Bookmark this one-of-a-kind Alaska road trip

This jaw-dropping journey through Alaska is indescribable   [View in browser]( [TikTok]( [instagram]( [facebook](   PICTURE YOURSELF IN… Alaska [New Orleans]( From July to August, magnificent fireweed flowers bloom near the Mendenhall Glacier Grandeur. Magnificence. Gloriousness. Majesty. Finding a single adjective for [Alaska]( is for a better wordsmith than I. All of those words – whoops, I forgot awesome – touch on an abstract idea of a place so extraordinary that words can never deliver. Alaska begs to be witnessed because it is more precarious and precious than ever. Words can’t capture it. Photos and videos can’t capture it. Not a TikTok. Not a Thread. Not a Reel. Nothing but being in Alaska will ever get you anywhere near close enough to feel it. Maybe that’s it: Alaska is a feeling. And going there is the only way to experience it. And we have the perfect itinerary so you can go to Alaska...like, now. To further experience the feeling of Alaska’s myriad attributes, I spoke with travel expert and local writer Erin Kirkland, who is currently hard at work trying to put Alaska into words for the next Lonely Planet Alaska guidebook. We discussed why we put Alaska on the [2023 Best in Travel list,]( the importance and influence of Alaska Native culture and history and how to visit Alaska and leave it as untouched as possible. Read on for our highlights from our Alaska Best in Travel road trip itinerary, followed by a Q&A with Erin. [Check out the full Alaska itinerary]( [AnneMarie McCarthy](   [Brekke Fletcher](   Senior Director of Content       Imagine your trip Your adventure-by-road will weave you through some of Alaska’s most memorable landscapes. Here are some of the highlights. Begin your adventure in Anchorage. Check in to Hotel Captain Cook, and fuel up at Humpy’s Great Alaskan Alehouse before hiking up Flattop Mountain. Drive the Moose Pass towards Seward. Along the route look out for the “ghost forest,” an array of barren trees killed by saltwater flooding in 1964. Take a half-day cruise through Kenai Fjords and Resurrection Bay – scan the water line for breaching whales, porpoises and sea otters. Head to Homer and make your way to the Homer Spit, a peninsula with rocky beaches and an array of fresh seafood restaurants, like Captain Pattie’s. In early summer gear up for some fishing in the Russian River, where sockeye salmon run, attracting scores of anglers – and bears – so be on alert.     Alaska For our 2023 Best in Travel list, we selected Alaska for its spectacular wildlife, gorgeous fjords and glaciers and its cultural heritage. [Read more](   Ask an Insider Anchorage-based writer and Lonely Planet contributor Erin Kirkland shares her insider tips for visiting Alaska. How’d you get into travel writing – specifically about Alaska? I started out writing about family travel and that slowly morphed into more general travel guide writing about Alaska for other outlets. I’ve visited every region and done things in every region. It’s cool when you can rattle off advice and ideas just out of your brain. Now, I’m working on updating Lonely Planet’s Alaska guidebook. What is it that’s so special about living there? I always say Alaska is the biggest small town I ever lived in. The connections are pretty amazing. Everything and everyone is connected. It’s pretty special and pretty integral to life up here. I tell people all the time, you run out of superlatives. I love it. I feel exactly the same way! As someone who’s lived here and explored here, way more than the average Alaskan, I get asked all the time, “does this ever get old?” Are you kidding me? The day it gets old, will be the day that I’m done doing this. [Bio image] “Alaska is the biggest small town I ever lived in. Everything and everyone is connected.” – Erin Kirkland What’s the best way to understand Alaska Native culture? There’s 22 recognized tribes, and each of those stretches out to sub-groups and more sub-groups. There’s an amazing tapestry of Alaska Native culture that is different depending on the region. The Anchorage Museum is doing such a good job. One of their curators is Dena’ina Athabascan and the President/Chief of the Native Village of Eklutna, so he is 100% invested in this personally and professionally. Or there's the State Museum in Juneau. What should a first-time visitor do? Travel the way we travel. Hop on the ferry system to see how integral it is to coastal communities that have no other way to get around. It’s tricky stuff. The reward is absolutely amazing. Same with road trips. Drive all the roads you can. Hit those dirt roads. Find a rental car or a truck that will let you drive the Dalton Highway, the Denali Highway or the McCarthy Road. 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