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Alaska's Regions
Alaska is typically divided into 5 major regions:
Inside Passage
(or Southeast)
Southcentral
Southwest
Interior
Far North
A good source of information about Alaska is Alaska's official Travel & Tourism website: TravelAlaska.com - there you'll find good information on how to get around, where to stay and what to do. Each region has it's own unique qualities – here is a quick summary of each region.
 Inside Passage (Southeast)
Carved by glaciers and blanketed with majestic hemlock and spruce, Alaska's Inside Passage is a region of pristine water, snow capped mountains, deep fjords, and misty islands. With its wet, mild, maritime climate, this area is prime habitat for bald eagles, black bears, and Sitka deer - in the water, sea lions, porpoise, and whales are often spotted.
Much of Southeast Alaska is part of the Tongass National Forest, a 16.8 million acre forest. Glacier Bay National Park has 16 active tidewater glaciers. Misty Fjords National Monument near Ketchikan has 3,000 foot cliffs rising directly from pristine ocean channels.
The picturesque coastal communities are rich in history and Native traditions. The capital city of Juneau was founded during the Gold Rush, while Sitka was originally the capital of Russian America. Petersburg is rich in Norwegian heritage. The Gold Rush "Days of '98" are alive in Skagway. Ketchikan boasts the world's largest collection of totem poles. In Haines, a Native cultural center is housed in historic Port Chilkoot.
Transportation in the Inside Passage is by air or sea – roads are limited in this place where land and sea seem to mix and mingle. The region's legendary "green-ness" is also part and parcel of that closeness to the sea; rain and snow fed by Pacific Ocean storms have made Alaska's coast the world's northernmost rainforest. Annual rainfall: 92 inches. Longest day: 18.18 hrs. Shortest Day: 6:21 hrs.
 SouthCentral
Over half of Alaska's population calls Southcentral home. And it's no wonder. The area is a dream for those who love outdoor recreation – activities range from world-class fishing to hiking and wildlife viewing, all kinds of boating to skiing and mountain biking. With mountains, glaciers, rivers and lakes, the region offers the advantages of remote wilderness, but has the state's most extensive road system. Southcentral has the amenities filmmakers seek, while serving as the gateway to an Alaska wilderness experience.
Southcentral offers "slices" of the other regions: Prince William Sound is reminiscent of the Inside Passage, the Kenai Peninsula is similar to parts of the Southwest, and the upper Susitna and Copper River basin resembles the Interior. Access and transportation is good and the weather tends to be moderate. That's why Alaska's largest city, Anchorage is located there.
The area is served by all the state's major highways, the Alaska Railroad, and the Alaska Marine Highway (ferry) System. Anchorage is the hub of a busy transportation network linking large areas of the state. The Kenai Peninsula, a scenic and sport-fishing paradise, and the easily accessible Kenai Fjords National Park lie south of Anchorage. Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, to the north-east, contains nine of the 16 highest peaks in the US and the amazing Kennecott Copper mine - now abandoned. Chugach National Forest rings Prince William Sound and is the nation's largest National Forest.
The weather in this region is variable—Prince William Sound has a mild, maritime climate, while Anchorage and inland areas enjoy less precipitation, low humidity, and greater temperature ranges. Snow covers the region from late October to mid-April. Annual rainfall 15.2 inches. Longest day: 19.21 hrs. Shortest Day: 5.28 hrs.
 Southwest
For those who want wild nature in its elemental state, few places on earth compare with the wonders of Southwest Alaska.
The landscape ranges from the wide open deltas of the Yukon and Kuskokwim rivers, to the surreal volcanic landscape of Katmai National Park. Lake Clark is a little known National Park in the region. The treeless and windswept Aleutian Islands make a 1,000-mile sweep toward Asia and are part of the Alaska Maritime Wildlife refuge. In the McNeil River State Game Sanctuary, up to 2,500 brown bears congregate in the summer to feed on salmon. The Pribilof Islands offer unsurpassed sea bird and fur seal viewing. Fly-in fishing lodges dot the wilderness.
