The number one attraction in the interior heartland is Denali National Park, an area of untamed magnificence that also encompasses North America's highest mountain, the snow-covered Mt McKinley.

Despite a reputation for high prices and inhospitable winters, millions of people have discovered a piece of America that is worth every dollar. Nowhere else can that frontier feeling be truly experienced, a place where wilderness surrounds every part of the Alaskan way of life.

The Inside Passage

Shaped by the carving of massive glaciers millions of years ago, Southeast Alaska is an astounding region of deep fjords, glaciers, majestic mountains and forests. Known as the 'panhandle', it epitomizes classic Alaskan scenery.

Thousands of islands form a pristine protected waterway called the Inside Passage that is lined with many charming towns and small villages rich in history. About half of the tourists who travel to Alaska arrive on cruise ships that make their way through the islands of the Inside Passage to ports of call such as Ketchikan, Juneau, Sitka and Skagway.

The area is home to the native cultures of Tlingit, Haida and Tshimshian Indians and the art of totem pole carving, traditional music and dance has been preserved especially in Ketchikan. Russian settlers have also left their legacy of icons and onion-domed churches, having been drawn to the region in search of fur; the region's promise of gold, salmon fishing and forests of timber attracted many profiteers. Today the business of tourism is an additional income-earner for many of the picturesque coastal communities. The history of the Gold Rush days is especially evident in the town of Skagway at the northern tip of the Inside Passage, once a lawless trading post serving the Klondike Gold Rush pioneers.

Juneau is Alaska's attractive capital, with a bustling waterfront and a scenic mountain backdrop, and is the gateway to one of the country's more stunning regions, Glacier Bay National Park. With no roads connecting the towns the best way to travel is by the Alaska Marine Highway ferry that hops from town to town, or on one of the numerous and very popular cruises that ply the channels. The Alaska Marine Highway is a designated National Scenic Byway and is one of the most beautiful ways to explore Alaska.

The deep waters and mild climate provide a prime habitat for whales, sea lions and porpoises, which can often be spotted from the deck. Between the picturesque fishing town of Petersburg and Russian-founded Wrangell is the spectacular Wrangell Narrows that is only 300ft (91m) wide and so shallow in places that the boat is forced into a slalom course of 46 turns to avoid grounding on the channel bottom. Frederick Sound is a prime whale sighting area.

Skagway

Skagway, at the northernmost point of the Inside Passage, is the main port of call for cruise ships, and was the trading post serving the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897. Within three months a tent and shack town of 20,000 people had sprung up and throngs of hopeful gold-seekers stampeded the town, the jumping off point for the 500-mile (805km) trek to the goldfields in the Yukon.

The town's rapid growth brought in its wake disease and violence, and it was notorious for lawless characters as well as its many bars and prostitutes; a place reported to be 'hell on earth'. After gathering supplies prospectors faced severe hardships on the Chilkoot Trail and the White Pass Trail, two routes over the mountains to Canadian territory. The latter, known as the 'Dead Horse Trail' became littered with the bodies of exhausted and beaten packhorses.

Today much of the town lies within the Klondike Gold Rush National Historic Park, which includes the excellent Visitor Information Center offering fascinating exhibits and a film on the Gold Rush days. The heart of Skagway is the historic district and the wooden boardwalks lining the restored buildings, false-fronted shops and saloons, and the original appearance of many of the houses, enhances the character of a town rich in Gold Rush history.

It is also possible to follow in the footsteps of the Klondike gold seekers along the famous 33-mile (53km) Chilkoot Trail, literally an outdoor museum strewn with reminders of the past, where abandoned pick axes, shovels and old supplies can be found along the way. For more information see http://www.skagway.com

Alaska is one of our favorite destinations; once you've been there we are sure it will be one of yours as well. The cruise season in Alaska runs from mid may to mid September. The choices for your Alaskan adventure are almost limitless, with cruise lengths of 7 to 10 days with a variety of ports of call. Or maybe a combination cruise and land tour, called a "Cruisetour" appeals to you. Cruisetours can be taken before or after your cruise and vary from 3 to 5 nights.