage, as a railroad-construction port.

The U.S. welcomed Alaska as the 49th state in 1959. Oil was discovered at Prudhoe Bay in 1968 and Royalty revenues from oil have funded large state budgets from 1980 onward.

Alaska’s economy is dominated by fishing, natural gas, oil, military and tourism. Approximately half of the state’s residents (738,432 in 2015) live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. 99% of Alaska’s land is publicly-owned — 65% by the U.S. federal government and the rest mostly by state and local government; only about one percent is private land.

Alaska is separated from Washington state by 500 miles (800 km) of British Columbia, Canada, and is generally reached by ship or plane. The capital, Juneau, is so isolated that no roads connect it to any other city.

The Anchorage skyline with Cook Inlet leading to Downtown Anchorage and the snow-capped Chugach Mountains. This postcard shot is taken from Point Woronzof Park, north of the airport.

The Conoco-Phillips building is the tallest building in Alaska and defines the Anchorage skyline. The 22-story, 90 m (296 ft) tower — home to the regional headquarters of energy company ConocoPhillips — is connected by an atrium to a second smaller tower. The complex was known as the ARCO Building when it opened in 1983.

Bear and Raven is a whimsical eight-foot-tall sculpture by Hugh McPeck in 2000. The plaque reads: “The Raven whispers to the Bear, ‘I really enjoy watching you fish for salmon in Ship Creek.’ The Bear’s large smile and tummy indicates that he loves it too!.”

Alaska’s Marine Life is a mural by artist Robert Wyland. Painted in 1994, it is number 54 in his series of 100 “Whaling Wall” murals. The mural is on the side of the JCPenney building, facing Town Square Park.

The Robert B. Atwood Building (formerly Bank of America Center) houses government offices for the State of Alaska. It is the second-tallest building in Alaska at 20 stories and 81 m (265 ft).

Captain James Cook (1728- 1779) was a British explorer who, on his last voyage (1776–79), identified what came to be known as Cook Inlet in Anchorage, where this statue overlooks. In a single visit, Cook charted the majority of the North American north-west coastline on world maps for the first time, determined the extent of Alaska, and closed the gaps in Russian (from the West) and Spanish (from the South) exploratory probes of the Northern limits of the Pacific.

The Alaska Railroad connects Seward in the south of Alaska to Fairbanks in the interior, passing through Anchorage.

Anchorage Museum has a unique façade of custom insulated fritted (ceramic) glass and is often ranked among Alaska’s top ten visitor attractions.

Alaska Zoo is a popular attraction in Alaska, with nearly 200,000 visitors per year. The zoo opened in 1969 after local grocer Jack Snyder won a contest offering a prize of “$3,000 or a baby elephant.” Guess which one he chose.

Alaska Native Heritage Center is an educational and cultural institution opened in 1999, with six life-sized Native dwellings and a whale bone arch arround Lake Tiulana.

North Suicide Peak is a 5,065 feet (1,544 m) mountain on the southern edge of Chugach State Park.

Located east of downtown Anchorage, Chugach State Park is mostly within the Municipality of Anchorage.

Mount Rumble (7,530 feet / 2,295 meters) as viewed from Peter’s Creek.

Bold Peak is a 7,522 feet mountain.

Portage Glacier is a glacier within the city of Anchorage. Take AK-1 54 miles southeast to Begich Boggs Visitor Center, then a boat ride across the lake.

Near to Portage Glacier is Byron Glacier, with ice caves and views of Portage Lake.

Matanuska Glacier is the largest glacier accessible by car in the United States. A two-hour (104 mile/167 km) drive east from downtown Anchorage.

Lower Reed Lake is one of a pair of turquoise alpine lakes in a dramatic glaciated wilderness landscape. From Fern Mine Road, take the Reed Lakes trailhead with a 1,900 ft. of elevation gain.

Mint Hut (Rainery Hut) is a popular mountaineering hut, built in 1971 with pre-cut parts flown in by helicopter.

Snowbird Glacier Moulin is a circular, vertical, well-like shaft into Snowbird Glacier. Don’t get too close!.

