Anchorage

Upon arrival in Anchorage, pick up your rental car at the airport or downtown. Get ready for an unforgettable Alaska vacation. Spend the rest of the day with sightseeing activities in and around Alaska's largest city: take a hike along the coastal trail with sweeping views of Mt. Denali and Mt. Susitna aka: the "Sleeping Lady" - shop for Alaska Native Art, or spend some time at a museum. Try some fresh Alaska seafood (Salmon, Halibut and Dungeness Crab) for dinner in one of the many excellent restaurants around the hotel. Overnight: Anchorage

Anchorage - Denali National Park

Enjoy sweeping views of snowcapped mountain peaks in the distance while traveling from Anchorage on the George Parks Highway to Wasilla - home of the Iditarod Headquarter. Follow the highway acrosos the Denali State Park with good wildlife viewing, canoe rental and excellent hiking opportunities. Arrive at Denali National Park and check in your hotel. Denali, the “Great One”, is the name Athabascan people gave the massive peak that crowns the 600-mile long Alaska Range. Denali National Park and Preserve was created 1980 from the former Mt Mc.Kinley National Park. At over 6 million acres, the park is larger than the State of Massachusetts. It exemplifies interior Alaska’s character as one of the world’s last great frontiers for wilderness adventure and it remains largely wild and unspoiled, as the Athabascan knew it. Distance 230 Miles | Overnight: Denali National Park

Denali National Park

Early (pre-reserved time) shuttle bus departure - the Denali park road is closed for private vehicles - for a full day wildlife observation and sightseeing tour to the Eielson Visitor Center, Wonder Lake or Kantishna within the shadows of Mt. Denali - with 20.320 ft. the highest mountain in North America. The views from here are just spectacular. Look for Dall sheep, moose, caribou, wolves and grizzly bears roaming throughout the park or observe one of the 150 different bird species which inherit the Denali National Park area. Many hiking trails along the ridges and throughout the valleys are easily accessible from the road. Park ranger at the visitor center are conducting interesting campfire talks, sled dog demonstrations and short guided nature walks on a regular basis. Return to the Park entrance anytime during the day. Overnight: Denali National Park

Denali National Park - Fairbanks

Short drive via Nenana (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: 110 Miles | Overnight: Fairbanks

Fairbanks - Tok

Heading south, the Richardson Highway passes through stands of white birch and black spruce, often photogenically close to the Tanana River. Soak up the raw beauty of the drive into the central Alaska Range, often paralleled by the Trans-Alaska-Pipeline. Born as a construction station on the highway, Tok's role in the world has never expanded much beyond being a stop on the road. With its location at the intersection of the Alaska Highway and the Glenn Highway to Anchorage and Prince William Sound, the town has built an economy of gas stations, gift stores, cafes, and hotels to serve highway travelers. It brags of being the coldest community in North America, a dubious distinction made possible by both the latitude and the distance from the moderating influence of the ocean. Distance: 180 Miles | Overnight: Tok

Tok - Dawson City (Yukon Territory)

The Yukoners call it the 60 mile. To Alaskans it is the Taylor Highway, but to everyone who has driven this beautiful road, it is known as the "Top of the World Highway." Please allow plenty of time for travel as the road is winding and narrow in many places. The road is maintained only during late spring to early fall corresponding to operation of the ferry service at Dawson City. Border crossing at Poker Creek is not allowed unless customs offices are open (9 AM to 9 AM Pacific Time). The Yukon (Top of the World) Highway Route #9 continues from Dawson to the Alaska and Yukon border, where it becomes the Taylor Highway - Alaska Route #5. Top of the World Highway is so named because much of its route meanders along the tops of mountains and ridges with endless views. Those driving along this route are able to enjoy beautiful vistas including spectacular alpine valleys. During the summer months the sun sets forever and you'll have hours of light to set-up that special sunset photograph. Arrival in Dawson City: It all began with Robert Henderson, a fur trapper and part-time prospector who, in 1894, found gold in Rabbit Creek (later renamed Bonanza) not far from where the Klondike River empties into the Yukon. By 1904, an estimated $100 million in gold had been shipped from the Klondike. No one really knows how much gold was found, however, because lots of it was never registered. At its height, Dawson City had a population of 35,000, but the "stampede" of `98 died out almost as quickly as it began. Distance 190 Miles | Overnight: Dawson City

