Greetings from Alaska! There’s nothing quite like escaping the sweltering dog days of summer in Florida to experience the land of the midnight sun and temperatures that helped me regain my chill.

It was just by luck that my girlfriend, Karissa, invited me on this epic expedition several months ago, prompting my immediate and enthusiastic “Yes!” Our adventure-filled itinerary included breathtaking views on hikes in Denali National Park, a soothing dip in natural hot springs and an icy trek on the Matanuska Glacier. Two other friends joined for the excursion, which featured a rental camper van for driving and sleeping.

The trip of a lifetime began in Anchorage, where we caught Alaska Railroad’s Coastal Classic Train to Seward on a route ranked among the top 10 train rides in North America by National Geographic. On the way to the quaint waterfront town that’s bordered by Resurrection Bay and Kenai Fjords National Park, we gazed in awe at mountains towering over the train, cascading waterfalls and glaciers off in the distance. During our time in the small town of less than 3,000, we embarked on a sea kayaking trip to see otters and bald eagles in their natural habitat and spent an afternoon hiking the Harding Icefield Trail, which overlooks Exit Glacier.

Flatlanders be warned: Hiking up hundreds or thousands of feet of elevation gain during a hike proves challenging when all you have to train with are flights of stairs in parking garages.

After soaking in the waterfront views from Seward and a picturesque return trip on the train, it was time to pick up a rental 2023 Mercedes-Benz Sprinter van. The van was decked out with a queen bed, a sink (with a hot water heater!) and plenty of storage. The adventure van included an awning, solar power and all-terrain tires for wherever our travels took us.

We dashed off to Denali National Park, which had just reopened after the Riley Fire near the park’s entrance. During our two-night stay there, we were only able to behold a mere fraction of the massive 6.1-million-acre expanse, which serves as home to North America’s highest peak. On several hikes, we stood amazed at sweeping views of mountains and valleys in front of us, also enjoying some lower elevation hikes through scenic forests, along lakeshores and next to rushing creeks. The fresh mountain air proved to be just what the doctor ordered, and it felt like everything was much bigger and open in Alaska.

Our aching legs needed a reprieve after a few hard hikes, so our next stop was Chena Hot Springs, a refreshing oasis an hour outside of Fairbanks. While the property is a destination for seeing the northern lights during the winter months, we enjoyed a “fire and ice” sort of experience with a soak in the more than 100-degree water and a visit to the on-site Aurora Ice Museum, an indoor building filled with ice sculptures where guests can sip appletinis served in carved-ice martini glasses.

Every stop on our journey benefited from long days when the sun didn’t set until almost midnight, allowing us to fit many activities into a single day.

After a unique dining experience at the Alaska Salmon Bake in Fairbanks and a quick stop at North Pole, Alaska — where we snapped photos with a towering Santa statue — it was time to head south on the Richardson Highway. Running for several hundred miles through Alaska’s interior, the scenic drive is where we camped for a night and hiked to the Castner Glacier ice cave. Along the way, we spotted a mama and baby moose in a pond right next to the road, just a few dozen feet away.

The end of our grand Alaskan adventure featured one of the trip’s biggest highlights: a full-day excursion onto the Matanuska Glacier, which is 27 miles long and 4 miles wide. Led by guides Samantha and Julian, our group of four learned how to use crampons for the first time for traction on ice, then used harnesses and ropes to scale ice walls and repel down frozen canyons. The landscape felt surreal and was certainly a welcome way to enjoy some crisp temperatures far away from the heat of Florida.

Determined to squeeze as much as we could into the final portion of our trip, we sprinted in the van down to the Homer Spit, a narrow finger of land that extends for 4.5 miles into Kachemak Bay. There, we watched a full moonrise after the sun finally set around 11 p.m., then woke the next day to find our first hot shower in days at a nearby campground before feasting on fresh salmon and halibut for lunch. Before hitting the road to catch flights home in Anchorage, we visited the famous Salty Dawg Saloon, established in 1957 and housed in a cabin built in 1897. The building formerly served as the town’s post office, a railroad station, a grocery store and a coal mining office for 20 years.

While the trip seemed to end too soon, I know we made many new memories in the 49th state and relished every second of our time there. Whenever Florida’s heat indexes soar into the triple digits, all I have to do is close my eyes and picture myself back on that glacier to find my chill once again.

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.

Spending time at one particular Palm Beach County waterfront oasis, complete with sugar-sand beaches and picture-perfect sunsets, conjures lines from a popular Weezer song.

“On an island in the sun, We’ll be playing and having fun

And it makes me feel so fine I can’t control my brain”

That essentially sums up the experience of visiting Peanut Island, a nearly 80-acre haven for boaters, paddlers and beach enthusiasts who like to spend their days soaking up sunrays or visiting with marine life on a snorkeling excursion. For many area boaters, the island tucked just inside the Lake Worth (Palm Beach) Inlet presents a place to pull up for an afternoon beach cookout and swim.

