One thing we have learned from our bracket for the Best Adventure State: don’t mess with Alaska. After overcoming three tough opponents in earlier rounds—Wyoming, Montana, and Colorado—Alaska trailed Oregon by over forty votes on the final day before coming all the way back to win by a margin of 215-201. Congratulations to Alaska, winner of the Best Adventure State!
There couldn’t be a more worthy winner: Alaska is home to 365 million acres of land including 15 National Parks, 16 National Wildlife Refuges, the country’s two largest national forests, and North America’s highest mountain (Mt. McKinley). Wrangell–St. Elias National Park, not even among the most well known of Alaska’s natural areas, is larger than the country of Switzerland and six times larger than Yellowstone National Park.
Alaskans are proud of their way of life. The 49th state offers endless adventure opportunities including wildlife watching (grizzly bears, whales, wolves, moose, eagles, and more), hiking, rafting, kayaking, fishing, and mountaineering. Locals value peace and solitude in their beautiful corner of the world, but travelers are welcome and tourism provides an important economic boost.
We at Switchback Travel would like to thank everyone who voted in our bracket—there was great enthusiasm and thoughtful comments for all of the states involved. As some of you pointed out, it’s a good thing that we don’t actually have to decide between these exceptional places.
Switchback Travel also would like to welcome all of the new readers from around the U.S. The site provides free adventure travel information for many of the world’s most beautiful places, created by and for people who love the outdoors. In addition to the international destinations that we cover—New Zealand, Patagonia, Norway, and Nepal—more U.S. states will be added in the coming months. We look forward to sharing them with you.
