Alaska

Just 45-minutes outside the capital city of Anchorage is the Aleyska ski resort near Girdwood. The nearby Alaska Wildlife Rescue Center gets you up close to many of the state’s most famous critters. A walk on the world’s highest sky bridges gets heart rates up!

Accessible only by air, the 5-room Sheldon Chalet sits atop at nanutuk on Denali National Park’s Ruth Glacier. Think sweeping peak views while snowshoeing, skiing, or sledding directly from your private chalet. Anyone for a cold plunge in a glacial crevasse? In the nearby frontier town of Talkeetna, dog sled with Iditarod-bound mushers and cuddle the puppies. Make sure to sample some fireweed ice cream.

West of Anchorage and accessible only by air sits the Tordrillo Mountain Lodge as well as the Winterlake Lodge (under renovations).

Further south, Stillpoint Lodge on Kachemak Bay is a short boat, heli or floatplane from Homer. From the lodge, you can kayak among icebergs on a hidden glacial lake, spot grizzlies in Katmai National Park, fish for halibut and watch for otter rafts and whales in the Cook Inlet. The nearby Tutka Bay Lodge is also well situated for explorations.

Way farther afield in the east, Ultima Thule Lodge sits on the banks of a raging glacier river inside Wrangell/St Elias National Park, North America’s largest. Imagine Yellowstone, Yosemite and Switzerland combined but with no roads, no trails, and very few people. Just endless miles of bush-plane powered adventure and alpine paradise.