The largest and northernmost state in the US, Alaska attracts nearly 2 million visitors annually. Sold to the US by Russia in 1867, 'Seward's Folly' was ridiculed until large deposits of gold were discovered shortly afterward in the Gastineau Channel. In 1898, the Klondike Gold Rush fueled immigration to a state rich in natural resources: marine life, oil, timber, and fur. The state's crown jewel is Denali National Park, six million acres of taiga and tundra, above which soars majestic Mt. McKinley, North America's tallest peak. In the park, 'flightseeing' tours offer stunning views of coastal rivers and sightings of grizzly bears, caribou, moose, wolves, and Dall sheep. Visitors sip microbrews in Anchorage, Alaska's largest city, learn about indigenous peoples at the Alaska Native Heritage Center, climb Flattop Mountain, and enjoy world-class skiing, sea kayaking, and wildlife cruises in Kenai Fjords National Park and Chugach National Forest, where backcountry camping is also popular. Founded as a trading post in the early 1900s, Fairbanks provides access to the remote Artic wilderness, which can be explored by riverboat, plane, and even hot air balloon, and the University of Alaska Museum features exhibits on the evacuation of Aleut and Japanese residents during WWII as well as a preserved 36,000 year old steppe bison. Children and adults alike will enjoy a stop at the University's Large Animal Research Station to see musk oxen and reindeer. Southeastern Alaska, known as the Panhandle, comprises thousands of islands, inlets, and fjords; hiking, kayaking, fishing, and flightseeing in the Tongass National Forest are popular diversions. In Ketchikan, museums, shopping, and art galleries cluster on historic Creek Street, and a few miles south, authentic Native totem poles and a clan house are on display at Saxman Totem Park. The Alaska State Museum in the state capital, Juneau, provides information about Alaska's history and culture, and glacier trekking is popular on nearby Mendenhall Glacier, where visitors can view ice fields and hemlock forests from the Tongass National Forest's many trails. Nearby Glacier Bay National Park offers rare opportunities to view whales, seals, and sea bird rookeries, and in Sitka, boats may be chartered for sport fishing for native halibut and salmon. While accommodation is available at hostels and campgrounds throughout the state, lodges and cozy B&Bs may be found in all the major cities as well as in remoter outposts. While Alaska is known for its rugged wilderness, travelers will be delighted to find luxurious accommodations, hearty home-cooked meals, and knowledgeable hosts.