A brown bear launches into a river in Katmai National Park to try and catch one of the many sockeye salmon spawning in large numbers. Charlie Wemyss-Dunn/Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

Special Report

Alaska

Alaska is nicknamed “The Great Land,” and for good reason: it is wild, rugged and expansive. In a series of articles, Smithsonian magazine explores the history, culture and natural wonders of the 49th state.

Travel

How Alaska's Historic Roadhouses Are Standing the Test of Time

The multipurpose lodgings along trails and rivers capture the state’s pioneering culture and spirit

Wildflowers, spongy tundra grass and Brooks Range mountains emerge from the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge on Alaska's North Slope.

Smart News

Alaska's Frigid North Slope Was Once a Lush, Wet, Dinosaur Hotspot, Fossils Reveal

Conditions north of the Arctic Circle, where dinosaurs roamed in abundance during the mid-Cretaceous, were warmer than today, with rainfall comparable to “modern-day Miami”

Video footage captured by a remotely operated underwater vehicle shows the cable winch of the S.S. Dellwood, a 3,500-ton U.S. Army vessel that had been installing communication lines when it collided with a submerged rock pinnacle.

Smart News

Unraveling the Mysteries of the Battle of Attu, the 'Forgotten Battle' of World War II

Underwater archaeologists discovered three shipwrecks submerged near the small Alaskan island, which was the site of one of the deadliest conflicts in the Pacific

<p>With a sunny “halo” to point the way, a truck climbs into the Brooks Range towards Atigun Pass, heading for Fairbanks after departing the oilfields of Prudhoe Bay.</p>

<p></p>

Travel

See the Glorious Beauty of Alaska With 15 Images From the Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest

See why the 49th state is a No. 1 destination

Togo and his owner, musher Leonhard Seppala, in 1927

History

This Heroic Dog Raced Across the Frozen Alaskan Wilderness to Deliver Life-Saving Medicine—but His Contributions Were Long Overlooked

Togo, not Balto, was the driving force behind the 1925 Serum Run to Nome, which found teams of mushers and sled dogs delivering antitoxin to children suffering from diphtheria

Matanuska Glacier north of Anchorage is one of the best spots for a more intense experience in the Alaskan wilderness.

Travel

Seven Ways to Explore Alaska's Endangered Glacial World

With the state’s glaciers retreating at alarming rates, there is no time like now to trek, climb, paddle and fly to see them

Backpackers hike near Crescent Lake in Alaska's Chugach National Forest.

Travel

Alps-Style Hut-to-Hut Travel Is On Its Way to Alaska

Several ambitious projects are poised to bring a long trail and 25 new huts to the Last Frontier

Ice worms spend most of the day burrowing their way through the cold, dark interior of the glacier, coming to the surface only in the afternoon to feed on algae and bacteria.

Travel

This Eight-Day Festival Celebrates One of Alaska's Weirdest Worms

Welcome to the Cordova Ice Worm Festival, a quirky local tradition honoring the mysterious creatures that live in glacial ice

The mineral-rich soak at Chena Hot Springs, about 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks, has been attracting tourists since the early 1900s.

Travel

You Can Soak in These Eight Hot Springs in Alaska

From resorts to remote spots, natural thermal waters throughout the state beckon tourists

The rocky beach in Wrangell, Alaska, is decorated with more than 40 petroglyphs.

Travel

The Mystery of This Petroglyph-Covered Alaskan Beach

The 8,000-year-old rock carvings were likely created by the Tlingit