Day 1 Anchorage to Talkeetna | 183 km/114 mi
This morning drive the Glenn Highway northbound, connecting to the Parks Highway in Wasilla. A few interesting stops along way are the Alaska Native Heritage Center and the Eklutna Indian Village. Talkeetna serves as a base camp for Denali climbers; the community of under 1000 residents is located at the confluence of the Talkeetna and Susitna Rivers. A turn-of-the-20th-century gold-mining centre, the town has retained much of its early Alaskan flavour. Log cabins, a roadhouse, and clapboard storefronts line the dirt streets, and colourful locals and bush pilots stroll the wooden sidewalks as Denali looms overhead. Main Street, the only paved road in town, begins with a “Welcome to Beautiful Downtown Talkeetna” sign at the town park and ends at the banks of the Susitna River, a nice place to view the big mountain when it’s out.
Day 2 Talkeetna to Denali National Park | 257 km/153 mi
In the morning you have time to take a sightseeing flight to Mount Denali, the tallest mountain in North America, before continuing north along the scenic Parks Highway. Your route will travel along the boundary of Denali State Park and Hurricane Gulch with massive peaks of the Alaska Range in view nearly the entire route. At 6 million acres, Denali National Park is one of the world’s last great frontiers for wilderness adventure.
Day 3 Denali National Park Backcountry Tour | Coach | Flightseeing
This full-day narrated coach trip explores the entire 148 km/92 mi of Denali Park Road on your way to Denali Backcountry Lodge. With multiple stops for wildlife viewing and photography, your experienced driver-guide will help search for grizzly bears, moose, wolves, caribou and Dall sheep while sharing the biology and geology of the area. For the return trip, board a small Alaskan bush plane for a flightseeing tour back to the park entrance where if weather permits, you will fly close to Mount Denali (Lunch & snacks included today between Jun 4 - Sep 12) (Please note during May to Jun 4 this tour does not include the scenic return flight and will be replaced with a shorter 6-7 hour Tundra Wilderness Coach Tour while the road further into the park thaws and dries out.)
Day 4 Denali National Park to Fairbanks | 198 km/123 mi | Sternwheeler Riverboat Cruise
Continue on the George Parks Highway north to Fairbanks. Accompanied by incredible forest and mountain landscapes, you drive through the communities of Healy, Nenana and Ester - an old mining camp. In the afternoon, climb aboard the Riverboat Discovery III for an unforgettable 3-hour cruise into the Alaskan Interior, traveling the Chena and Tanana Rivers on the only authentic sternwheeler riverboat operating in Alaska. This narrated tour provides background on the area’s natural history and the Athabascan Indian culture. You will see a floatplane take off, meet sled dogs, witness the “wedding of the rivers,” and gain insight into the ancient Athabascan Indian culture. Athabascan guides who have worked and lived in Alaska will take you on a personalized tour of the Chena Indian Village.
Day 5 Fairbanks | Day at Leisure
In Fairbanks you have the unique chance for an optional day tour to cross the Arctic Circle and to visit the vast interior. Another option is to drive along Chena Hot Springs road (watch out for moose!), go on a hiking trip and visit Chena Hot Springs Resort. Here you can relax in the large heated indoor pool or the natural outdoor rock lake.
Day 6 Fairbanks to Chitina | 498 km/310 mi | Chitina to McCarthy | Flight
Settle in for a day of driving through some of Alaska’s most diverse and dynamic landscapes. You’ll drive the Richardson Highway along the Tanana River through Delta Junction, home to the Delta Bison Sanctuary. Once you’ve reached Copper Center you’ll turn east to the small town of Chinitna
Flying from Chitina is the best way to get to McCarthy-Kennicott and the flightseeing that is included in the trip makes it a great value. On the way to McCarthy fly alongside 16,000’ Mt. Blackburn, over the Kennicott and Root Glaciers, past the Erie Mine and view the awe-inspiring Stairway Icefall. A flyby of Kennicott and McCarthy before landing will orient you to the area you are about to explore. Along the way your pilot will describe landforms, point out wildlife and fill you in on a bit of the human history of the area.
(Please note: Flying has the added benefit of saving 4-5 hours of driving on the single lane, gravel surfaced McCarthy road)
Day 7 McCarthy | Kennicott | Root Glacier Hike
Spend the morning exploring the dynamic features of nearby Root Glacier on a guided trail and ice hike. The afternoon is yours to visit the Kennecott Mines National Historic Landmark and the funky-rustic nearby enclave of McCarthy.
Day 8 McCarthy to Sheep Mountain | Flight | Chitina to Valdez | 223 km/139 mi
Today fly back to Chitina to retrieve your rental vehicle and then drive the Richardson Highway north to the Glenn Highway. Take the Glenn Highway towards Anchorage to Sheep Mountain. Check out scenic Matanuska Glacier before you relax for the evening
Day 9 Sheep Mountain Lodge to Seward | 373 km/232 mi
Drive the Glenn Highway south to Anchorage. Highlights on today’s trip include the Independence Mine in beautiful Hatcher Pass and the many communities in the Mat-Su Valley. This valley contains many farms with the remarkable growing season in Alaska and offers beautiful views of the Chugach Range. Continue on through Anchorage along the Seward Highway towards scenic Turnagain Arm, a body of water featuring the world’s second highest tides at over 30 feet. Keep an eye out for Beluga whales chasing salmon in the bay or Dall sheep along the highway. In Seward we suggest a visit to Exit Glacier and the SeaLife Center.
Day 10 Seward | Full Day Northwestern Fjord Cruise
Today we have arranged for you to take an all-day Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise. Travel farther into Kenai Fjords National Park than with any other cruise and visit the magnificent Northwestern Fjord, home to three amazing tidewater glaciers and numerous alpine glaciers. (A continental breakfast & deli-style lunch is included onboard)
Day 11 Seward to Homer | 270 km/168 miles
Continue your self-drive journey and follow the Sterling Highway, a designated scenic highway covering miles of spectacular landscape. Along the way view snowcapped mountains, active volcanoes including Mt. Iliamna, Mt. Redoubt and Mt. Augustine, deep ocean bluffs, excellent salmon fishing opportunities along the Kenai River, and a magnificent coastline.
Day 12 Homer | Day at Leisure
Homer “Halibut Capital of the World” provides you with truly incredible panoramic views of mountain ranges, white peaks, glaciers and the famous Homer Spit. Use the day to explore the area - kayak to a remote cove, take a scenic cruise and spot wildlife including whales, seals, sea otters and many shorebirds. If you prefer to observe Grizzly bears up close, take an optional scenic flightseeing tour to the Katmai Coast.
Day 13 Homer to Anchorage | 355 km/221 mi
This morning, drive north on the scenic Sterling and Seward Highways back towards Girdwood. Along the way we have included admission to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center which provides care and rehabilitation for injured and orphaned wildlife. Here you can safely get close, observe, and photograph some of Alaska’s largest land animals including moose, bison, elk, deer, caribou, bears, muskox. If time permits, take the aerial tram up Alyeska Mountain for views of Turnagain Arm, up to seven “hanging” glaciers and the endless peaks of the Chugach Mountain Range before continuing the short drive from Girdwood to Anchorage.
