You're not going to see the whole state in three or four days, so you're going to have to be selective about what you do. Planning an open-jaw itinerary might give yo more time on the ground, but it's not necessary.

Start by figuring out which portion of the state you want most to see. Fairbanks and Juneau are different experiences from Anchorage. If you fly into either Anchorage or Fairbanks, you'll have access to both the road system and the railbelt, but Southeast Alaska (where Juneau is) has plenty to offer, too.

My first recommendations for wildlife viewing are Denali National Park or the McNeil River Sanctuary. Denali is more accessible, but you'll likely end up spending hours on a bus to see the park (since there's limited access for personal vehicles.)

If money is no object, you can charter a plane and pilot for wildlife viewing out of nearly any community in the state. A slightly less expensive option is one of the Alaska Railroad tours - there's an Anchorage-Denali-Anchorage tour that gives you two nights in a tourist-friendly hotels near the park (but not in it.)

There are also wildlife-viewing cruises out of Whittier, Seward, Homer, and Valdez in summer, but be aware that weather can affect both the presence of animals and your enjoyment of the trip (we've witnessed a number of very sea-sick passengers on stormy days when we've taken the day tours.)

There's also the option of renting a vehicle and driving, but not everyone is comfortable doing so and you'll want to keep in mind that we tend to measure distance in time to get there rather than miles or kilometers.

I hope your trip here is memorable for all the right reasons.