Juneau the capital of Alaska? Whether you know the capital of Alaska or not, some believe it's just too hard to find.

• Author: Volz, Matt

Old timers may grumble that Alaska's growing population and modern conveniences have chipped away at its last frontier status, but try telling that to the state's lawmakers as they make their annual journey to the most inaccessible capital in North America.

The barriers into Juneau are many. It's in the middle of the Tongass National Forest. There are no roads leading in or out; residents and visitors arrive by air or sea. Some lawmakers have to travel more than 1,000 miles to get there. Representative Carl Moses, who represents Alaskans in the Aleutian Islands, flies the same distance as a New Yorker vacationing in Miami just to get to work.

But the reward is four months in this picturesque port town of 30,000 in Alaska's southeastern panhandle, where the mountains drop straight into the Inside Passage and the wildlife--humpback whales, orcas, sea lions, bears--is just a boat ride away or around the next corner.

Access to Juneau is no problem for the summer tourists who descend upon the town by thousands, brought by cruise ships to the state's most popular port of call. But for the hundreds of part-time politicians and staffers who leave their homes, families and jobs to take part in the annual migration, getting to Juneau can be an exercise in serendipity or frustration.

John Coghill, a representative from North Pole, and his wife Luann drive 660 miles and through two U.S.-Canada border checkpoints every year to reach Haines, one of only two panhandle towns that can be reached by road. From there, they take the 4 1/2-hour ferry ride down the Lynn Canal to Juneau.

This year his wife planned to fly in at a later date, so Coghill drove alone through Alaska's interior and Canada's Yukon, where the temperature dropped to 15 below zero, snowdrifts nearly covered the highway and dawn wasn't until 10 a.m. Luckily, the Chilkat Pass, which was closed to traffic just the week before because of a snowstorm, was passable.

After fueling his brown diesel station wagon in Destruction Bay near the Yukon's Kluane Lake, Coghill said he gained a new perspective during the solo drive, stopping frequently for photographs and to hike along a frozen stream near the Chilkat Pass. He said the return trip is even better, when the white, frozen land is replaced by spring foliage.

"This is the wilderness," he said. "I enjoy the drive. I'm able to ponder things."

Flying is the better option for lawmakers and staffers who want a quicker trip, or for those who don't...