Alaska Rail & Road Trip Circle Tour

Day 1 Anchorage to Denali National Park Entrance | Alaska Railroad Early this morning take the Denali Star, the Alaska Railroad’s flagship train, in the Goldstar Railcar with service to Denali National Park. Watch for views of Denali and keep an eye out for wildlife. Arrive mid-afternoon; the rest of the day is at leisure to enjoy an optional activity. (Breakfast & lunch is included onboard the train today)

Day 2 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 while the road further into the park thaws and dries out)

Day 3 Denali National Park Entrance to Fairbanks | Alaska Railroad This morning is at leisure to enjoy optional activities such as: whitewater rafting down the Nenana River, helicopter flightseeing over the park, landing on a glacier or hiking. By early afternoon, board Alaska Railroad’s Denali Star Train in the Goldstar Railcar to Fairbanks. Enjoy the late afternoon scenery as you travel north to Fairbanks. (Dinner is included on board the train today)

Day 4 Fairbanks to Valdez | 584 km/363 mi Settle in for a day of driving through some of Alaska’s most diverse and dynamic landscapes. You’ll drive the Richardson Highway along the Tanana River through Delta Junction, home to the Delta Bison Sanctuary. Continue south where you will begin to enter the Chugach Mountains that ring the coast of Alaska from Prince William Sound. At Thompson Pass you may wish to stop at one of the pullouts for the scenery and views of Worthington Glacier before you begin the descent into Valdez.

Day 5 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 6 Valdez to Sheep Mountain Lodge | 309 km/192 mi Today you will drive back north on the Richardson Highway with great views of the Wrangell Mountains as you return 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 perfect for exploring. Birds and wildflowers abound. Maps are provided in each cabin for self-guided hiking.

Day 7 Sheep Mountain Lodge to Seward | 373 km/232 mi Drive the Glenn Highway south to Anchorage. Highlights on 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 with the remarkable growing season in Alaska and offers beautiful views of the Chugach Range. Continue on through Anchorage 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. In Seward we suggest a visit to Exit Glacier and the SeaLife Center.

Day 8 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 9 Seward to Anchorage | 204 km/127 mi Begin your day with a short drive to Exit Glacier to take the easy walk to stand beside this spectacular Glacier. Next, visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center which provides care and rehabilitation for injured and orphaned wildlife. Here you can safely observe and photograph some of Alaska’s largest land animals including moose, bison, elk, deer, caribou, bears and muskox. If time permits, take the aerial tram up Alyeska Mountain for views of Turnagain Arm, up to seven “hanging” glaciers and the endless peaks of the Chugach Mountain Range before continuing the short drive from Girdwood to Anchorage.