|
Sample Itineraries - 14 Day Tour, Three National Park Driving Adventure
|
Day One - Anchorage, Portage
Day Two - Seward
Day Three - Exit Glacier, Cooper Landing
Day Four - Homer
Day Five - Homer
Day Six - Girdwood, Matanuska
Valley
Day Seven - Talkeetna, Denali National Park
Day Eight - Denali National Park
Day Nine - Fairbanks,
North Pole
Day Ten - Arctic Circle, Fairbanks
Day Eleven - Glennallen
Day Twelve - Chitna, Kennicott Glacier,
Valdez
Day Thirteen - Columbia Glacier
Day Fourteen - Anchorage sightseeing
Day Fifteen - Depart for home
|
|
14 Day Tour Full Description
DAY
ONE - Arrive in Anchorage
and pick up your motorhome rental (between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m.). Drive south on a designated Scenic Byway to Portage,
watching for whales and wildlife. Take a one hour cruise to the face of Portage Glacier
narrated by a Park Service employee. Learn about the glaciers at the Beggich-Boggs Visitor Center. Overnight in the Portage
area. Anchorage to Portage / 48.1 miles
DAY TWO
- Depart for Seward and enjoy beautiful scenery en-route. Take an afternoon Kenai Fjords National Park cruiseWatch for seals, otters,
whales, sea lions, and other marine life abundant in this area. See several glaciers surrounded by spectacular scenery. Overnight
in Seward. (Fishing from Seward for trophy Halibut, Salmon and other species is excellent. See Day Tours for details.) Portage
to Seward / 78.9 miles
DAY
THREE - Just north of Seward,
drive to Exit Glacier where you can walk to the face of the glacier. You can actually hear the ice moan as it makes its’
gentle retreat. Continue north to the Sterling Highway exit that takes you across the Kenai Peninsula. In Cooper Landing,
take a relaxing float trip on the emerald green water of the Upper Kenai River or
spend the afternoon fishing for trophy trout or salmon. Seward to Cooper Landing / 48.8 miles
DAY FOUR - Continue across the Kenai Peninsulawith scenic
stops en-route to including the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Soldatna and Ninilchik’s Russian Orthodox Church.
and south to Homer. Drive out to the Homer Spit for beautiful views of Kachemak Bay. Take the Danny
J boat trip over to Halibut Cove – a very beautiful coastal community built along a boardwalk with galleries
displaying works of local artists. Bird watching and hiking are popular beginning at the Halibut Cove Lagoon. Cooper
Landing to Homer / 131.1 miles
DAY FIVE – Full day fishing charters available for world class halibut,
or spend the day beach combing and taking in Homer’s small town charm. The recommended Halibut trip is the Double Limit - you depart in the afternoon around 3:30 p.m., fish all night and return
the next day in mid morning. You get to take 2 days limit because you fish overnight!
DAY SIX
- Travel north toward Anchorageand stop in Girdwood en-route. Take the tram ( tram
with lunch packages available, too) to the 2,200 foot level of Mt. Alyeska for spectacular views of seven glaciers and several
mountain ranges. Continue north to the Matanuska Valley visit Eklutna Cemetery. Homer to Matanuska Valley / 251 miles
DAY SEVEN-
Continue north to Talkeetna, from Palmer – 71 miles, and take an afternoon riverboat
safari where you are likely to see Mt. McKinley and a variety of wildlife. Later, continue north to the Denali Parkentrance
and enjoy an evening at Cabin Nite Dinner Theater. Talkeetna to Denali / 151 miles
DAY
EIGHT - Today, travel inside
Denali National Parkto the Kantishna region via the Denali National Park Road. This full-day guided adventure takes you 95 miles
through the Park and the Wonder Lake district to the picturesque Kantishna Historical District.
“Upon
reaching Kantishna, visitors will be treated to a hot full lunch and guided activities at the Kantishna Roadhouse. Visitors
will have several options to stretch their legs and relax or choose from an educational dog mushing or gold panning demonstration.
