Ketchikan is, as the sign reads, Alaska's first city and the salmon capital of the world. It is located on the island of Revillaregigedo, the 12th largest island in the U.S. The city of Ketchikan is only about five square miles, has a population of less than 10,000, but gets approximately 1 million visitors a year. This charming city was my last stop in the Last Frontier. My first adventure in Ketchikan was crabbing (catching and eating crab). If the early bird catches th

Day five of my Alaska adventure took me to Alaska's capital city, Juneau. Juneau is nestled between the sea and peaks rising over 3,800 feet in elevation. Here are three other interesting facts about Juneau: 1) Juneau is big. In fact, it is the largest capital city, by area, in the entire United States. 2) Juneau can only be reached by plane or boat. There are no roads that connect this capital city to the rest of Alaska or North America; this is a fact that is true of no

Skagway became the first incorporated city in Alaska on June 28, 1900, beating out Juneau by just one day. Skagway is the northernmost point of Alaska's Inside Passage and one of only three cities in Southwest Alaska accessible by road. Driven by the prospect of finding gold, people flocked to Skagway, which was once a booming town with a population of nearly 10,000. Today it is home to about 1,000 year-round residents and not a single stop light. It is also home to the Wh

Day 2: Hubbard Glacier I generally prefer land exploration to cruising during travel, but I made an exception for Alaska because so many of the places I wanted to see in this state are located along Alaska's Inside Passage, which stretches for 500 miles north to south and 100 miles east to west, along the Pacific Ocean. Many popular Alaskan coastal towns including Sitka, Ketchikan, Juneau, and Skagway are most easily accessible by boat on this route, as are approximately 1,0

The name "Alaska" comes from the Aleut word "Alyeska," which means "The Great Land." This was my first trip to this great land, a place that has been on my bucket list since I can remember. I had built up Alaska so much in my mind, that I was afraid it would fall short of my dreamy suppositions. I was wrong. Alaska not only met, but exceeded all my hopes. Here are some things I learned about Alaska on this trip: 1) Of North America's 20 highest peaks, Alaska is home to 1