Can you recommend any good national parks to visit in Alaska I am taking a trip there next summer and have heard that there are some good ones there.

Asks esmeharrison

A. The US state of Alaska is brimming over with national parks and it is definitely one of the best places to visit on a trip there - it is however, one of the largest states in the US so you'll have a lot of ground to cover if you plan to visit more than one. Alaska's state park system is America's largest, boasting almost 3.2 million acres of land and water. But if you do make the effort, you will be absolutely amazed by the scenery. Some of the best ones include the following:

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Denali National Park

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The park can be reached by car from several destinations and is located 250 miles north of Anchorage and 120 miles south of Fairbanks. It can also be reached by train from both of these cities. Camping is allowed throughout the park and has several camping grounds with full facilities. Camping and climbing permits have to be obtained on entrance to the park.

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Bering Land Bridge National Preserve: this is one of the most remote areas in the state of Alaska and was once linked to Asia via a land bridge 13,000 years ago (the land bridge now lies under the waters of the Bering and Chukchi Seas)�- and was once the thoroughfare for Asians to reach and populate North America. Located near Nome, on the Seward Peninsula in northwest Alaska the preserve's western boundary lies 42 miles from the Bering Strait and the fishing boundary between the United States and Russia.

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The park is best visited in the summer months of July and August when bush planes and boats can be chartered to visit it, otherwise access to the national park is very limited especially in winter when small planes on skis make the trip, but a lot less often. Winter temperatures often dive below -20oC so it is not the best time to visit - and you should have resilient equipment and a guide if possible as the landscape can be very desolate and dangerous to novices.

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Aniakchak National Monument and Preserve

Located near King Salmon, this national park is on a crater, on the site of an active volcano (last erupted in 1930), that offers many volcanic features e.g. cinder cones, expulsion pits and lava flows. Surprise Lake is located in the middle of the crater.

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Alagnak Wild River: is a national park area within the Aleutian Range and can be reached by plane from King Salmon (the nearest large town) or Anchorage. The river itself winds its way through dense spruce forestland and besides fishing and boating you can also participate in bird watching, hiking, hunting, kayaking, white water rafting or view the wildlife. The river is known for its superb fish particularly its king salmon, grayling, sockeye salmon and rainbow trout. You are allowed to camp within the national park but there are no facilities.

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Cape Krusenstern National Monument: located in the north west of Alaska this national monument is well known for its beach ridges that have recorded the changing shorelines of the Chukchi Sea for centuries. Aerial views of the national monument show a treeless coastal plain dotted with lagoons - very welcoming to the tourist but also deceiving, as the weather here is incredibly changeable.

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In the summer for example the average temperature is around 50oC, but winds of up to 70MPH can produce dangerous conditions and wind chill factor - and all visitors should be aware that exposure and hypothermia are real threats to visitors all year round. Arctic winter conditions - snow, ice, wind, and below-freezing temperatures exist in the park from October through to April every year.

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Gates Of The Arctic National Park & Preserve: combines some of the most beautiful and magnificent scenery you are ever likely to see in one place - glaciated valleys, rugged mountains, wild rivers and arctic tundra vegetation all contribute to its wild and undeveloped character. It is also called home by black bears, grizzly bears, wolves and Dall sheep.

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The park is located within the central Brooks Range and the nearest big town is Bettles from where air taxis and planes can be chartered to visit the park.

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Katmai National Park & Preserve: is a great place to visit. It is located near King Salmon and is known for its volcanoes (14 active), over 3,000 brown bears and wild scenery. It is also home to the Brooks River National Historic Landmark with North America's highest concentration of prehistoric human dwellings. Prime bear viewing months are July and September.

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Lake Clark National Park & Preserve: is home to two active volcanoes Mt. Redoubt and Mt. Iliamna and the lake itself is 40 miles long and is one of the largest sockeye salmon fishing grounds in the world.

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Other national parks include:

Glacier Bay National Park & Preserve (near Gustavus); Inupiat Heritage Centre (near Barrow, is a whaling national park); Kenai Fjords National Park (near Seward); Noatak National Preserve; Sitka National Historical Park (the oldest designated national park in Alaska); Wrangell - St Elias National Park & Preserve (near Copper Centre) and Yukon - Charley Rivers National Preserve (near Eagle).

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Q. When is the best time to visit Alaska

A. The best time to visit is between June and September when the weather is at its mildest - you can also experience 24-hour daylight around the summer solstice (21 June).

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By Karen Anderson