This small slice of paradise also allows the option to stay overnight in one of 17 reservable sites, allowing campers to enjoy the island long after daytime revelers have pulled up anchor and headed back to shore.

Getting There

The only access to Peanut Island is by boat on the Intracoastal Waterway. Those with access to a pontoon, a fishing boat or personal watercraft will have no problem pulling up for a few hours or a night of camping. Kayakers and paddlers are also commonly seen around the island, and launching and rentals are available at nearby Riviera Beach Marina.

This is also where visitors can catch the Peanut Island Shuttle Boat, which departs at regular intervals daily for $25 per adult and $12 per child (online advance reservations). Dogs are allowed on the shuttle boat free of charge and permitted on the island as long as they are leashed.

The Palm Beach Water Taxi ($20 per person) makes multiple daily trips from the Sailfish Marina Resort on the eastern side of Peanut Island.

For those with their own vessels, launching at Phil Foster Park just to the north of Peanut Island is also an option — but parking may be limited on the weekends.

Things to Do

Paddling or boating around Peanut Island is inherent in the experience, and there are plenty of places to pull up on a sandy stretch of shoreline.

The island’s main draw is swimming, with a dedicated snorkeling lagoon and guarded beaches on the southeast side. The best time to snorkel is during the hour before and after high tide.

Get Wet Watersports, which offers snorkeling tours to Peanut Island, advertises that visitors will see plenty of colorful fish, rays and the occasional manatee or shark.

Fishing is also available to anglers at various points on the island, including a fishing pier near the campground.

A 1.25-mile walking trail takes visitors on a scenic stroll around the island. Plenty of picnic tables, pavilions, charcoal grills and a few chickee huts are spread out for daytime visitors to enjoy.

An Island Overnight

On a sunny weekend, especially during the summer, the island and surrounding waterways can get quite congested and loud, with revelers on boats blasting music and partying. But as the sun goes down and the riff-raff retire for the evening, all daytime visitors must leave the island, and only those who have reserved one of 17 campsites can stay.

Fourteen of those sites are single sites ($30 plus tax) meant for one tent and a maximum of six campers, while three are double-wide ($60 plus tax) for up to two tents and 12 guests. Each spot contains a tent pad, charcoal grill and picnic table.

Individual sites don’t have campfire rings, but there is a communal firepit and wood available for purchase on the island.

Although alcohol isn’t allowed for daytime visitors, it is permitted in the campground for overnight guests. Showers are available in the restrooms, exclusive to campers and only accessible by punching in a code.

As the moon rises, it’s nice to enjoy dinner and a beverage outdoors while taking in the sensations of wind whispering through the palms, crickets chirping and stars emerging overhead.

Peanut Island also makes for an interesting vantage point to watch cruise ships and giant cargo vessels pull out to sea under the setting sun, not to mention plenty of larger-than-life yachts.

A Nearly Nutty History

Originally named Inlet Island, the man-made enclave originally encompassed 10 acres created in 1918 with material excavated while dredging the Lake Worth (Palm Beach) Inlet. By 1923, the Port of Palm Beach was using the island as a spoil site, and eventually, the island grew to 80 acres.

The name came from a plan to ship peanut oil from the island, and while that idea was abandoned in 1946, the name Peanut Island always stuck.

Amid the Cuban missile crisis of the 1960s, a nuclear bunker was built on the island for President John F. Kennedy, who vacationed with his family at his “winter White House” in Palm Beach. The bunker was previously open for tours but closed in 2017. Historic buildings that previously served as a Coast Guard station sit near the site of the Kennedy bunker.

Brighter Days Ahead

While these facilities are currently fenced off and off-limits to visitors, Palm Beach County plans to renovate the historic structures, bunker and docks in a yearslong, multi-million dollar improvement project.

According to a sign placed in front of the site, the boat house will serve as home to exhibits and a gift shop while the Coast Guard station will house educational and historic displays. Eventually, the plan is also to reopen the Kennedy bunker for tours.

Find me @PConnPie on Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com.

If you go

Peanut Island is located in the Intracoastal Waterway near the Lake Worth Inlet in Riviera Beach and is open for day use from sunrise to sunset. There is nothing for sale or rent on the island, so visitors should be prepared with supplies for a half-day away from the mainland.

The Peanut Island Shuttle can be reserved online or by calling 561-777-0438, or the Palm Beach Water Taxi can be booked online or by calling 561-683-8294. Peanut Island aims to offer online camping reservations in the future, but for now, sites can be booked by calling 561-845-4445 or toll-free at 866-383-5730 or by emailing pnutcamp@pbcgov.org. A maximum of three nights can be reserved up to 90 days in advance. For more information, visit discover.pbcgov.org.