Best General Alaska Travel Guides
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Read how Richard Proenneke built his cabin by hand and thrived (mostly alone) in the bush. What This Book Is: - An important introduction to Richard Proenneke's story. - Heavily edited (I would even say rewritten). - A pleasant, easy read (goes great with the 2-part documentary that airs on PBS). - Easy to get your hands on very quickly. What This Book Is Not: - Richard Proenneke's authentic journals, in his OWN words. - Proenneke's story told in his own voice. I was captivated after watching the 2-part PBS documentary, "Alone in the Wilderness". Bottom Line: - I would rate this book ("One Man's Wilderness") 3.5 stars if I could. - I would rate "The Early Years" 5 stars, hands down. - I recommend this book as an easier, quicker read."
"I have been to Alaska and my family made memories we will tell for the rest of our lives, the desire to go back and explore more is a fire that's been fully ignited."
"I was telling my husband about this book as I started reading it. There is nothing dull about this book and I suspect the people who find it dull haven't any interest in living in the wilderness without Blackberries, i-pods, automobiles and restaurants."
"I've read it a couple of times."
"Not because it has a sad ending, I was just sad to no longer share in the adventure."
"What a fun read."
"Dick could fabricate or make virtually everything he needed...pots and pans out of gas can tins, forks and spoons out of stump wood, tables, chairs, bunk beds, even wooden hinges!"
"If you have never traveled to remote Alaska, you will want to after reading his book."
Coming into the Country is an unforgettable account of Alaska and Alaskans. In Coming into the Country , McPhee describes his travels through much of the state with bush pilots, prospectors, and settlers, as well as politicians and businesspeople who have their eyes set on a very different future for the state.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Interesting interviews with Alaskans who have moved north and settled in a small remote city called Eagle."
"First and third sections good, with some deeply affecting scenes and characters."
"It does give a pretty good picture of how some rugged individuals carve out a life in the wilderness."
"I was traveling in Alaska while reading McPhee's accounts."
"Loved this book.....is true.....Alaska attracts its own characters....how the country filters down those worthy of staying....gimme the resilient....the resourceful...the ones for whom the term surrender means nothing....Take my hat off to all of them..."
"The book is a bit dated, but McPhee is always wonderful."
"Focus on the people in Alaska, with the environment always present in the background."
"The book itself is pretty old...It has an old way of thinking about the wilderness as a man's escape and an old way of talking about native Alaskans."
Writer and fisherman Joe Upton recounts the riveting stories of explorers of the past and seafarers of the present in JOURNEYS THROUGH THE INSIDE PASSAGE. Upton has written about and naviagated the fishing grounds of New England, British Columbia, and Alaska.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"At first, I was confused by the format of ot the book: Little vignettes of Joe's personal experiences, then history lessons surrounding the same location along with legends passed down by old timers. The entire length of the Inside Passage, from Seattle to Skagway, is Joe Upton's poem. Journeys Through the Inside Passage cannot be captured with a clever word or phrase."
"The author has edited works of others and combined them with his thoughts of the area moving from south to north."
"I loved the book."
"Being a friend of cruising the Pacific Northwest, I love these type of books..."
"As Upton tells his stories, you can hear the whales feeding in the rips and feel the fear as a seiner searches for safe passage in the night, it's radar out, a storm threatening."
"Joe takes his experience, local knowledge, some lore, as well as the technical "Sailing Directions" to put together an excellent feeling for what life along the Inside Passage is like."
