Alaska: the good, bad and ugly sides to life on America’s ‘last frontier’

The Good

The name Alaska is derived from the Eskimo word alakshak, meaning “great lands”. Separated from the rest of the United States by the Canadian province of British Columbia, the state is twice the size of Texas. Or, to put it another way, 1,553 Hong Kongs would fit into America’s “last frontier”.

Alaska has the longest coastline of any US state, the most active volcanoes and one bear for every 21 humans, although it’s unclear who did the counting. As for the urban myth that Eskimos have 50 words for snow, anthropologists reckon there might actually be some truth in it – especially as there’s evidence that the Sámi people have 1,000 words that describe reindeer.

Tourists come to hike, hunt, fish and conquer some of the most challenging peaks in the US. You can book a bear-viewing tour or go panning for gold or husky dog-sledding. Alaska is home to more than three million lakes and 100,000 glaciers and, although a third of the state lies within the Arctic Circle, summer temperatures can be pleasantly balmy. In Utqiagvik, the sun rises on May 10 and doesn’t set again for almost three months. Visitors hoping to witness the Northern Lights could do worse than head to the city of Fairbanks, where the natural phenomenon is visible an average of 243 days a year.

Indigenous people comprise roughly a quarter of the state’s population and the Alaska Native Heritage Center, in the city of Anchorage, is a living museum that provides insight into tribal culture through song, dance and storytelling. There’s also the opportunity to purchase handicrafts and clothing directly from artisans.

Talking of handicrafts, another way of helping indigenous Alaskans pay their bills is by shopping at cooperative stores. All the jewellery, artefacts and clothing is handmade and provides employment for native craftspeople living in remote villages where there are few other ways of generating an income.