Alaska is not always the first state on peoples' minds when they think of visiting the United States. 
Our tour started when we flew  into Anchorage  and spent a couple of days driving to Denali National Park. Mount McKinley is a 20,000ft Mountain which is simply breathtaking.  

Luckily the day we were there was a clear day and we were fortunate enough to see the peak of the mountain. There is much wildlife in the park itself, Moose came up to the road and the mountains are littered with Doll Sheep and Mountain Goats.  Private cars are only permitted a short distance into the park and any further sightseeing has to be done on a tour bus run by the national park rangers. If you have the opportunity to go to Alaska do it, you wont be disappointed.

Before sailing the "Inside Passage" we took a day trip on a boat around Prince William Sound to see the glaciers up close and personal.  The "Cat" that we went on was continually knocking into small glaciers that had broken away and you would hear the sound constantly. This at first was a little off putting but you get used to it. It was cold and rainy but we still stood on the deck to soak up the view. It was total wilderness and a must do tour.  
Otter are floating around the boat, some have their babies lying on their stomach as they float on their backs. Awesome, is the only word that covers our experience.

For the adventurous traveller book a seat on a sightseeing helicopter over the glaciers. When the ship is docked at certain towns there is free time where you can do your own thing, a flight over the glaciers is incredible.  Some of the flights actually land on the glacier and a guide will walk you across  and point out things like the pristine water trickling through the cracks in the glacier, it is a flight of a lifetime.
If you are afraid of heights I would give it a miss.

www.princewilliamsound.com 
www.denalinationalpark.com 

After our tour of the parks we drove down to Seward and boarded the cruise ship. The cruise took 7 days stopping at ports each morning for us to explore, then sailing during the day experiencing the most spectacular scenery.  If you are  lucky  you will see Killer Whales in the water around the ship.

There are many options for what is known as The Inside Passage of Alaska.  Be sure to take one that includes Glacier Bay, this was the highlight of our trip. Words could not explain the beautiful wilderness of this environment.  I am not a water babe and was not looking forward to being on a ship but it was so smooth sometimes it felt like we were not moving.
The cruise finished in Vancouver Canada but there are many options.



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Simon and Seaforts Anchorage Alaska

If you love crab then this is the place for you.  The King Crab Legs are out of this world.
Service is great, just love this restaurant with a water view.