Alaska: big, bold and bountiful The Last Frontier is a tourism potpourri: Alaska is every outdoorman's dream, but if the idea of roughing it doesn't thrill you, there's still plenty to appreciate.

Alaska--the word itself conjures images of vast mountain ranges, breathtaking scenery, big fish, bigger grizzlies and often someone's dream vacation. Thousands of people journey north every summer, leaving with pictures, stories and all those trendy items tourist love to purchase.

Alaska's tourism is unique. People often travel to visit the history of antiquated cities. Ancient ruins, priceless art, soaring cathedrals and the modernity of high-priced shopping attract hundreds of thousands of tourists annually. However, the very opposite has enchanted travelers of Alaska for hundreds of years. Alaska might not have the industrial history spanning the longevity of Greece or Rome, but its charm is just as mysterious--the wilderness.

Alaska is every outdoorsman's dream, but if the idea of roughing it doesn't thrill you, there's still plenty to appreciate. Just about anywhere you travel, many similar activities are offered depending on geography. From hiking to fishing, experiencing Native Alaska culture, wildlife ocean tours to cruises, and flightseeing to dining out, tourists can make Alaska as rugged or as luxurious as desired.

Many Alaskans have lived here for decades, or even their entire lives, not having witnessed the majority of the state. One week, even one month, is not enough to encounter all Alaska has to offer. It takes a different breed to live out on "The Last Frontier," but visitors can experience what Alaska locals adore.

THINGS TO DO, PLACES TO GO

One of the state's most loved and frequented rural areas is Denali National State Park. With six million acres to explore, it also boasts the largest mountain in North America: Mount McKinley (Denali), which stands at 20,320 feet. And while at DNSP, you might be lucky enough to catch a glimpse of a grizzly, wolf, Dall sheep, fox or other wildlife.

However, there is another park in Alaska that is not often recognized, even though it has been described as the park with "more superlatives than any other," according to the National Park Service.

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve surrounding the towns of Kennicott and McCarthy, is about 300 miles from Anchorage. In the park's 13 million acres, it houses "one of the largest concentrations of Dall sheep in North America," according to the National Park Service, in addition to all the animals Alaska is so well-known for: moose, brown bear, black bear, wolves, caribou, bald eagles, and salmon, just to name a few. Mount Wrangell, standing at over 14,000 feet, is an active volcano. The park also contains the largest accumulation of glaciers in North America.

If you choose to drive into the park, there are two gravel roads accessible with plenty of hikes and sightseeing along the way. However, depending on what kind of car you have, one road might be more recommend than the other. On Nabesa Road, there will be a couple rivers to ford, and higher clearance is recommended. McCarthy Road, which leads into the town, is usually driven by smaller cars due to narrow bridges.

The towns of McCarthy and Kennicott are not to be missed either. The two towns, rich in history, were established in 1906 and are just a few miles apart, located in the middle of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve. Few people lived in Kennicott in its origin, where the mine was located, however McCarthy was considered a full-blown sin city, where the right amount of money could buy anything desired and every modern luxury was available.

Many buildings from the mine and the town have been restored and are open to tourists. Although there's plenty of camping in the park, there aren't too many places to stay within McCarthy. Lancaster's Backpacker Hotel, which is similar to a hostel although private rooms are available, runs between $20 for a shared room to $68 for a private double in the summer. Ma Johnson's Historic Hotel, established in 1923, will cost $159 for two people. There are, however, more options, including B&Bs outside of town. While exploring the town and mine, most visitors take advantage of the myriad of activities available from flightseeing to rafting, hiking and photography, just to name a few.

KETCHIKAN BECKONS

A more unique event staged in the Southeastern town of Ketchikan every summer caters to tourists as well. The Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show has a season spanning May to September and costs $34 for adults and $17 for children (plus tax), according to its Web site. For anyone who's seen the lumberjack competitions on ESPNTV, they know what to expect. The competitions in the Great Alaskan Lumberjack Show are friendly rivalries between the staff, but represent the work of a lumberjack. The lumberjacks don't simply demonstrate how to chop wood. They compete in many events in the show; one of the more entertaining is the log roll. Performed in a shallow pool, two "jacks" attempt to roll each other off the log, but also try to get the other wet by dipping a foot and spraying an opponent while attempting to balance with fancy footwork. The lumberjacks also will scale a tall pole, a different event, racing to the top with nothing more than spiked footwear and what appears to be a leather strap. They then barely catch themselves a few times on the way down, where they slide more than carefully step in what seems to be a race against gravity rather than each other.

While in Ketchikan, tourists can partake of another Alaska occupation distinguished by a television show. The Deadliest Catch, on the Discovery Channel, depicts one of the most dangerous jobs in the world--the crab fisherman. You most likely won't be required to chop ice off the deck like they do on the large fishing vessels, especially since Wilderness Exploration & Crab Feed uses much smaller catamarans. This might be a low-key version of the popular television show, but rather than freezing in the Bering Sea, you will learn about Southeast Alaska and take in all the beauty it has to offer. On the "7-mile waterway adventure," according to the Web site, the tour will pass waterfalls and glaciers, an abandoned gold mine and a 1940s cannery. Tourists will learn the process of catching crabs and pull up some crab pots, but those crab will be returned to the ocean as the tour returns to the lodge where a crab dinner awaits. If you're lucky, you might even get to wear the distinctive, canary-yellow raingear.