After lunch and activities, get back on the bus and make your way back through the park once again
– gaining additional opportunities to see wildlife, Mt. McKinley and everything else that makes Denali National Park
a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
DAY NINE - Travel north to Fairbanks today and depart on
an afternoon riverboat cruiseon the Chena and Tanana Rivers. Later, drive to North
Pole and visit Santa’s House! Drive out to view a section of the Trans Alaska Pipeline that starts in Prudhoe Bay and
ends in Valdez. Denali Park entrance to Fairbanks / 100 miles
DAY TEN - Enjoy optional activities today including a visit to Chena Hot
Springs or take the full day Arctic Circle Driving Adventure Chena Hot Springs is located 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks,and became famous for curing
crippled prospectors of their aches and pains as long ago as 1905. The principal characteristics of the Chena Hot Spring waters
consisted of its content of sulfate, chloride and bicarbonate of sodium. In fact, it was very similar to the waters of Felsenquelle,
one of the famous springs at Carlsbad in Bohemia. To this very day, Chena Hot Springs Resort enjoys a clean, healthy and beautiful
natural environment and continues to welcome people from all over the world to bathe in the curative powers of the hot waters.
Depart early morning on a guided Arctic Circle Driving Adventure with your tour hosts. Travel the rugged Dalton Highway made
famous by the construction of the Trans Alaska Pipeline. Experience the mighty Yukon River. Marvel at the majestic beauty
of the northland's most famous waterway and learn of the river's storied past. Cross the Arctic Circle in ceremonious fashion
and receive an official Arctic Circle Adventure Certificate. Explore up close the amazing arctic tundra and feel the veins
of ice just beneath the surface. Departs 6:30 am; returns between 10:30 and 11:30 pm.
DAY ELEVEN– Depart for Glenallen via the Richardson Highway and enjoy
this scenic route of mountains, glaciers, and wildlife. Fairbanksto Glenallen / 247 miles
DAY TWELVE – Driveto Chitna (66 miles southeast of Glennallen)and
depart via 15 passenger vanon a transfer to McCarthy. *New for 2008, the van can
pick you up at your campsite in either Glenallen, Chitina or Copper Center and transfer you to McCarthy. The McCarthy
Roadfollows the right-of-way of the old Copper River & Northwestern Railway. Begun in 1907, the CR&NW (also referred
to as the “can’t run and never will”) was built to carry copper ore from the Kennecott Mines to Cordova.
It took 4 years to complete the railway. The railway and mine ceased operation in 1938. There is no vehicle access across
the Kennicott River from the McCarthy Road, however there are 2 pedestrian bridges and it takes 15 minutes to walk to McCarthy.
Explore this small town – population 42, then take the van to the ghost town of Kennicott. Kennicott is the old mining
community perched on the side of Bonanza Ridge next to, and in full view of Kennicott Glacier. This community once housed
thousands of workers who mined the copper-ore. The buildings still stand as they were 100 years ago, and visitors can walk
through this ghost town, rich in history. Later, return to Chitna and drive 83 miles to Valdez.
DAY THIRTEEN - Depart on a cruise from Valdez
for a 6.5 hour journey through Prince William Sound featuring a visit to Columbia Glacier. On board you will have a chance
to view the Sounds' wildlife, and learn about the mining, oil shipping, earthquake, and fishing history. Visit local sights
including the pipeline terminal.
DAY FOURTEEN - Return to Anchorage today and visit downtown. Places of interest
may include the Alaska Native Heritage Center; Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum and the Anchorage Museum of History and Art.
Valdez to Anchorage / 304 miles
DAY FIFTEEN- Return your motorhome this morning and depart for home. If your
flight leaves later today, consider a car rental and continue to explore the Anchorage area until your flight time.* Some activities have tax added to the above prices.
|
