Get closer to nature

Inspired by BBC’S Wild Alaska Live? Sarah Marshall offers some essentials to see and do

It’s a short season for tourists in Alaska – late June to September – which means accommodation is booked up fast, so plan now for 2018, but make sure you include these activities in a trip.

Salmon running at Brooks Falls

During summer, thousands of salmon swim upstream to spawn in the place they were born, providing food for opportunistic predators such as bears. One of the safest places to view the feeding frenzy is Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park on the south coast of Alaska.

You’ll need to take a commercial flight from Anchorage to King Salmon, followed by a float plane, which makes the trip expensive. Visitors come for short day trips, but it’s better to stay at either Brooks Lodge (katmailand.com/brookslodge) or in the neighbouring campsite.

At busy times, there can be up to 300 people queuing to get on the viewing platform. Come in the shoulder season (June or September), when there are fewer bears but the sightings are much more enjoyable.

Mountain reflections in Wonder Lake

American landscape photographer Ansel Adams was mesmerised by the reflections in this lake set below the continent’s highest peak, Mount Denali, and the Alaska mountain range. It’s located deep in Denali National Park in the “backcountry” area Kantishna Hills, 90 miles from the park’s over-commercialised entrance nicknamed Glitter Gulch.

It’s a six-hour bus ride (no cars are allowed this far in) or a 45-minute light aircraft ride to get here, although it’s advisable to stay overnight. A handful of lodges include Kantishna Roadhouse (kantishnaroadhouse. com), where guests sleep in log cabins.

Sea otters doing backstroke

Known as old men of the ocean, long whiskered sea otters are a charming sight in the port of Seward, the gateway to Kenai Fjords. Moving with a gentle backstroke, they famously store a “favourite” stone on their stomachs, using it to crack open shellfish.

Humpbacks putting on a spectacular display

During summer, the waters around Kenai Fjords are packed with marine wildlife. Pods of resident orcas feed on salmon, and migratory humpbacks show off by breaching,

fin flapping and fluking. A cruise is the best way to witness these displays; day trips operate out of Seward and can be booked last minute. Kenai Fjords Tours (kenaifjords.com) also offers kayak trips.

A journey on the Alaska Railroad

Completed in 1923, the Alaska Railroad (alaskarailroad.com) operates several services between Seward in the south and Fairbanks in the north. It’s a great option for land-based travellers wishing to explore the country, and observation cars coupled with live commentary mean it’s much more than a journey from A to B. The Railroad’s flagship train is the Denali Star, which runs a 12-hour trip between Anchorage and Fairbanks – with a useful stop at the entrance to Denali National Park. Book the Gold Star service for glassdome carriages and access to a dining car.

Flying within metres of Mount Denali

Denali’s highlight attraction is undoubtedly Mount Denali (previously named Mount Mckinley), although the 6,190-metre summit is often obscured by clouds.

One way to guarantee a sighting is by taking an air safari. Pilot Greg Lahaie, who runs Kantishna Air Taxi (katair.com), is an expert at weaving between peaks and finding clear patches of sky.

Sights to see in Alaska include, clockwise from main: bears feeding on salmon at Brooks Falls; sea otters at Seward; a humpback whale breaching the water at Kenai Fjords

Anchorage Museum

Get to grips with the scale, size and significance of Alaska at the excellent, revamped Anchorage Museum (anchoragemuseum.org). Temporary exhibitions include reflections on climate change, something acutely felt in this glacier-heavy region of the world, and works by polar artists.

A permanent showcase of native cultures offers an insight into the lives of indigenous communities who’ve called this wilderness home for centuries. Seek out an impressive rain mac made from seal skin.

Glaciers calving into the fjords

Alaska is made up of more than 100,000 glaciers and many can be found along the coast of Kenai Fjords. Watching the icy sculptures calve (a process where chunks break off and crash into the water) is best done from the safety of a sightseeing cruise. Adventure company Liquid Adventures (liquid-adventures. com) get closer to the ice edge with SUP (stand-up paddle boarding) and overnight camping trips to Bear Glacier. n Wild Alaska Live is available on iplayer.