Denali National Park and Preserve is home to Mt. McKinley, the highest peak in North America, as well free-roaming bear, wolves, moose, sheep, caribou and beaver. Even if Mt. McKinley is often obscured by clouds, the majestic surroundings and grizzly families make this park popular.

Homer, on the southeast side of the Kenai Peninsula, is one of the best cities to visit for a sampling of Alaska's finest. A short distance (in Alaska terms) from Anchorage by road, Homer is not only accessible but also a great staging point for exploratory trips around Kachemak Bay and Katmai National Park. It's cultured yet civilized, wild yet well-trod; Homer is an Alaskan cliche.

Seward, Alaska is perched on the west side of the Kenai Peninsula along Resurrection Bay. A short glacial slide away is stunning Kenai Fjords National Park, best viewed from the seaside as the interior of the park, with its rugged landscape, is difficult to penetrate on foot.

Soldotna is a major hub of the Kenai Peninsula, south and west of Anchorage. Bordering the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, this is an area thick with wildlife, from bear and wolves to moose, caribou, geese, eagles, and salmon—for which fishing in the Kenai River that bisects the town is a popular pastime.

Talkeetna is the staging point for expeditions bound for Mt. McKinley. On clear days, around this small town there are plenty of places to catch a glimpse of the Alaska Range and 'the big mountain.' When the weather is good, small planes take off with astonishing regularity winging over Denali National Park and back for flightseeing in summer and shuttling climbers to the McKinley's base late spring.

Little in 21st century Valdez is left to remind the visitor of the tragic 1989 oil spill that most associate with the area. The road in, connecting the city to Anchorage and Fairbanks, is splashed with waterfalls and provides surreal vistas of glaciers and mountains spread out along the coast. Sea lions now bask unconcernedly on oil-free rocky beaches outside of Valdez, and sea birds again call the area home.