Let's face it. Alaska is a long airline ride -- and even longer drive -- for most folks in the lower 48 states. And once you're there? Well, Alaska is the largest U.S. state, measuring 663,268 square miles. That dwarfs Texas, which comes in at a relatively puny 268,820 square miles.

So, where to start? Try Alaska's "Inside Passage," its southeast spur wedged in between the Pacific Ocean and Canada's provinces of British Columbia and the Yukon.

Why? Because you can see a lot of it on the Alaska Marine Highway Highway Sytem, a state-run enterprise that appeals to anyone shy about committing to a more costly cruise.

The 676-mile route between Bellingham, Wash., and Ketchikan, Alaska, takes 38 hours on a high-speed AMHS ferry. Ketchikan to Wrangell takes another six hours, and Wrangell to Juneau is another 12 hours.

The Inside Passage offers spectacular natural beauty and wildlife among its islands and coves. The entire region is wrapped in the Tongass National Forest, the largest National Forest in the United States and the largest contiguous temperate rain forest in the world. Once in Juneau, you have access to Glacier Bay National Park.

If you have the time and fortitude, you can ride the system all the way north and west to the Aleutian Islands, stopping in an endless variety of ports and harbors in the "last frontier."

AMHS ferries offer private rooms for those on longer journeys, and a variety of prices for folks traveling with cars and RVs. Contact AMHS for fares, schedules and special deals.