RRSD#04 Alaska Mileposts | Alaska Railroad and Drive Tour Packages

Anchorage

Upon arrival in Anchorage, check in to your hotel in a prime downtown location. Get ready for a combined rail and drive vacation of a lifetime. Anchorage features dozens of parks and 122 miles of paved bike paths. Warmed by a maritime climate, you can spend the day salmon fishing at Ship Creek, hiking the nearby mountains, photographing glaciers and dining at a four-star restaurant. Within a 15-minute drive from downtown on the hillside is the tree-lined trailhead of Anchorage’s most popular hike, Flattop Mountain. A short floatplane ride opens up the possibility of almost any type of adventure. That’s one reason why  Lake Hood is the world’s busiest floatplane base. Try some fresh Alaska seafood (Salmon, Halibut) for dinner in one of the many excellent restaurants around the hotel. Afterwards enjoy a stroll along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail with sweeping views over the inlet to Mt. Denali and Mt. Susitna aka: "Sleeping Lady". 

Anchorage - Denali National Park | Rail Tour

Board the Alaska Railroad in the morning. Choose between the standard rail car or the glass-domed compartments with large panorama windows ensuring unobstructed views of the pristine scenery. Enjoy sweeping views of snowcapped mountain ranges while traveling along the Alaska Mountain Range. Arrival at Denali Village late afternoon. Transfer to your hotel. Remaining day at leisure or for outdoor activities. Optional: Enjoy a scenic float trip near the entrance of Denali National Park with a taste of whitewater rafting. This guided trip skirts the boundaries of Denali National Park down the glacier-fed Nenana River. Experience beautiful scenery and keep your eyes out for moose, sheep, caribou and bear, as you raft downstream 11 miles. The most scenic portion of the Nenana River gives you a thrilling, yet safe rafting. More adventurous guests have the option to continue with the Canyon Run! Get into real whitewater rafting as you hang on through thrilling rapids.

Denali National Park

Denali National Park offers excellent wildlife viewing opportunities and spectacular sceneries. In the morning drive to the Wilderness Access Center where your wildlife tour begins. Pick up your pre-reserved tickets and explore the center if time allows. Board the bus, sit back and look for Dall sheep, moose, caribou, wolves and grizzly bears moving along the ridges and river beds or observe one of the 150 different bird species which inherit the park area. Your driver informs you about the history of Denali National Park, its diverse wildlife and flora. Once a bear, caribou or another animal has been spotted the bus will stop that everyone can watch and take pictures. Your tour turns around at Eielson Visitor Center - 66 miles into the park. We can extend the bus tour to Wonder Lake or Kantishna Roadhouse. You can get off the bus anytime you wish and take a stroll, go hiking and enjoy the landscape. Return to the Denali Park entrance anytime during the day. Overnight: Denali National Park

Denali National Park - Fairbanks | Rail Tour

Spend the morning at Denali National Park with a ranger sled dog demonstration, raft of float on the Nenana River or take a scenic flightseeing tour around the magnificent three - Mt. Denali 20.320 ft, Mt. Foraker and Mt. Hunter. Transfer to the Denali Rail Depot. Leave Denali at 4 PM for the scenic rail journey north towards Nenana - known for it's Alaska Ice Classics. Fairbanks, known as the Golden Heart City of Alaska, is the gateway to the interior enjoying 24-hours of daylight during the summer. Explore the local gold rush history, its vibrant traditional native cultures as well as its abundant wildlife and fantastic scenery - only 120 miles from the Arctic Circle. Fairbanks offers excellent year-round outdoor recreational opportunities. Visit the renowned Alaska University Museum with Alaska's best natural history collection, Alaskaland or take an authentic sternwheeler for a scenic 20-mile cruise down the Chena and Tanana Rivers. Overnight: Fairbanks

