Alaska

When Secretary of State William Seward led the drive to purchase the Alaska Territory from the cash-strapped Russians in 1867 he was purchasing land which had been settled and occupied by native peoples whose ancestors had crossed the land bridge from Asia thousands of years prior.

Alaska became the 49th U.S. state in 1959, nearly 100 years later, under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It is the largest state more than twice the size of Texas and with more coastline than all the other 49 states combined.

Alaska’s rugged landscapes match the character of its hardy people. It’s extreme weather, overnight light in summer and all-day darkness in winter can test your semblance of normality, but you can see why people stay. Why they come to escape. To get off the grid and to return to nature.

This 49th state is the last frontier. More wild than settled with land, sea and sky filled with texture and feeling.

We spent a night in Anchorage, about four days in and around Denali National Park and in the interior, and an unforgettable week cruising the coastlines from the Kenai Peninsula to Vancouver Canada in June of 2026.