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Alaska's Tourist Industry - Tourism
Early in the 1950s Alaskans recognized tourism as a major source of income and
tourists discovered Alaska as a vacationland. The development and advertising of
national parks has contributed to a dramatic increase in Alaskan tourism during
the past decade. Tourists come in organized groups on tour ships, buses, or
airplanes; as motor home caravans; and as individuals enjoying a wilderness
experience. International tourism has also shown a dramatic increase since the
1990s.
Alaska's National Parks Creates More Tourism
The 15 national parks in Alaska are home to the United States’ tallest
mountains and biggest glaciers and some of its most exotic wildlife.
Alaska contains the country’s six largest national parks: Wrangell-Saint
Elias, Gates of the Arctic, Denali, Lake Clark, Katmai, and Glacier Bay.
Of the 20 highest mountains in the United States, 17
are in Alaska. Mount McKinley, North America’s largest mountain at 20,320
ft, is a defining highlight in Denali N.P. and Preserve. The
second tallest mountain, Mount Saint Elias 18,008 ft, is located in
Wrangell-Saint Elias N.P. and Preserve, a park characterized by
remote mountains, valleys, and wild rivers, all rich with wildlife.
Glacier Bay N.P. and Preserve is just one of
the areas in which visitors can find examples of geological phenomena.
Since it was first seen by British explorer George Vancouver in the 1790s,
the wall of ice that shadows Glacier Bay has retreated about 60 mi.
Harding Icefield and forested coastal fjords are the highlights of Kenai
Fjords N.P. Spectacular scenery stretches across the Lake Clark
N.P. and Preserve from the Cook Inlet to the Chigmit Mountains,
which include two active volcanoes, Mount Redoubt and Mount Iliamna. More
evidence of Alaska’s natural history can be found at Valley of Ten
Thousand Smokes, where steam rises from a few active volcanic vents at
Katmai N.P. and Preserve. In the Aniakchak National Monument and
Preserve, the Aniakchak River cascades through a gash 1600 ft long at the
rim of a volcano crater.
Alaska’s national parks also preserve the state’s rich
cultural history. The Bering Land Bridge National Preserve is a remnant of
the land bridge that once connected Asia with North America, the route the
earliest residents took to the continent. Cape Krusenstern National
Monument contains archaeological sites that illustrate Eskimo communities
dating back some 4000 years. Sitka National Historical Park commemorates
the Battle of Sitka, the only armed conflict between Alaskan natives and
Europeans. Relics of the 1898 gold rush are preserved at the Klondike Gold
Rush National Historical Park and the Yukon-Charley Rivers National
Preserve. |
