The new Hawaii Superferry is embroiled in an environmental battle.
Photo: Hawaii Superferry

by Brook Wilkinson

Hawaii Superferry has won the latest round of its years-long battle against Hawaiian environmentalists. This means that it will soon resume service between Oahu and Maui, and between Oahu and Kauai. But I would urge anyone headed to the islands to fly instead.

Back in 2005, the Hawaiian government ruled that the state's first inter-island passenger ferry would not need an environmental review before it started operating. Many residents and environmental groups, including the Sierra Club, have protested since then that a review needs to be done, to study whether the ships might affect the local whale population or spread invasive species among islands. Back in August, the state Supreme Court finally ruled that an environmental review is indeed needed before the ferry can begin operating. However, because of this political flip-flop, the ruling came just weeks before the ferry was due to begin service. Preventing the ferry from running for the months or years that it could likely take for an environmental study to be completed spells certain death for the company, which has already hired 300 employees.

How did some locals protest the news that the state legislature would in fact allow Hawaii Superferry to resume service while an environmental study was undertaken? Read on to find out.

This photo, shot by a reader and submitted to our Dream Trip contest, captures the view from a cruise ship between Sitka and Frederick Sound.

by Brook Wilkinson

Question from reader Johnsalmon:

"I am planning a trip to Alaska for late August. The original concept was to fly to Anchorage, rent a car, and drive to various sites, mostly in the interior (where I lived for three years as a child in the 1950s). However, I'm now wondering if it is possible to fly to Seattle or Vancouver and take a cruise one-way to the Anchorage area. From there I'd pick up a car, take my interior drive, and eventually fly home. I'd like to see the inland passage, glaciers, etc., if possible."

Actually, your options aren't limited if you're looking for a one-way cruise to Alaska -- most of the major lines run such itineraries. I asked Margret Propper of Brownell Travel, an Alaska expert on Conde Nast Traveler's list of the world's best travel planners, for some advice. She said:

"The cruises that depart out of Seattle do not go all the way to Anchorage, so I would suggest a cruise from Vancouver to Whittier or Seward. You can then take the cruise line's transfer inland to Anchorage, arriving at about noon, and either overnight there or pick up a car and drive north. It might be better to fly out of Fairbanks rather than Anchorage if you are planning to travel as far as Denali National Park -- from there, it's a shorter drive to continue north."

Read on for Margret's tips on choosing the right cruise line.

The Regent Seven Seas Mariner plies Alaska's waters all summer long.
Photo: Regent Seven Seas

by Brook Wilkinson

Question from reader Michael in Gallipolis, Ohio:

"My wife and I are planning our 25th anniversary trip for next June/August 2008. We have always wanted to take an Alaska cruise and inland excursion. Any advice on what to do, what to expect (costwise), and recommendations for the best trip of our lives?"

The best trip of our lives, huh? No pressure! Not to worry, I have just the person to help you: Margret Propper of Brownell Travel, who's been to Alaska -- on both land and sea -- more than 40 times. Here's what she recommends for you:

"Fly to Anchorage and drive 40 miles south to the lovely Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. The next day take a helicopter tour to a glacier and drive or ride with a dog team across the glacier -- perhaps celebrating with a glass of champagne and an anniversary photo with the dog team (possible Christmas card!). That evening, have a special anniversary dinner at the resort's Seven Glaciers Restaurant, which is accessibly only by cable car. You can really see seven glaciers! The next day...

The view from my table at the Crow's Nest restaurant at 9:00 p.m., June 7, 2007.

By Tara Kyle

The finale of my week in Anchorage was dinner at the Crow's Nest, which sits atop one of the towers of the Hotel Captain Cook.  This is the place for the city's best meal with a view.  We asked for a table overlooking Cook Inlet (see photo), but the view of the Chugach Mountains behind the city is lovely too.  There truly is no bad table.  Entrees are pricey ? in the $30 to $40 range ? so if you're traveling on a budget, consider swinging by the bar either pre- or post-dinner for a cocktail with a panorama.

The coconut curry and crab soup is, according to our server, the most popular thing on the menu "by far."

Pablo and his bike rental hut in downtown Anchorage.

By Tara Kyle

Day 6 in Anchorage: One of the best reasons to visit Southcentral Alaska rather than the Inside Passage (home to the towns where cruise ships dock) is the drier weather: In August, for instance, Anchorage gets fewer than three inches of rain, whereas Sitka gets double that amount. And one of the best ways to see the Anchorage area is to take advantage of the sun and pick up a bike from Pablo's Bike Rentals, conveniently located next to downtown's Copper Whale Inn. You'll get exceptionally friendly service and a choice between $15 for a three-hour rental and $30 for a full day plus overnight. 

