While horses played a large role in the early days of the Klondike gold rush, these days they can cause more harm than good to the Dyea historic townsite, the National Park Service has decided. As a result, their use at the townsite in Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park will be limited and and restricted to an established route by private, non-commercial parties pursuant to a special use permit issued by the superintendent.

The enormous variety of areas in the National Park System means there's also quite a range of experiences when it comes to getting to and from your park destination. Whether you're taking the subway or city bus to an urban park or riding a train, small plane or ferry to reach your destination in Alaska, there are plenty options for a memorable trip...and sometimes they can be memorable indeed.

Back in 2008 the National Park Service was given two gold-rush era buildings at Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Site to help tell the story of one of the greatest prospecting runs in history. Now the agency is mulling what it will take to preserve the Meyer Building and the YMCA building in Skagway, Alaska.

Tourism traffic to Alaskan units of the National Park System grew by roughly 2 percent in 2011 to a total of 2.32 million visitors, according to preliminary National Park Service statistics.