Polychrome Overlook at Mile 46 provides fine views of Polychrome Glaciers, five parallel and colorful glaciers.

Denali (formerly Mount McKinley) is the highest mountain n North America, with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet above sea level. From base to peak, Denali is taller than Mount Everest (which rises from a high plateau). It is the centerpiece of Denali National Park and Preserve.

The Koyukon people who inhabit the area around the mountain have referred to the peak as “Denali” for centuries. In 1896, a gold prospector named it “Mount McKinley” in support of then-presidential candidate William McKinley; that name was the official name recognized by the United States government from 1917 until 2015. In August 2015, following the 1975 lead of the state of Alaska, the U.S. Department of the Interior announced the change of the official name of the mountain to Denali.

Denali is a granitic pluton lifted by tectonic pressure from the subduction of the Pacific Plate beneath the North American Plate.

This view is from Stony Hill Scenic Overlook at Mile 62.

Eielson Visitor Center at Mile 66 has amazing views of Denali to the southwest. Built in 1960, it is named after pioneer Alaskan aviator Carl Ben Eielson. The center is open June to September.

Wonder Lake at Mile 85 offers a calm and classic reflection of Denali.

Ruth Glacier is on the southern slopes of Denali National Park, near Denali State Park. Its upper reaches are almost three vertical miles (4.8 km) below the summit of Denali. The glacier’s “Great Gorge” is one mile (1.6 km) wide with 5,000-foot (1,500-m) granite cliffs on either side. It moves about 3.3 feet (1 m) a day.

Into the Wild bus (Fairbanks 142) is an abandoned 1946 bus that is parked in a clearing along the Stampede Trail near Denali National Park. It is a 28 mile hike from Healy.

The bus was used by to provide remote shelter for constructions crew from Fairbanks that worked on road upgrades in 1960–1961. The engine was removed and the interior fitted with beds and a wood burning stove, which still remain today. While being towed to a construction site, the bus broke an axle and the crew abandoned it where it now serves as a backcountry shelter for hunters, trappers, and visitors.

The bus gained notoriety in 1993 when Outside magazine published an article by Jon Krakauer titled “Death of an Innocent” describing the death of Christopher McCandless, an American hitchhiker who lived in the bus during the summer of 1992 while attempting to survive off the Alaskan wilderness only to die of starvation four months later.

In recent years, the bus, also known as the “Magic Bus” according to McCandless’s writings, has seen a pilgrimage of visitors seeking where McCandless perished. The 2007 film version of Jon Krakauer’s 1996 book about McCandless, Into the Wild, has revived interest in the bus.

The Museum of the North is a swooping contemporary building on the University of Alaska Fairbanks campus designed by Joan Soranno to evoke alpine ridges and glacier.

The Unknown First Family is an 18-foot-high statue in Golden Heart Plaza, by Malcolm Alexander in 1987.

SS Nenana is a sternwheel paddleship that carried passengers and pushed freight on Alaskan rivers from 1933 to 1954.

Worthington Glacier is a 5,774-acre valley glacier that can be seen from Richardson Highway, 33 miles (53 km) east of Valdez.

Mount Sanford is the third highest volcano in the United States and has one of the steepest gradients in North America.

Kennicott Glacier trends from Mount Blackburn to the Kennicott River. It was named in 1899 for Robert Kennicott, pioneer Alaska explorer with the Western Union Telegraph Expedition in 1865. Nearby is Kennecott ghost town.

Mount Saint Elias is the second highest mountain in both Canada and the United States, being situated on the Yukon and Alaska border. This view including Taan Fjord is from a flight between Anchorage and Juneau, as there are no roads nearby.

Kennecott (Kennicott, Kennecott Mines) is an abandoned copper mining camp at the world’s richest known concentration of copper at the time it was discovered in 1900. The copper was depleted by 1938, leaving a ghost town.

Exit Glacier is an accessible “drive-up” glacier, 12 miles (32 km) west of Seward. It is a visible indicator climate change, having retreated 187 feet (57 m) from 2013 to 2014 alone.