Tip: Skip the city's interior trails like Chester and Campbell Creeks.  They are poorly marked in sections and pass through some of the city's shadier neighborhoods.  Instead, go back to the Coastal Trail.

A simulation of the semi-subterranean homes once used by the indigenous people of the Aleutian Islands.
Photo: Anchorage Museum

By Tara Kyle

Day 5 in Anchorage, and I spent it at the Anchorage Museum at the Rasmuson Center. If you've got time for only one museum visit during a trip to Alaska, this isn't it:  I'm partial to the Alaska State Museum in my hometown of Juneau, since its permanent exhibitions include a cool simulation of the climb from a Southeast Alaskan fjord up into the mountain ranges.  But if you've got time for two museum visits, include the Anchorage Museum's upstairs Alaska Gallery on your itinerary. 

Kids in particular will get a kick out of the life-size simulations of late 18th- and early 19th-century dwellings used by Alaska's indigenous Aleut, Athabaskan, Eskimo, and Northwest Coast Indian communities.  Among the art downstairs, I recommend this summer's "Changing Hands: Art without Reservation 2" exhibit.  It highlights traditional and non-traditional works (some with a political dimension) from Native American and Canadian artists.  I particularly liked one piece, "Ethnopoly," that put a twist on the classic board game by exploring the racial dimension of pursuing the American dream (e.g. instead of chance cards, players would draw cards labeled "hope" and "fate").

Flattop Peak was enveloped in mist yesterday when I took this snapshot in the pouring rain. The local kids climbing down from the summit were a lot tougher than I.

By Tara Kyle

Day 4 of my trip to Anchorage.  Alaska's most climbed mountain, atop the 1.5-mile Flattop Mountain Trail in Chugach State Park, is just a 20- to 30-minute drive from downtown. You need to be moderately physically fit for this work-out; the trail is steep in sections, and dislodged rocks can be hazardous.

Need something lighter?  We stuck to the Anchorage Overlook Trail, a much easier .5-mile path with plenty of nice picnic spots (and, in late summer, lots of nearby blueberries for picking).

The good thing about rainy days in Anchorage:  The city gets close to 20 hours of daylight in summer (tomorrow the sun will rise at 4:30 and set at 11:30). So, if it's raining in the afternoon, you can do your trail hiking in the evenings; it's not unusual for the sun to finally come out at 7 or 8 p.m.

For the fainter of heart: In bad weather, choose the Overlook Trail.

Snow City Cafe is the Anchorage Press's pick for Best Breakfast 2003 and 2004 and Best Brunch 2005 and 2006.

By Tara Kyle

It's Day 3 of my trip to Anchorage, where locals know that the best spot for breakfast or brunch is Snow City Cafe.  They also know not to show up at noon on a Sunday and expect to be seated quickly. (We made this mistake yesterday and faced an hour-long wait.) Tip: Although Snow City Cafe doesn't take reservations, it turns out that if you call in advance they will put your name down and tell you an approximate time to show up.

Traditional Alaskan birch bark baskets from J. Choate Basketry at Anchorage's downtown summer market.

By Tara Kyle

Just spent the afternoon at the Anchorage Market and Festival -- a highlight of summer weekends here. Located downtown, just a short hop from the start of the Coastal Trail, the outdoor market has grown from a couple of dozen vendors 15 years ago to more than 300 today.  There are loads of local crafts, culinary treats, and free entertainment.

The best shopping is at the stands featuring native Alaskan crafts such as birch bark baskets (I remember birch bark basketry lessons from my elementary school days in Alaskan Studies class) and jewelry made from the ivory of woolly mammoths (I bought an ivory beaded bracelet for $20).

11,000-year-old mammoth ivory combined with stones like jade and amethyst.

Me (left) and my sister Megan (right) at an entrance to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail in Anchorage, Alaska.
Photo: Lisa Kyle

By Tara Kyle

Greetings from Anchorage, Alaska, where I'm taking a week to visit my dad and step-mom . . . and provide you with insider tips for things to see and do in Alaska.   Almost 600 miles northwest of my hometown of Juneau, Anchorage is a great base for a road or train trip to Denali National Park (home of Mt. McKinley, North America's highest peak) and a worthy alternative to the cruise ship destinations of southeast Alaska.

