Vacation in Alaska, Where a Dollar's Still a Dollar

If the weak dollar has killed your appetite for foreign travel, think about Alaska instead.

Alaska is as remote as another country, but your dollar goes just as far as it does at home -- and there's a lot to explore in what is, in many ways, the nation's last great frontier.

And no, an Alaskan vacation isn't just about the big boats. While it's true that most people who visit Alaska in summer do so from the deck of a cruise ship, there are many ways to shed the crowd here, and have an experience shared by few others. Here are four adventures to consider:

Chill with the bears: Admiralty Island, a 30 minute floatplane flight from Juneau, is known for its bears. It has a larger population of black and brown bears than in the lower 48 states combined, and there are special viewing areas that you can access to watch these great creature as they go about their day. ...