The principal ports are Kodiak, Dillingham, Dutch Harbor/Unalaska, and King Salmon. The Yupik Eskimo community of Bethel is a major hub serving as a commercial center for villages of the Yukon and Kuskokwim river deltas. The Native people, known for their excellent basketry, are both Yupik Eskimo and Aleut. The waters are teeming with abundant marine life, and 230 species of birds frequent the Aleutians.
The weather can be capricious and wild or balmy and mild (sometimes even on the same day!). Mainland areas can be windy, but rain and snow do not fall frequently. On the Alaska Peninsula and the Aleutian Islands, it can be an Arctic climate which is constantly changing. Annual rainfall 16.1 inches. Longest day: 19.11 hrs. Shortest Day: 5.36 hrs.
There is no place quite like Alaska's magnificent South-west and venturing there in search of filmmaking opportunities is both challenging and intensely rewarding. Transportation is almost entirely by air and distances can be immense. When everything comes together it is stunning and it makes all the challenges worthwhile.
 Interior
In Alaska's heartland, you'll see the continent's tallest peak, Mt. McKinley (Denali) and wide expanses of alpine tundra. The forests teem with wildlife ranging from the bears to stately herds of caribou. Light may be the region's defining characteristic: summer's midnight sun or winter'’s northern lights – both must be experienced to be believed.
The Yukon River courses nearly 2,000 miles across Interior Alaska and Canada, from the historic Klondike to the Bering Sea. The Native people of this land are largely Athabascan Indians, known for their intricate beadwork. At the heart of the region is Fairbanks, Alaska's second largest city. Born in the gold rush, this trade and transportation center houses military bases, and the main campus of the University of Alaska.
Mt. McKinley, the highest mountain in North America, is surrounded by Denali National Park and Preserve. As part of the extended Alaska Range, this area boasts spectacular mountain vistas, berry-laden tundra, and an abundance of wildlife including caribou, moose, Dall sheep, and grizzly bear. The Interior is one of the best locations on earth for viewing the Northern Lights. Visitors traveling the Alaska Highway enter the state near Tok in the eastern portion of this region.
This region of endless tundra, forest rolling hills and mountains has temperatures that can hit both extremes, but annual precipitation is low. Snow is typically on the ground between October and April. Permafrost underlies much of the interior. Annual rainfall 10.4 inches. Longest day: 21.49 hrs. Shortest Day: 3.45 hrs.
 Far North
Above the Yukon River, beyond the vast Brooks Range, the summer tundra unrolls a carpet of delicate wildflowers to meet the Arctic coast. This is the home of the Inupiat Eskimos, the land of Northern Lights and the Midnight Sun. Traditional Eskimo life-style, modern oil field technology, and immense herds of wild caribou coexist in an environment that is both fierce and fragile.
Migratory birds and marine mammals abound, and some of America’s finest wilderness parklands are found in this area. Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, with adjacent Noatak National Preserve and Kobuk Valley National Park, comprises one of the world’s largest parkland areas. The 180,000 member Porcupine Caribou Herd migrates through the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
Alaska’s two largest Eskimo communities, Kotzebue and Barrow, and historic Nome, are the major towns in this region. The only road access into Arctic Alaska is the Dalton Highway, a gravel service road that links Prudhoe Bay to the State's public highway systems. Most communities of Alaska's Far North are accessible from Fairbanks or Anchorage via jet or small aircraft. This is one of Alaska's most diverse regions, filled with cultural opportunities, wildlife and a landscape ranging from coastal plains to mountain ranges.
The arctic region receives very little precipitation and humidity compares with that of a desert. Light dry snow stays on the ground from September to May. Ice masses remain in the ocean year-round. Annual rainfall 4.8 inches. Longest day: No sunset 5/10 to 8/2 Shortest Day: No sunrise 11/18 to 1/24.
More General Information Resources:
A collection of useful geographic information (Climate, Daylight hours, and more maps)
Community Databank - Information on Alaska's Communities
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That’s a lot of real estate – and a lot of different landscapes and ecosystems. Across Alaska are a nearly unlimited number of potential filming locations – so unless you’re looking for sun-baked cactus in the desert, Alaska can help realize your vision.
