AK#08 Alaska Wonderland Self Drive Tour Package

Anchorage - Talkeetna

Pick up a rental car of your choice in Anchorage and travel north on the George Parks Highway towards the Alaska Range. Enjoy sweeping views of snowcapped mountain peaks while traveling from Anchorage via Wasilla - home of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race Museum - to Talkeetna, a base for most Mt. Denali climbing expeditions. During the afternoon you may take a flightseeing tour to Mt. Denali(optional). The magnificent flight takes you within 6-miles of Mt. Denali's 20.230 ft summit. As your flight departs, you recognize how the last ice age has shaped the land. Moments later, you enter a world of rugged high mountain peaks and wide glacier filled valleys. See the Sheldon Amphitheater, beautiful Ruth Glacier, and the Great Gorge. Optional glacier landings available. A turn-of-the-20th-century gold-mining center, Talkeetna has retained much of its early Alaska flavor. Log cabins, a roadhouse and clapboard storefronts line the dirt streets. Distance: 120 Miles | Overnight: Talkeetna

Talkeetna - Denali National Park

Continue your journey along the Alaska Range through Denali State Park with countless wildlife viewing opportunities. Stopover at Byers Lake and rent a canoe or kayak. Denali State Park is home to both brown and black bears, moose and marmots. In the lower areas, visitors will encounter muskrats, beavers, possibly red foxes and porcupines, among other resident wildlife. On the east side of the park the Susitna and Chulitna rivers are home to Dolly Varden, Arctic grayling, rainbow trout and all five species of Pacific salmon. Small numbers of lake trout occur in Byers, Spink and Lucy lakes, and rainbow trout, grayling and Dolly Varden are found in Byers Lake and Troublesome and Little Coal creeks. After arriving at Denali Village check out the parks office which provides many informative ranger-naturalist programs, slide shows and sled dog demonstrations. Distance: 120 Miles | Overnight: Denali National Park

Denali National Park

Denali National Park offers excellent wildlife viewing opportunities and spectacular sceneries. In the morning drive to the Visitor 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 watch out for grizzly bears, moose, caribou, wolf and fox 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 - a four hour drive. 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

Short drive via Nenana - known for the Alaska Ice Classics - to Fairbanks. Fairbanks, known as the Golden Heart City of Alaska, is the gateway to the interior and features almost 24 hours of daylight during the summer months. You are invited to explore the local gold rush history, its vibrant traditional native cultures as well as its abundant wildlife and fantastic scenery. Tucked into miles of unexplored wilderness only 120 miles from the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks offers excellent year-round outdoor recreational opportunities. This afternoon you may visit the renown Alaska University Museum featuring Alaska's natural history best collection, Alaskaland or take an authentic sternwheeler on a scenic 20-mile roundtrip cruise down the Chena and Tanana Rivers. Enjoy lively narration, stop at a reconstructed Athabascan Indian Village to learn about native hunting & fishing techniques and watch a dogsled demonstration. Distance: 120 Miles | Overnight: Fairbanks

Fairbanks

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 is the trade and transportation center for Interior and Far North Alaska. From mid-May through July, visitors can enjoy more than 20 hours of sunlight a day. Today you have the unique chance to cross the Arctic Circle and to visit the vast interior. Join us on a guided van tour along the Dalton Highway to the Arctic Circle. En-route enjoy stunning views of the interior and the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline, put your hand in the Yukon River, travel through the wetlands and crest the high plateau of Finger Mountain looking out for wildlife. You can also join a bush mail plane flight and experience how the Gwich'in Athabascan Natives live in "Bush" Alaska. Another option is to drive along Chena Hot Springs road, go on a hiking trip and visit Chena Hot Springs Resort. Here you can relax in the large natural outdoor rock lake and visit the Aurora Ice Museum.

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. Gakona, Copper Center and Glenallen are great jump-off points during the famed Copper River Sockeye. For trout and grayling as well as salmon, try the Gulkana River nearby. 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 which included including Bull Head Sea Lions, Seals, Otters and Whales. You will learn about the mining, oilspil, 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 in the 1970s. Distance: 100 Miles | Overnight: Valdez

Valdez - Prince William Sound | Ferry to 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 throughout the 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 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 - the first cold water marine search institute in the world. 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 Katchemal 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 in 1901, the settlers 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 Native Heritage Center in Anchorage: the 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 way of life. Your vacation ends with the return of your rental car.