Alaskan Explorer via Hubbard Glacier

The native Aleuts named it Alyeska -- the "Great Land" -- and from the first moment here, you can see why it's a place of epic drama with soaring mountains, giant glaciers and dazzling wildlife.  Alaska is 2-1/2 times bigger than Texas and 1/5 the size of all the other 49 states combined.  It boasts 34,000 miles of coastline, Mt. McKinley the highest point on the North America continent, and more glacial ice than anywhere outside of the earth's polar regions.

More mountains than buildings, more wildlife than people and more glaciers than stoplights.

Alaska's intriguing history is closely intertwined with that of the people who settled here thousands of years ago.  Their diverse culture bears imprints of every group that has made Alaska its home, from the first Ice Age nomads to Russian fur traders to the gold miners who came to seek their fortunes.