Wild Alaska — From Bondi to the West End

Wild Alaska

Alaska lies at the extreme northwest of the North American continent and borders British Colombia in Canada. With such a mysterious and beautiful destination, right next door, it would have been crazy not to visit. Honestly, I didn’t know what to expect, but nothing would have prepared me for the adventure we were about to have.

Most people visit Alaska on a cruise ship but firstly, the idea of a cruise makes my skin crawl, and secondly, I get incredibly seasick. Instead, we decided to go cross country. We drove from Vancouver to Seattle and then flew into Anchorage. The town of Anchorage is the most densely populated area in Alaska, containing 39% of the state’s population and was our gateway into the Alaskan wilderness.

From Anchorage, we drove to Denali National Park; the home of the highest peak in North America. Cars are not permitted inside the park, so instead, we boarded a rickety old bus and wound our way 7 hours into the park through the rugged mountains. We passed the most spectacular views of rivers, rock formations, hikers and wildlife (and, yes, somewhat close together!) We stayed just outside of the national park in the most picturesque Yurt, complete with a potbelly fire and all.

From Denali, we drove to Girdwood then onto Whittier, Seward and then back to Anchorage. Some of the (many) highlights along the way included: the drive along Turnagain Arm; the Kenai Fjord National Park (which we visited via boat) where we saw whales, puffins, seals and glaciers; watching the salmon runs; and watching 3 moose bath in a lake on the side of the road. However, the highlight of the trip was the hike we did at Exit glacier where, from the top, you could see 1% of the Harding icefield….