Aialik Glacier is a tidewater glacier, flowing into Aialik Bay and the Gulf of Alaska.

The Salty Dawg Saloon is a well-known landmark on the Homer Spit in Homer. The city of Homer lies 218 miles southwest of Anchorage on the Kenai Peninsula, and is known as the “Halibut Fishing Capital of the World.”

Brooks Falls is a renowned place to photograph Alaskan brown bears during salmon migration season. In July, salmon swimming upstream to their spawning grounds have to leap up the 1.8 m (6 foot) falls, providing airborne food for bears. Up to 25 bears at one time have been seen in July, with about 18 at a later salmon run in September. Salmon make up the majority of the brown bear’s diet during spring.

There is a one-mile-long boardwalk connecting three viewing wooden platforms: the Lower Platform, the Riffles Platform, and the Brooks Falls Platform. The iconic photos are taken from the Brooks Falls Platform, which faces northeast about 10–50 feet from the bears. There are upper and lower tiers and both can get crowded during July.

Getting an even exposure on the dark bears against the bright waterfall is tricky, so overcast days and early mornings out of direct sunlight are best. Photographer Thomas Mangelsen made a famous photo here called “Catch of the Day.”

The Alaska State Capitol was the territory capitol when it opened in 1931, and became the state capital when Alaska gained statehood in 1959.

The Alaska State Liberty Bell, outside the capitol, is a replica of the Liberty Bell given by the federal government in 1950 to help raise support for savings bond drives.

Mount Roberts Tramway is an aerial tramway. In operation since 1996, the tram makes a six-minute ascent of 3,819-foot (1,164 m) Mount Roberts from the cruise ship docks (just feet above sea level) to a height of about 1,800 feet (550 m). A restaurant, theater, nature center and retail shops are located at the top of the tramway.

The Clam Shell Mural is a colorful painting on the west side of Juneau’s City Hall. The 40-foot-long mural, painted in 1986 by Bill Ray, depicts the Tlingit creation story. On the left, Raven and Man emerge from a shell. On the right follow Bear, Frog, Eagle, Killer Whale and Wolf.

St. Nicholas Russian Orthodox Church is an octagonal church in Juneau built in 1893.

The Red Dog Saloon is the oldest man-made tourist attraction in Juneau.

Mendenhall Glacier (Sitaantaagu) is a 13-mile-long (22 km) glacier about 12 miles (19 km) from downtown Juneau. It is named for Thomas Mendenhall, superintendent of the U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey who defined the exact national boundary between Alaska and Canada.

Mendenhall Glacier Visitor Center was the first U.S. Forest Service visitor center, opened in 1962. There are hikes to the glacier, Nugget Falls, and ice caves.

Nugget Falls, also known as Nugget Creek Falls or Mendenhall Glacier Falls, is a waterfall downstream of the Nugget Glacier.

Mendenhall Ice Caves are beautiful blue caves formed in the melting Mendenhall Glacier.

The Alaska Raptor Center (one of the largest in North America) rehabilitates sick and injured eagles, hawks, falcons, owls, and other birds of prey which are brought in from all over Alaska.

St. Michael’s Cathedral is the earliest Orthodox cathedral in the New World, founded in 1808 and built in 1848 when Alaska was under the control of Russia. It was rebuilt following a fire in 1966.

Creek Street is an historic stilt-mounted boardwalk on the slopes of Ketchikan Creek.

Creek Street is infamous as being Ketchikan’s red light district, roughly between 1903 and 1954, and some of its attractions are commemorations of this past. Its origins lie in a 1903 city ordinance banishing brothels from the city center to the “Indian Town” area on the east side of the creek, and it operated until the brothels were outlawed and shut down in 1954. Numerous houses of prostitution sprang up on this difficult terrain, supported by wooden stilts. Famous among them is The Star, which was one of the largest of these businesses, and Dolly’s House, which is now a museum.

Winding into the hills above Creek Street is Married Man’s Way, a trail used by patrons of the brothels to escape raids.

