Day 1 Anchorage to Seward | 204 km/127 mi
This morning travel along the Seward Highway towards scenic Turnagain Arm, a body of water featuring the world’s second highest tides at over 30 feet. Keep an eye out for Beluga whales chasing salmon in the bay or Dall sheep along the highway. A great stop for lunch is Alyeska Ski Resort in Girdwood where you can take the tram up Mt. Alyeska (optional). Other stops we recommend include Portage Glacier and its visitor centre, and in Seward Exit Glacier and the SeaLife Centre.
Day 2 Seward | Kenai Fjord National Park Cruise
Today enjoy a 6-hour cruise of Kenai Fjords National Park. The park boasts abundant wildlife, alpine and tidewater glaciers, and breathtaking scenery. As you cruise through Resurrection Bay, keep watch for Steller sea lions, seals, puffins, eagles and whales. Cruise past the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge, home to a large variety of birds, on your way to either the Holgate or Aialik Glacier. You will stop in front of the glacier to hear it moving and possibly see ice fall into the ocean. Enjoy a deli style lunch onboard.
Day 3 Seward to Talkeetna | 386 km/240 mi
Head back to Anchorage today taking in the sights of the Seward Highway as you go. Pass through Anchorage and drive the Glenn Highway north to Wasilla and onto Talkeetna. Stops can include a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Centre in Anchorage and the Museum of Alaska Transportation and Industry in Wasilla. Talkeetna serves as a base camp for Denali climbers; the community of under 1000 residents is located at the confluence of the Talkeetna and Susitna Rivers. A turn-of-the-20th-century gold-mining centre, the town has retained much of its early Alaskan flavour. Log cabins, a roadhouse, and clapboard storefronts line the dirt streets, and colourful locals and bush pilots stroll the wooden sidewalks, while Denali looms overhead. Main Street, the only paved road in town, begins with a “Welcome to Beautiful Downtown Talkeetna” sign at the town park and ends at the banks of the Susitna River, a nice place to view the big mountain when it’s out.
Day 4 Talkeetna to Denali National Park | 257 km/153 mi
Today, explore Denali’s south side or depart early for the drive to Denali National Park. You’ll have as much time as you like to experience the majesty of Denali National Park, take in the sights of the George Parks Highway or arrive at your hotel near the park entrance to take advantage of an optional excursion or a visit to the Denali Visitor Centre.
Day 5 Denali National Park Backcountry Tour | Coach | Flightseeing
This full-day narrated coach trip explores the entire 148 km/92 mi of Denali Park Road on your way to Denali Backcountry Lodge. With multiple stops for wildlife viewing and photography, your experienced driver-guide will help search for grizzly bears, moose, wolves, caribou and Dall sheep while sharing the biology and geology of the area. For the return trip, board a small Alaskan bush plane for a flightseeing tour back to the park entrance where if weather permits, you will fly close to Mount Denali (Lunch & snacks included today between Jun 4 - Sep 12) Please note during May to Jun 4 this tour does not include the scenic return flight and will be replaced with a shorter 6-7 hour Tundra Wilderness Coach Tour.
Day 6 Denali National Park to Fairbanks | 198 km/123 mi | Sternwheeler Riverboat Cruise
Continue on the George Parks Highway north to Fairbanks. Accompanied by incredible forest and mountain landscapes, you drive through the communities of Healy, Nenana and Ester - an old mining camp. In the afternoon, climb aboard the Riverboat Discovery III for an unforgettable 3-hour cruise into the Alaskan Interior, traveling the Chena and Tanana Rivers on the only authentic sternwheeler riverboat operating in Alaska. This narrated tour provides background on the area’s natural history and the Athabascan Indian culture. You will see a floatplane take off, meet sled dogs, witness the “wedding of the rivers,” and gain insight into the ancient Athabascan Indian culture. Athabascan guides who have worked and lived in Alaska will take you on a personalized tour of the Chena Indian Village.
Day 7 Fairbanks to Valdez | 584 km/363 mi
Drive the spectacular Richardson Highway south. Near Delta Junction there are some opportunities to see the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, the great construction project that brought so many people to Alaska, and that now brings oil from the fields in Prudhoe Bay some 800 miles/1300km from the Arctic Coast to Valdez. Crossing 34 rivers and 3 mountain ranges above-ground, the line could not be buried due to the possibility of earthquakes and permafrost. Continuing south, you can’t help but be impressed with the spectacular mountains of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park - a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The park is home to 9 of the 16 highest peaks in North America including Mt. Blackburn, at just under 5000m/16,000ft. All told it is bigger than Switzerland, or roughly the same size as Ireland. At Thompson Pass you may wish to stop at one of the pullouts for the scenery and views of Worthington Glacier before beginning the descent into Valdez. Just outside town, you’ll see evidence of the devastating 1964 earthquake. Though the quake was felt in Valdez, it was the tsunami that caused most of the damage. Dead trees miles inland show just how far the saltwater traveled up the valley.
Day 8 Valdez | Prince William Sound Columbia Glacier Cruise with lunch
Discover the magic of Alaska on this 7-hour Columbia Glacier cruise from Valdez. A local captain and crew will guide you through the Trans Alaska Pipeline Terminal and Columbia Bay before arriving at Columbia Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in South Central Alaska. Look out for wildlife along the way; if you’re lucky you could spot porpoises, puffins, sea lions and sea otters among other creatures. (Lunch included)
Day 9 Valdez to Sheep Mountain Lodge | 309 km/192 mi
Today you will drive north on the Richardson Highway with great views of the Wrangell Mountains as you head towards to Glennallen (weather permitting). Here you follow the Glenn Highway towards Palmer / Anchorage until you reach Sheep Mountain Lodge. The rest of the day is at leisure to enjoy the scenic mountain views or recreational activities in the area. There are over 20 km/12 mi of trails near the lodge that are perfect for exploring. Birds and wildflowers abound. Maps are provided in each cabin for self-guided hiking.
Day 10 Sheep Mountain Lodge to Anchorage | 172 km/107 mi
Drive the Glenn Highway south to Anchorage. Highlights on this part of today’s trip include the Independence Mine in beautiful Hatcher Pass and the many communities in the Mat-Su Valley. This valley contains many farms and offers beautiful views of the Chugach Range. Upon arrival in Anchorage your incredible Alaska self drive adventure comes to an end
