The stopovers

Fairbanks

The northernmost point of your trip is a great place to get a taste of Alaska's interior. Kids will love the Ice Museum and panning for gold. Stay at the River's Edge Resort, simple but picturesque cottages on a bend in the Chena River (from $162 a night, 800-770-3343).

The Food

The Pump House Restaurant and Saloon: Hearty fare (steak, reindeer, and local seafood, including of course Alaska king crab) in an authentic 1890s gold-rush-era setting on the banks of the Chena. Kids will love the giant nine-foot-eight-inch Kodiak brown bear at the entrance. 796 Chena Pump Road, 907-479-8452.

The Activities

Chena Hot Springs Resort: The natural hot tubs and heated indoor swimming pool are open year-round, as is the Aurora Ice Museum, featuring endless ice sculptures, a circular ice staircase, and the Aurora Ice Bar, where your martini comes in a glass made of, yes, ice. 56.5 Mile Chena Hot Springs Road, 800-478-4681.

Gold Dredge No. 8: It doesn't sound that appealing, but this legacy of Alaska's gold-mining past, which separated gold from tons of underground gravel for more than 30 years before closing in 1959, is a pretty fascinating piece of technology in its own right. And after touring it, you get to pan for gold—and keep whatever you find. $25 for ages 13 and up, $12.50 for ages 7 to 12, children 6 and under free; 1755 Old Steese Highway N., 907-457-6058.

Riverboat Discovery: Take a three-and-a-half-hour trip down the Chena in a paddleboat, with stops to watch sled dogs run at the kennels of four-time Iditarod champion Susan Butcher, and a chance to tour a re-created native Athabascan village. $50 for ages 13 and up, $35 for ages 3 to 12, ages 2 and under free; 1975 Discovery Drive, 866-479-6673.

Fairbanks Ice Museum: If you can't make it out to the one at the hot springs, this place downtown, which features life-size sculptures of polar bears, walruses, and sled dogs, as well as an ice xylophone that you can play yourself, will give you a sense of this region's passion for ice sculpting. Adults $12, children 6 to 12 $6, children 5 and under free; 500 2nd Avenue, 907-451-8222.

Denali

The sprawling national park has a nearly endless supply of adventures: hiking and horseback riding, white-water rafting and wagon rides, flight tours and glacier landings via prop plane or helicopter—even night golfing (remember: 20 hours of daylight!). A good hotel option is the rustic, log cabin-esque Denali Grizzly Bear Resort, which is five miles from the park entrance but far less hectic than the larger, cruise-ship-passenger-dominated resorts along the main strip that locals call "Glitter Gulch" (from $149 a night, 866-583-2696).

The Food

Nenana View Bar & Grill: Sustainable regional fare in the main restaurant of the McKinley Chalet Resort, a large complex that mainly hosts Holland America cruise participants. Mile 238.9 Parks Highway, 907-683-8258.

Black Bear Coffee House: This homey spot across the highway from the Princess resort serves good locally roasted coffee (thanks to the long, dark winters, Alaskans take their coffee very seriously). It'll also make boxed lunches for you to take on hikes or other day trips in the park. Mile 238.5 Parks Highway, 907-683-1656.

The Activities

Murie Science and Learning Center: A small museum just inside the entrance to the park offers a primer on the flora and fauna you'll find here, as well as giving visitors a sense of just how big Denali really is. The center also offers various field seminars, but they fill up fast, so sign up well in advance of your visit. Denali National Park and Preserve, 907-683-1269.

Era Flightseeing: Based just a mile from the park entrance and the big resort hotels, Era offers a breathtaking 50-minute helicopter tour over the top of the Alaska Range, including (on a clear day) spectacular views of Mount McKinley (or Denali, as most Alaskans prefer to call it). Also available are a glacier-landing tour and heli-hiking backcountry adventure. From $299 per person; Mile 238 Parks Highway, 800-843-1947.

Denali National Park Kennels: Watch the park's own team of sled dogs pull a demonstration sled. The chance to meet some of the friendliest dogs up-close-and-personal will thrill little ones. Included in entrance fee to the park ($10 a person or $20 a vehicle); 907-683-2294.

Black Diamond Covered Wagon Tours: An evocative, old-timey hour-long ride along the northern boundary of the park behind two enormous draft horses, including a stop for a hearty grilled dinner of meat, salmon, and cranberry cobbler. Young kids will love the chance to pet and talk to the horses. $79 for adults and kids 12 and up, $40 for kids 5 to 12, kids under 5 free; Mile 247 Parks Highway, Healy; 907-683-4653.

Anchorage

The state's largest city is home to the best restaurants you'll find on the trip. There's also the Imaginarium science museum and the fascinating Alaska Native Heritage Center. Tuck in at the charming, spacious Historic Anchorage Hotel, located in one of downtown's oldest buildings (from $99 a night, 800-544-0988).

The Food

Orso: This upscale downtown hot spot is a favorite for lunch among the Anchorage business set. Try the excellent smoked-salmon chowder and the fresh salmon specials. 737 West 5th Avenue, 907-222-3232.

Jens' Restaurant: Believe it or not, many of the top restaurants in Anchorage—and thus in Alaska—are located in unassuming strip malls in the Midtown district. Such is the case here, where chef Jens Haagen Hansen and his staff of veteran waiters serve showstoppers like fresh alder-roasted Alaskan king salmon and almond-crusted cod on a blueberry beurre blanc (many of the recipes feature a Danish twist), alongside a remarkably large and diverse wine list. Perhaps best of all, the chef and his staff seem to actually enjoy the presence of young children. 701 West 36th Avenue, 907-561-5367.

The Activities

Alaska Native Heritage Center: This cultural center, which was built in 1999 by the Alaska Federation of Natives, provides visitors with insight into the five separate indigenous Alaska native groups. The indoor museum features artifacts and short films about each people, as well as demonstrations of native dancing and storytelling. But the highlight is outside the museum: life-size replicas of traditional village dwellings of each of the five native groups, set in a path around a small lake. 8800 Heritage Center Drive, 800-315-6608.

The Imaginarium Science Discovery Center: This science museum, currently located in the lower level of a downtown mall building, is patiently awaiting an upcoming expansion into a new, larger space. But it's got plenty to keep kids fascinated in the meantime, including turtles and lizards they can touch, a machine that lets them create bubbles while standing inside them, and a live feed from NASA. 737 West 5th Avenue, 907-276-3179.