Dawson City

A day to explore Dawson City: Diamond Tooth Gertie's Gambling Hall - a real Klondike Gold Rush-style gambling hall featuring Texas Hold'em poker, Blackjack and other table games plus slot machines. Live entertainment features Diamond Tooth Gertie and her Can-Can Girls. Jack London's Cabin - an interpretative center featuring the life of famed American author Jack London during his time in the Klondike. Robert Service Cabin, the Palace Grand Theatre - Originally built in 1898 by impresario and gold seeker, Arizona Charlie Meadows. It has been fully restored and is a National Historic Site. Midnight Dome Road - Is a five-mile-long road to the top of Midnight Dome overlooking Dawson City, the Yukon River and it’s gold fields. Overnight: Dawson City

Dawson City - Whitehorse

The Klondike Highway generally parallels the Yukon River as it winds its way from Dawson City to Whitehorse. Water in the Yukon River travels more than 3,000 km from headwaters near the Chilkoot Pass to the mouth at the Bering Sea. As you travel you will leave country that has been glaciated many times to visit an environment, known as Beringia, which was ice free during the last major ice age. Steppe bison and woolly mammoths inhabited this cool, ice-free land that once connected the continents of North America and Asia. The Klondike Highway North passes through three communities on the way to the historic gold rush town of Dawson City - and there is plenty to see along the way. The route of the old Overland Trail between Whitehorse and Dawson City meets the Klondike Highway north of the Braeburn highway lodge and generally follows the same route to Carmacks. Stop at Montague Roadhouse, a monument to the trials of travelling in an open stage during the cold Yukon winters. There were roadhouses every 20 miles to rest the horse and refresh the passengers. Carmacks is the home of the Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation. The Tagé Cho Hudän Cultural Centre has many exhibits depicting the lifestyle of the Northern Tutchone-speaking people of this region. Carmacks Roadhouse was another stop along the Overland Trail and the centre of the original community. The road between Minto and Pelly Crossing follows the route of a Selkirk First Nation traditional trail. The Pelly Cultural Centre at Pelly Crossing is housed in a reproduction of the original Big Jonathon House at Fort Selkirk Historic Site on the Yukon River. The Cultural Centre features the area’s Selkirk First Nation artists. Distance 270 Miles | Overnight: Whitehorse

Whitehorse - Haines

Time to explore the sights of Whitehorse: The McBride Museum, SS Klondike and the Yukon Beringia Center. The Haines Highway is noted for its grandeur and unmatched alpine scenery. Take your time and enjoy the many sights such as: Klukshu - a native summer fishing camp with great photo opportunities, the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve - home of the largest gathering of bald eagles (more than 3000 during winter) in the world and the historic Dalton Post. Arrive in Haines - surrounded by the magnificent peaks of the Chilkat Mountains. Visit the Chilkat Center of Arts, the Totem Village, Sheldon Museum and Dalton City - set for the Disney Movie " White Fang ". Enjoy a walk along the historic Captains Quarter and the boat harbor. Distance: 250 Miles | Overnight: Haines

Haines | Optional Transfer to Skagway or Juneau 

Drop off your rental car in Haines. You may extend your tour by taking the Alaska Ferry or catamaran to the gold rush town of Skagway. Skagway is Alaska's northernmost stop on the Alaska Marine Highway Ferry system serving communities along the Inside Passage. It is also the home of the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park. Skagway has a historical district of about 100 buildings from the gold rush era.