Best Anchorage Alaska Travel Books
Strategic itineraries for any timeline or budget, including five days in Anchorage, to a weekend in Denali National Park, and a two-week adventure exploring each region Curated advice for outdoor adventurers, culture mavens, wildlife enthusiasts, budget travelers, and more Must-see attractions and off-beat ideas for making the most of your trip: Embark on a day cruise to admire the stunning fjords, and watch brown bears catching wild salmon out of a river. Take an intrepid "flightseeing" tour to secluded glacier landings in Denali National Park, and discover the best spots to see the northern lights dance across the sky Honest advice on when to go, how to get around, and where to stay, from local author and Alaska expert Don Pitcher Full-color, vibrant photos and detailed maps throughout Detailed, thorough information including background on the landscape, climate, wildlife, and local culture. He moved west for college, receiving a master's degree from the University of California, Berkeley, where his thesis examined wildfires in the high elevation forests of Sequoia National Park. Wild places continued to beckon, and over the next 15 years Don built backcountry trails, worked as a wilderness ranger, mapped grizzly bear habitats, and operated salmon weirs—anything to avoid an office job.
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"Great travel book about the state of Alaska, what to see and when to travel."
"Super helpful with planning our camping trip in Denali National Park."
"A very thorough guide to all aspects of travel in Denali National Forest and environs; trails, tours, hiking, biking, lodging, restaurants, as well as cautions involved in the area and in. touring the area."
"Good background info and recommendations for activities and restaurants."
"love it 6 of us are going together so we are passing it around and marking what we would like to see friends who live in AK didn't know about some interestings places and things."
"Used this very often on our trip!"
"great Alaska travel book."
Best Fairbanks Alaska Travel Books
I'm going down, I'm going Do--". Author, airline captain and popular blogger (capnaux.com) Eric Auxier brings his former Alaska bush flying to life in his second novel, The Last Bush Pilots . Two young pilots, Daniel "DC" Alva and Allen David Foley, take on the world's most dangerous flying: the Alaska bush. Meet legendary bush pilot Jake "Crash" Whitakker, equally adept at landing planes and ladies--and "crashin' 'em" as well; prankster pilot Ralph Olaphsen, who once set an extinct volcano ablaze on April Fool's Day; and no-nonsense Check Airman Holly Innes, trying to cut a respectable niche in the notoriously macho bush pilot world--while escaping a dangerous past. While this novel is entirely fictional, many larger-than-life characters and "tall tales" are inspired by real people and events I encountered while flying the Alaska bush in the summer of'87. Moreover, the way both pilots handle their emergency landings come from hours plying the Southeast Alaska skies, contemplating exactly just what I would do if faced with those situations. While those real-life cubs found homes in zoos in the Lower Forty-Eight, I wanted to spin a fun yarn exacting poetic justice on said poacher; hence, the Doyle brothers in the book. I also have to confess that real-life credit for character Ralph Olaphsen's genius "volcanic" April First hoax goes to one. Oliver "Porky" Bickar. .
Reviews
Find Best Price at Amazon"This tale spins the lives of "as tough as you can get & the cheechacko (greenhorn)" Alaskan bush pilots, aviation, the beauty of the land, the unforgiving weather, and the meeting of friends new and old , all woven together into one great novel. Each chapter brings on new adventures and for anyone that loves life's mystery, history, geography, humor, a little romance, danger, twists and turns that you never expected then you will highly enjoy this novel. This novel left me satisfied, entertained, and surprisingly enough gave me a new found admiration and knowledge of aviation, and the wild beautiful land known as Alaska or more appropriately "The Last Bush Pilots" of The Last Frontier."
"Never been to Alaska and can't imagine living there, but, for what it's worth, this story could change a person's overall outlook on Alaska."
"I grew up in Alaska, and Auxier's narrative took me back to my days living on the southern coast of the state; I can almost smell the pine trees and fish, and feel the light summer rain and mist from low ceilings on my skin."
"This was an interesting read - made me wonder why anyone would be so crazy to be a bush pilot, but also gives such good insight into the reasons why, that by the end of the book, I understood better."
"It becomes obvious in the first chapter that the author knows his stuff, and by the end of the book, you know more than you ever thought you would, or should, about Alaskan weather and how to fly in it."
"So if you are looking for something to make that long flight in a middle seat really short and exciting get this book - you won't regret it."
"It's a really good book and you will find yourself emotionally vested in the characters."
"The Last Bush Pilots."