Fairbanks | Self Drive Tour Start

In 1902, Felix Pedro found gold in the region and thousands of prospectors swarmed to the area in search of the “Mother lode.” Nearly a century later, Fairbanks (population 32,000) is the trade and transportation center for Interior and Far North Alaska. Pick up your rental car and explore the area. Today you have the unique chance to join an arctic flight to Alaska's vast, roadless interior. Enjoy the scenic flight above the arctic circle and experience how the Gwich'in Athabascan Natives live in "Bush" Alaska. Put your hand in the Yukon River, travel through the wetlands and crest the rounded peaks of the Northern Edge of the Alaska Range looking out for moose and Dall sheep. Another option is to drive along Chena Hot Springs road (watch out for moose!), go on a hiking trip and visit Chena. Relax in the large heated indoor or natural outdoor rock lake. Step into the Aurora Ice Museum and grant yourself to a "Appletini" beverage served in an ice glass. Overnight: Fairbanks

Fairbanks - Copper River | Wrangell-St. Elias Nat'l Park

Leave Fairbanks on the Richardson Highway for Delta Junction - a telegraph station established in 1904. The intersection, marked by an oversized white milepost for Mile 1422 of the Alaska - and Richardson Highway, is known as the Triangle. Delta Junction is also home to the 90,000-acre Delta Bison Sanctuary, which was created to contain a free-roaming herd of more than 500 animals. The area features spectacular views of the Alaska Range and the Delta River. On clear days the panoramas of Mount Hayes, Mount Moffit and other peaks are stunning. Continue to Paxson with it's many sled dog kennels and further on to Copper River area - known as a paradise for anglers and rafters searching for big fish and whitewater adventure. Copper Center and Glenallen are excellent starting points for sightseeing flights through the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park with McCarthy and Kennicott. Travel Distance: 260 Miles | Overnight: Copper Center

Wrangell St Elias National Park - Valdez

Stopover at Worthington Glacier with boardwalks leading to the face of the glacier. Drive through the scenic Keystone Canyon and arrive in Valdez - also known as “the Switzerland of Alaska” - and the gateway for salmon fishing trips and narrated cruises to magnificent Columbia Glacier. During the afternoon you have plenty of time to take a scenic cruise to this tidewater glacier. Enjoy the Sound's marine wildlife including Bull Head Sea Lions, Seals, Otters and Whales. You will learn about the mining, oil spill, earthquake, and fishing history and you will hear stories about the native people exploring Prince William Sound. Valdez’s darkest moment was the Good Friday Earthquake in 1964. The tsunami that followed the earthquake destroyed the entire historic town site of Valdez. The community was rebuilt on more stable bedrock four miles to the west and flourished during the construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal. Distance: 100 Miles | Overnight: Valdez

Valdez - Prince William Sound | Ferry Trip - Whittier - Seward

Time for a visit of the southern terminus of the Alaska Pipeline Terminal or enjoy some kayaking or a short hiking trip. The Prince William Sound is one of the few places left in the world where a concentration of glaciers can be found in such abundance. During the comfortable ferry trip you cruise past Esther Passage, view majestic alpine and tidewater glaciers covered with ancient ice (Columbia Glacier) from the distance and may observe a large variety of marine wildlife. A US Forest Service ranger will point out interesting sites along the way. Watch for playful sea otters, harbor seals, kittiwakes, bears, whales or mountain goats. Drive from Whittier through the Anderson Memorial Tunnel and on the scenic Seward Highway towards Seward on the shores of the Gulf of Alaska and enjoy incomparable vistas of majestic fjords, glaciers and mountains. Evening at leisure for a nice seafood dinner on the harbor. Distance: 65 Miles + Ferry Trip | Overnight: Seward

Seward | Kenai Fjords National Park

Created in 1980, Kenai Fjords National Park spreads over 587,000 acres and is crowned by the massive Harding Ice Field from which countless tidewater glaciers pour down into coastal fjords. The impressive landscape and an abundance of marine wildlife make the park a major tourist attraction. Our 110-mile long day cruise - hosted by a National Park Ranger who provides narration - takes you deep into Kenai Fjords National Park and to the Chiswell Islands National Wildlife Refuge. Wildlife is abundant throughout the National Park, and the tidewater glaciers are massive. You'll visit the mighty Holgate Glacier where guests often witness calving - a process by which the glacier sheds giant blocks and slabs of ancient ice - from a close distance. After you return you could visit another popular attraction - the Exit Glacier, which lies just north of town. This road-accessible glacier offers an impressive up-close view of the glacier along with information and hiking trails.  Overnight: Seward

