If you're planning a cruise to Alaska this summer, chances are you're booking it this winter.
Most Alaska cruise tickets are purchased in January and February, with some earlybirds booking as far in advance as the previous October, according to the Cruise Lines International Association.
But while cruise ship travel accounts for nearly 65 percent of visitors to the state, not everyone wants to see Alaska from the deck of a ship with the occasional excursion or port of call. Fortunately, there are other options.
You can fly to Anchorage, then rent a car; take the Alaska Railroad, or join a motorcoach tour. Or you can put your car on a ferry from Bellingham, Wash., or Prince Rupert, British Columbia. Or, if you have time, consider a road trip to Alaska from the Lower 48 through Canada.
The most often traveled car route from the United States is to cross the border and head west on the Trans-Canada Highway (Highway 1) into the Canadian Rockies, past Banff and Jasper national parks.
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Then, drive north on Highway 97 to Dawson Creek, British Columbia, where the famed Alaska Highway begins with a signpost noting Mile "0." The highway ends 1,523 miles later in Fairbanks. The scenery is spectacular, and the classic Alaska travel book, "The Milepost," provides a mile-by-mile guide to the road. From Fairbanks, if you head south, you'll hit Denali National Park, Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula.
"The same roads taken by Jack London, Wyatt Earp and others who explored the territory more than 100 years ago can be followed today," said Roberta Graham, a spokeswoman for Tourism North, a marketing organization for Alaska and the Canadian provinces of Alberta, British Columbia and the Yukon Territory.
Here are some suggestions from Tourism North on how to plan a land-based trip to Alaska.
For more details or a free visitors guide, you can go to www.northtoalaska.com online.
Drive to Alaska and fly home: If you want to drive one way, you can ship your vehicle back from Anchorage to Tacoma, Wash., via Totem Ocean Trailer Express (TOTE) — www. totemocean.com/ or 1-800-426-0074.
By train: From Edmonton, VIA Rail — www.viarail.ca/ or 1-888-842-7245 — departs three times a week to Prince Rupert, stopping in Jasper and over-nighting in Prince George.
From Prince Rupert, you can take a ferry to Alaska. Some ships are bound across the Gulf of Alaska for Seward, where you can board the Alaska Railroad to Anchorage, Denali National Park and Fairbanks. Or fly to Anchorage and take the Alaska Railroad; schedules at www.akrr.com/ or 1-800-321-6518.
Group tours: Tour companies offering trips to Alaska include Anderson House Tours, Globus, Collette, Intrav and Cosmos. For details, visit online at www.ustoa.com and click on "Alaska" in the drop-down menu. Most tours are by motorcoach or bus; some offer segments by cruise and rail.
Crossing the Canadian border: A driver's license is required to cross the border, but a passport or birth certificate is recommended and may help speed your trip through customs. It's also advisable to bring passports or birth certificates with photo identification for your children.
The milepost: Guidebook to the Alaska Highway; $26.95, 1-800-726-4707.
Best time to go: May to September.
Alaska Travel Industry Association: www.travel alaska.com or 1-800-862-5275.