The Totem Heritage Center houses one of the world’s largest collections of unrestored 19th century totem poles. Sixteen of the museum’s thirty-three totem poles are on permanent display, recovered from uninhabited Tlingit settlements on Village Island and Tongass Island.

The Saxman Totem Park in Saxman just south of Ketchikan has 19 relocated or reconstructed totem poles.

The Sons of Norway statue stands by a Viking “Valhalla” ship and Alaska’s first Sons of Norway lodge, built in 1912.

The Anan Wildlife Observatory is located 30 miles southeast of the town of Wrangell on Wrangell Island. Anan Creek has the largest run of pink salmon in Southeast Alaska thus lots of black and brown bears. The facilities consists of a covered viewing shelter, decks, and a photo blind.

White Pass Scenic Railway is a narrow-gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska, with Whitehorse, the capital of Yukon. The railroad began construction in 1898 during the Klondike Gold Rush as a means of reaching the goldfields. With its completion in 1900, it became the primary route to the interior of the Yukon.

Snow piercer: How to clean snow from a railroad.

The Arctic Brotherhood Hall is an 1899 building with its front covered in driftwood.

The Golden North Hotel was built in 1898 by the Klondike Trading Company. It was moved to its present location in 1908 and a third story and golden dome were added.

The Railroad Building, built in 1900, was the White Pass & Yukon Route Administration Building and is now the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park Visitor Center.

Soapy Smith’s was “the real city hall” during the Klondike Gold Rush, a saloon opened in March 1898 as a veritable den of thieves for Jeff “Soapy” Smith and his gang.

Famous in Denver for a street con selling soap bars apparently wrapped in $100 bills, Soapy arrived in January 1898, paid off the town’s deputy U.S. marshal and assembled a gang that soon claimed 317 members.

Pretending to be a newspaper reporter or clergymen, Smith’s men would befriend new arrivals and steer them to dishonest shipping companies, hotels, or gambling dens.

Soapy was challenged by a vigilante committee and, in July, he was killed in an unexpected gunfight, known as the Shootout on Juneau Wharf. His saloon and grave (several yards outside the city cemetery) are on most tour itineraries of Skagway.

Margerie Glacier is one of the most active and frequently-visited glaciers in Glacier Bay. Flowing 21 miles from the border with Canada, the terminus is about one mile wide. The steep dropoff allows cruise ships and smaller park tour boats to anchor nearby providing close-up views of ice calving.

Hubbard Glacier is a glacier in Disenchantment Bay named after Gardiner Hubbard.

Most the ice is underwater, so newly carved icebergs the size of a ten-story buildings often shoot up quite dramatically.

South Sawyer Glacier is one of a pair of glaciers on the Tracy Arm, about seven miles (11 km) from the Canadian border.

Barrow Whale Bone Arch is an arch of whale bones at the historic Point Barrow Refuge Station built in 1889 as a rescue and support station for whaling ships.

[start]The Peace Monument on Attu Island honors all those who died in the WWII Aleutian Campaign. The 18-foot titanium monument was erected by the Japanese Government in 1987. It is located four miles from the U.S. Coast Guard Loran-C Station.

The Battle of Attu was the only World War II land battle fought on an incorporated territory of the United States. In 1942, Japanese forces took Attu and Kiska islands, holding them for 11 months. After a prolonged air campaign, U.S. forces landed on Attu Island in 1943 and the Battle of Attu lasted 18 days. Of the 12,500 American soldiers, 1,700 were killed or wounded, another 2,100 were taken out of action due to frostbite, disease and non-battle injuries. Of the 2,665 Japanese soldiers, over 500 committed suicide and only 27 survived. This was the second deadliest battle in the Pacific Theatre (in proportion to the number of troops engaged), falling just behind Iwo Jima.

Church of the Holy Ascension (Holy Ascension Orthodox Church) is a red-roofed landmark in Unalaska. Built in 1894, the church is one of the oldest in Alaska. From here, missionaries converted the local Aleut people, where the population is still strongly Orthodox.

White Alice Towers, near Nome, is the last intact site of a Cold War-era early-warning system (1958–1978) which used parabolic tropospheric scatter antennas for over-the-horizon links.