Seward – Homer

Visit the renowned Alaska SeaLife Center - Alaska’s premier public aquarium and Alaska's only permanent marine mammal rehabilitation facility. Another option may be a self-guided hike to along the Exit Glacier. Continue your self drive journey and follow the Sterling Highway - a designated scenic highway covering miles of spectacular landscape with snowcapped mountains and it's many active volcanoes known as the "Ring of Fire" with Mt. Iliamna, Mt. Redoubt and Mt. Augustine, deep ocean bluffs, excellent salmon fishing opportunities along the Kenai River and a magnificent coastline. Homer is blessed with a view to the south that is stunning in its beauty and grandeur. The rugged Kenai Mountains are spreading across the sparkling waters of Kachemak Bay. Homer is also known as a great fishing hole. King Salmon may be caught here from May to June, while Silver Salmon run during August. Halibut - large as a barn size door are available from May - Sept. Distance: 170 Miles | Overnight: Homer

Homer

Homer aka: “Halibut Capital of the World” provides you with truly incredible panoramic views of mountain ranges, white peaks, glaciers and the famous Homer Spit - a long strip of land that stretches into the beautiful deep blue colored Kachemak Bay. It is a community that tempts you to stay for a while. Between the excellent museum, restaurants and art galleries, great scenery and interesting side trips to the other side of Kachemak Bay or to Seldovia you could easily spend a week here. 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 a scenic flightseeing tour to the Katmai Coast. Take a evening cruise to Halibut Cove (optional) and enjoy a dinner at the famous Saltry Restaurant and a walk to renowned artist galleries along the picturesque boardwalks. Overnight: Homer

Homer – Cooper Landing

Leave Homer for a scenic drive to Ninilchik - the oldest settlement on the Kenai Peninsula. The Russian-American Company established Ninilchik in the 1820s for its elderly and disabled employees, who could not endure the long journey back to Russia. Other Russian settlers soon congregated there and constructed the community’s Russian Orthodox Church. Continue to Cooper Landing - located at the world famous Kenai and Russian River. Take a (optional) 1/2 day guided fishing trip for King or Sockeye Salmon. Your fishing guide is expert in spinning, casting and fly fishing techniques on these waters. Or better, join us (optional) for a guided Kenai Canyon rafting trip. Start with a scenic float searching for moose, bald eagles and salmon, then ride the Class II+ spirited rapids through the Kenai River Canyon. The tour ends on the shores of a glacier-carved lake within the heart of the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Distance: 170 Miles | Overnight: Cooper Landing

Cooper Landing – Anchorage

Leave Kenai Peninsula and drive north through the Chugach National Forest to Portage Glacier - one of Alaska’s most visited attractions. The Portage Glacier Access Road winds about five miles from the highway and ends at the impressive Begich, Boggs Visitor Center. Portage Glacier is in retreat, and not visible from the center’s observation decks and telescopes, but the center is still an interesting stop thanks to exhibits that let visitors walk through a simulated ice cave, view live ice worms or touch an iceberg. To get up very close to the glacier, take an hour-long sightseeing boat cruise on Portage Lake, or hike on one of a number of foot trails that lead to the glacier. Short drive to the Girdwood / Alyeska Ski Resort. If time allows take the tram on top Alyeska mountain offering scenic views of Turnagain Arm. Follow the Seward Highway along salt water bays, ice blue glaciers and alpine valleys and look for bear, moose or dall sheep. Distance: 100 Miles | Overnight: Anchorage

Anchorage

Spend some time at the Native Heritage Center: the Gathering Place is center stage for Alaska Native dancing, compelling Native Games demonstrations and intriguing storytelling. The Hall of Cultures features exhibits and demonstrating Alaska Native artists. Visitors discover more about each of the five major culture groups through engaging exhibits. Alaska Native craft activities will keep the children entertained. The theatre hosts a variety of movies all day, including the Heritage Center produced film, “Stories Given, Stories Shared.” Guests stroll through six authentic life-sized Native dwellings around beautiful Lake Tiulana and are introduced to the traditional life ways of the Athabascan, Inupiaq/St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Yup’ik/Cup’ik, Aleut, Alutiiq, and the Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples. Each village site has a traditional structure along with artefacts that each group used in their daily lives. Your vacation ends with the return of your rental car.