Itinerary
- Day 1
Arrival in Alaska
You'll arrive in Alaska and get picked up at the airport, then head to your hotel to get settled in for the week ahead.
- Day 2
Anchorage to Denali National Park
You'll drive north from Anchorage toward Denali National Park, and the scenery shifts constantly as you move through the landscape. Glaciers and beaver dams mark the route, so there's plenty to see from the road. Later in the afternoon, there's an optional one-hour glacier flight available if weather cooperates and you want to see Mount Denali from the air.
Included Activities
- Drive through landscape with glaciers and beaver dams
Optional Activities
- One-hour glacier flight to vicinity of Mount Denali (bookable locally)
Landmarks Denali National Park Mount Denali - Day 3
Denali National Park
This morning you're heading out early on the Denali Wildlife Tour using a special park shuttle bus that goes deep into the landscape. If the weather cooperates, you might catch Mount Denali (20,310 feet), and if you're lucky, wolves, Dall sheep, moose, and grizzly bears around Wonder Lake. The drive covers roughly 280 km through some incredible terrain.
Included Activities
- Denali Wildlife Tour via park shuttle bus
Landmarks Mount Denali Wonder Lake Denali National Park - Day 4
Fairbanks
You arrive in Fairbanks, which sits about 320 kilometers from the Arctic Circle and gets the midnight sun during summer months. The afternoon opens up with choices. Pioneer Park is worth checking out if you want some local history, or you could grab lunch at a restaurant serving regional food. A paddle steamer trip on the Chena River is another option if you prefer being on the water.
Optional Activities
- Visit Pioneer Park
- Paddle steamer trip on the Chena River
- Dining at local restaurants
Landmarks Pioneer Park Chena River - Day 5
Fairbanks to Dawson City
Heading south, you'll pass rivers and lakes constantly, then join the Alaska Highway and Top of the World Highway. The terrain changes from alpine plateaus to coniferous forests and tundra as you go. Small villages like Chicken, Action Jackson, and Jack Wade Camp dot the route. You'll cross into Canada at Little Gold Creek, which is the highest USA-Canada border crossing, then take a ferry across the Yukon River to reach Dawson City.
Included Activities
- Ferry crossing of Yukon River
Landmarks Yukon River Little Gold Creek - Day 6
Dawson City
Dawson City sits at the mouth of the Klondike River and still carries its gold rush history. You can visit the Gold Diggers Museum and Jack London's cabin, or walk around the restored buildings to soak in the historic feel. If you're interested, gold prospecting is available. By evening, Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino puts on a cancan show, which gives you a taste of what the town was like during boom times.
Included Activities
- Visit to Gold Diggers Museum
- Cancan show at Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino
Optional Activities
- Gold prospecting (bookable on site)
Landmarks Jack London Cabin Klondike River Yukon River Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino - Day 7
Dempster Highway and Tombstone Mountains
You'll drive along the Dempster Highway, which is the only road that connects to Inuvik on the Arctic Ocean, heading toward the Tombstone Mountains. The tundra landscape here is really something to see, and you'll stop at Midnight Dome, a local mountain outside Dawson City. The route is about 300 km total.
Included Activities
- Trip to Midnight Dome
Landmarks Tombstone Mountains Midnight Dome Dempster Highway - Day 8
Dawson City to Whitehorse
The drive to Whitehorse takes you along the Yukon River, and you'll see the Five Finger Rapids along the way. Old post stations and small villages from the gold rush era appear periodically. Once in Whitehorse, Miles Canyon is worth seeing, carved out by basaltic lava flows. A historic suspension bridge crosses the Yukon here, and the views from it are great for photos.
Included Activities
- Visit to Five Finger Rapids
- Visit to Miles Canyon
Landmarks Yukon River Five Finger Rapids Miles Canyon - Day 9
Whitehorse to Skagway
You'll drive to Skagway with scenic stops en route. The Carcross Desert is the smallest desert in the world and makes for an interesting stop. Emerald Lake, called Rainbow Lake locally, offers nice views. If you want something different, an optional train ride goes over White Pass to Skagway, an old gold mining town on the coast, though you can also drive it.
Optional Activities
- Train ride over White Pass to Skagway (bookable locally)
Landmarks Carcross Desert Emerald Lake White Pass - Day 10
Skagway to Haines Junction
Taking the Alaska Highway to Haines Junction, you'll arrive early afternoon and find yourself at the foot of Kluane National Park, Canada's largest. Depending on weather and what the group wants to do, a short hike in the park works well. Bush plane flights over the glacier fields or helicopter flights into remote areas are optional if you want to see more of the terrain from above.
Included Activities
- Visit to Kluane National Park
- Short hike in Kluane National Park (depending on weather and group interests)
Optional Activities
- Bush plane flight over glacier world (bookable on site)
- Helicopter flight into deserted area (bookable on site)
Landmarks Kluane National Park - Day 11
Haines Junction to Tok
You travel along Kluane Lake's shores with a stop at Sheep Mountain Visitor Center. The surrounding mountains hold rare snow-white Dall sheep, so bring binoculars. After that, you'll drive back into the USA and head south to Tok, crossing the border.
Included Activities
- Stop at Sheep Mountain Visitor Center
Landmarks Kluane Lake Sheep Mountain Visitor Center - Day 12
Tok to Valdez
Heading south, you'll pass rivers, lakes, and glaciers before reaching the coast and the small harbor town of Valdez. Thompson Pass cuts through the coastal mountains, and dramatic waterfalls line the route there. Valdez itself sits surrounded by alpine scenery and marks the southern end of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, which you can see from town.
Landmarks Thompson Pass Trans-Alaska Pipeline - Day 13
Valdez to Seward
A ferry carries you through Prince William Sound, one of Alaska's top scenic routes. You'll pass glaciers, wooded islands, and the Pacific coastline. Watch for sea lions, whales, sea otters, and puffins along the way. Portage Glacier and Byron Glacier are stops for photos. After the ferry, you drive through Chugach Mountains past glacial rivers and lakes before reaching Seward, where local restaurants serve king crab and other fresh catch.
Included Activities
- Ferry trip through Prince William Sound
Landmarks Prince William Sound Portage Glacier Byron Glacier Chugach Mountains Whittier - Day 14
Kenai Fjords and Anchorage
There's an optional morning Kenai Fjord tour available if you want to book it on site, then you'll travel along the scenic Turnagain Inlet back toward Anchorage. Keep an eye out for white beluga whales in the bay. Once you arrive, you can walk around Alaska's largest city and check out places like the Museum of Art, the Museum of History and Art, or hit up some American-style shopping. The drive is about 205 km.
Optional Activities
- Kenai Fjords tour (bookable on site)
Landmarks Kenai Fjords Turnagain Inlet Museum of Art, Anchorage Museum of History and Art, Anchorage - Day 15
Anchorage
Your last day in Anchorage gives you several options. You could head to Lake Spenard, which is the largest seaplane airfield where about 800 planes take off and land during summer, or visit the Aviation Museum to see its collection of historic aircraft. If you'd rather take it easy, there's plenty of shopping around town before you head out.
Optional Activities
- Visit Lake Spenard seaplane airfield
- Aviation Museum visit
- Shopping in Anchorage
Landmarks Lake Spenard Aviation Museum, Anchorage - Day 16
Departure
You'll head to your departure airport and start your journey back home.
