Before you pack your bags, take a moment to read more about some interesting Alaskan facts!

• The flag of Alaska is unique from all other flags in North America: it has a blue background with eight stars laid-out in the shape of the Big Dipper. The shape also includes the North Star, which Alaskans hold dear as “a beacon bright”, according to the state song.
• Like its neighbor in North America, Alaska has a huge amount of lakes- about 3 million!
• Alaska is the only U.S. state to experience seasons that have 24 hours of daylight as well as 24 hours of darkness, depending on the season.
• Alaska is the largest U.S. state, pulling in nearly 600,000 square miles - or roughly an area that is twice the size of Texas.
• The state of Alaska is one of only a new states or provinces in North America that has volcanoes. Total, Alaska has 29 volcanoes!
• Talk about water sports! Alaska has about 33,000 miles of coast, making it the wettest of all the U.S. states and one of the most coastal territories or states in North America, along with the northern Canadian provinces.
• The entire state of Alaska spans almost 3,000 miles from the western border to the eastern border
• If it feels cold in Alaska, it is. The state hosts more than half of the world's glaciers. Get your ice picks and crampons out, climbers!
• Alaska is the only state to have coasts bordering three seas - the Arctic Ocean, Pacific Ocean, and Bering Sea. That makes Alaska a truly unique North American treasure!
• Alaska is host to the tallest mountain in North America - Mount Denali, which towers more than 20,000 feet above sea level
• One of Alaska's pride and treasures is the Kodiak Bear, which weighs an average of 1,400 pounds and stands as tall as 11 feet. The same size and height goes for the Polar Bear, which is also indigenous to Alaska.
• Alaska used to be Russian! The U.S. purchased Alaska from Russia in 1867 for just less than two cents per acre.
• Development on the horizon? Alaska's state motto is “North to the Future.”

Adventurers: buy those tickets and head north soon if you're looking for a location that's as unique as it is large. Be sure to sign up for dog sled racing lessons, or, if you're truly adventurous, it might be fun to rent a cabin in a far-off island for a look into what life was like for early Alaskan settlers or modern-say Inuits.