At 615,230 square miles, Alaska is one-fifth the area of the lower 48 states combined, easily dwarfing both Texas and California. Alaska also boasts the highest point in North America (Mt. McKinley)  and the northernmost town of America, Barrow.  Because Alaska is located so far north, much of the state is within the Arctic Circle (click here for a current weather map) and therefore experiences wide variations of light and dark throughout the year. Those areas above the Circle experience periods of unending daylight during summer months and unending dark during winter months. However, areas farther south within the state do not experience such long periods of dark. Anchorage days , for instance, are relatively long during the winter months. Fairbanks, on the other hand, must endure four to five hour days for nearly three months.  The hearty residents of Fairbanks, however, are compensated for their winter misery with nearly 22 hours of daylight in June. Even in Anchorage the summer days can be over 19 hours long, with sunrise at 4:20 AM and sunset at 11:40 PM about June 20th. Visitors to both cities can play baseball or go cycling even after 9PM in fairly bright daylight.  Click here for more...