SEWARD CALLS

Most visitors frequent Alaska in the summer months. However, there is still plenty to do once the cold weather hits. For those of you who find yourselves in Alaska, the third Saturday in January, in need of some entertainment to enliven a dreary winter, the best place to be is 120 miles south of Anchorage in Seward. There, tourists and locals alike will stand in freezing weather to witness one of the most absurd events imaginable. Once anyone has snagged themselves a decent view, those dry on the docks get to watch the Polar Bear Plunge. You guessed it! People dress in outlandish costumes and jump into the literally freezing water. This past January, snowflakes the size of quarters fell, blanketing the harbor of Resurrection Bay. The snow was actually competing with small, circular ice cubes already floating in the water, making the harbor appear molded. These jumpers, however, didn't risk their health for lack of purpose. There are drier ways of having fun in Alaska during the winter. The plunge helps raise money for the Alaska division of the American Cancer Society. In fact, this past January at the event, it was announced that the plunge jumpers raised more than $1.1 million.

The jumpers dressed up in various attire from Disney characters to barbecue chefs to belly dancers. Some were timid and hopped off the dock nearest a ladder for quick escape. Others flipped and belly-flopped, a few dove in headfirst where divers waited to swim anyone who'd lost their breath, safely to the docks, where blankets were waiting.

While the plunge is certainly the most exciting event on the list for weekend, many other festivities are on the line up. Others benefit the American Cancer Society and are just for fun. But it is definitely an event well worth your time.

HUNTERS' PARADISE

Another reason to visit Alaska outside of the summer months is the world-renowned hunting. For those willing to pay the expense, one can hunt the acclaimed animals of Alaska.

Wade Renfro has been a hunting guide for years and started his own business, Renfro's Alaskan Adventures, out of Bethel in 2002. Renfro offers guided and unguided hunting trips in the Kilbuck Mountains. If you reserve a trip with Renfro's Alaskan Adventures for a guided trip, you will need to book it at least a year in advance. They will fly you out to base camp by air charter and do the majority of the setup and cleanup, if you don't want to get your hands too dirty.

Depending upon the type of animal hunted, one might pay upwards of $9,500 for a 10-day hunt. Hunting caribou, the least expensive and most popular hunt, is $4,950 for one person. The price then doubles for brown bear, black bear, moose and sheep. Combination packages are also available.

Most guided trips accommodate two to four people, but more can go if a larger group wished to hunt together. Renfro says the most exciting experience is being "up close and personal with a brown bear," especially when many of the bears hunted have been more than 9 feet in length. However, he believes nothing can compare to the experience of sheep hunting. When sheep hunting, it's not uncommon to climb 5,000 vertical feet and hike 10 miles just to spot a sheep. Not for the faint of heart. However, even more rewarding than the hunt is the experience of isolation in the heart of sheep country which, according to Renfro, is "the most beautiful country."

"The most beautiful country" is the main reason people live in Alaska and why so many tourists are drawn here annually. Few places in the world can still offer the remoteness of Alaska and so it's appropriately nicknamed "The Last Frontier." And since most visitors won't be able to experience all of Alaska, a trip to the wilderness will only leave you wanting more.

RELATED ARTICLE: Tourism book helps kick-start business; author shares all from A to Z.

BY SHANA NISENBAUM

The tourism industry is one of the top two employers for Alaskans. In an effort to assist Alaskans committed to a career in the ever-growing tourism field, Prince William Sound Community College's Copper Basin campus publishes an educational text to provide a detailed introduction for anyone seeking tourism as an avenue for business ownership.

The project was originally presented to PWSCC by Ahtna Inc. in 1993 to aid Alaska Natives in the Copper Basin region to utilize local resources and encourage tourism as a catalyst for economic development.

The purpose of the curriculum is two-fold. The course will introduce and familiarize the students with the integral role of tourism in Alaska and also offer a model of an appropriate business plan. This course is not, however, solely for those new to the industry. It also contains recommendations for those who already own established businesses catering to tourists.

"Tourism in Rural Alaska," authored by Katrina Church-Chmielowski, was reprinted in 2003 in its second edition. The first four parts establish everything from recruiting students and creating a course syllabus to groundwork of building a business and tourism education. The manual consists of three basic focuses: an introduction to tourism, defining tourist attractions and resources particular to a local region and fostering small business establishment and expansion to existing businesses. The manual breaks down the chapters into subjects appropriate to teach in each week of the three-week course.

The initial chapters explain basic mandates of tourism. Chapter 2 organizes types of tourism popular in Alaska; cultural and ecotourism flourish in rural Alaska, as well as industrial tourism, defined as "large (tourist) group sizes, such as cruise ships." Chapter 4 then concentrates on availability of customer services programs and literature accessible to business owners and their employees.

These chapters blend well into how to appropriately utilize land, history and culture to the context of a business. Church-Chmielowski even provides an entire section of the text dedicated to developing skills necessary to interpret the surroundings, thereby enhancing tourist appreciation. In Chapter 7, "Safety," is an especially important chapter for anyone with a business related to the outdoors.

Getting Started

The last focus is a brief overview of starting a business. Chapter 3 advises how to formulate a business plan, manage financing a business, explains the importance of proper marketing and provides additional resource material. The business development chapter assembles dozens of questions devised for application to any business. They allow the owner to decide what is appropriate to a specific business, not just one pre-evaluated template to fulfill.

The last two sections provide additional reading for further education specific to individual businesses. Part 5 identifies categorical titles ranging from geology to flora and fauna. In Part 6, it gives detailed examples of supplementary class materials, as well as advertising ideas for students to adapt to their own business endeavors.

"Tourism in Rural Alaska" covers many relevant bases for those new to the industry. However, emphasis should be placed on the introductory nature of the text. Much of the information provided is to aid in further independent research. The basis of the text was concentrated around the Copper Basin region, but can be applied to most areas. It has been purchased for use from Delaware to Australia and is available for $71. It offers a good foundation to start with, gives appropriate examples and imparts helpful hints even more established companies would find useful. It will clarify skills necessary to enhance a business and provide the reader with the knowledge of where to start in the tourism industry.