One attraction you won't want to miss is the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, an 11-mile path that snakes its way from downtown Anchorage to Kincaid Park. This is where locals come to jog, bike or walk their dogs. Because the trail is flat, it's a good option regardless of your fitness level. Not many of us, however, have the energy or time to invest in a full 11-mile journey! For a one-hour total walk, enter at the trail's northeast end, near West 2nd Avenue and the railroad depot (this is conveniently close to popular downtown hotels like the Captain Cook). Keep walking for about 30 minutes until you hit Westchester Lagoon.

Westchester Lagoon, a popular picnic spot along the Coastal Trail. In the winter, the frozen lagoon is groomed for ice skating.

Picture yourself relaxing on Waikiki Beach or hiking up the
Diamond Head cone on Oahu, Hawaii this summer.
Photo: Robert Glusic, Photodisc, Getty Images/Conde Nast Traveler

by Brook Wilkinson

If you're planning a trip to Hawaii between now and Christmas, listen up: There's an airfare war going on among the inter-island carriers, and consumers are reaping the benefits big-time. Earlier this week, our pals over at Jaunted tipped us off that new carrier go! had announced $9 fares between Hawaii's islands -- tickets that are normally in the triple digits -- but all the seats at that low price had already been snapped up. Now, word comes via the Honolulu Advertiser that go!, Hawaiian, and Aloha airlines are all extending the deal through Friday (tomorrow). This ultra-low fare is available for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from now until December 15 (barring July 4th, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving). Act quickly to get these seats before they're gone!

Accommodations are sparser than on cruise ships, but Alaska's ferries will let you see the state at your own pace.
Photo: Alaska Marine Highway

By Tara Kyle

In my cruise-ship port of a hometown, I always felt sorry for our 8-hour tourists.  When cruise ships stop in Juneau, passengers typically bus to the Mendenhall Glacier, ride past the crowded harborside strip of T-shirt shops and kitschy art galleries, snap a photo atop the Mount Roberts Tramway, and then rush back to their ship by late afternoon.  If they have the bad luck of a rainy day -- and most Juneau days are very, very wet -- they'll see even less.

So I was disheartened when Wendy showed me a Cruise Week report that the close to 1 million cruisers predicted to visit Alaska in 2008 will likely account for a whopping 80% of the state's total visitors.

Still not in Tennessee: The Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska.
Photo: University of California, Berkeley

by Tara Kyle

As someone who spent her formative years living through all the good (hiking, skiing, glaciers) and bad (rain, cold, isolation) that Alaska has to offer, my blood boiled a bit when I read that Tennessee's tourism experts got caught using a photo of the Alaska Range in a Tennessee ad campaign.

The print ad, which appears in Outside and Travel + Leisure, shows a cyclist in the mountains and states, "You don't just visit Tennessee. You experience it.  Engage it.  Challenge it.  And, at any point on our more than 1,800 miles of bike trails, love it."  An Anchorage biker caught the gaffe: The photo originally appeared in a National Geographic article about --  you guessed it -- Alaska!

This is the third in a string of travel-advertising gaffes that Jaunted has noted this year:

By Wendy Perrin

Question from reader AGupta:

"We are going to Hawaii (Kauai, Maui, and the Big Island) in August. Where can we find the best of those shaved-ice snow-cone things for which the islands are famous?"

Boy are you in luck: I've gotten your question answered by none other than the Materialist herself. A fellow editor and blogger at Conde Nast Traveler Magazine, the Materialist is also a Honolulu native with impeccable culinary tastes who has brought her exacting standards to bear on your search for the perfect Hawaiian snow cone.

Photo courtesy of Matsumoto Shave Ice.

Setting for a friend's wedding on the north shore of Kauai, Nov. 2006

By Wendy Perrin

Question from reader wfd:

"Our son and future wife are looking for a site for a small, family-only beach wedding in April.  They have talked about the Hawaiian island of Maui, but none of us have been there. Any better ideas or specific locales to suggest?"

I have no earthly idea. So I asked my friend Jamie Nelson, a seasoned and savvy traveler who just got married on the Hawaiian island of Kauai last month. Her advice:

"Maui is a terrific choice. In fact, I was the maid of honor in my best friend's wedding last March on a very scenic beach in Maui near Makena. . . . 

Photo: Alpine Air

By Wendy Perrin

A question emailed to me this week:

"Do you know of any agency that gives tours or can arrange a trip to Alaska, where we can then take dogsled rides . . . IN THE SUMMER??  My husband saw an ad on TV. . . but didn't get any info. He said it was near some renowned hotel."  DeLite Vogley

Margret Propper is the Alaska specialist you're looking for.  I've gotten dozens of thank-you letters from Conde Nast Traveler readers raving about the spectacular Alaska trips she's booked for them.