Extreme Alaska

Day 1: Anchorage - Welcome to Alaska!
Upon arrival in Anchorage, you will be met by your guide and driven to your hotel. Located in south-central Alaska, Anchorage is the state’s largest city and where 40% of its population of 683,478 people resides.  This is the place that sparked the very lifestyle and culture that you will be a part of for the next seven days. To the east, the Chugach Mountains serve as the backdrop for the city’s magnificent skyline, and to the west are the expansive, steel-colored waters of Cook Inlet. After settling into your hotel, your guide will take you on a walking tour of downtown, to the Hood Lake floatplane base (one of the largest and busiest floatplane bases in the world), and then to a restaurant to sample the local cuisine and welcome you to Alaska. (Welcome Dinner) Accommodations at the Captain Cook.

Day 2: Denali National Park - Flightseeing Tour
You will depart early this morning to drive across the mountains and Alaskan tundra to Denali National Park (5 hours). Denali, meaning “great one” in the Athabaskan language, comprises a vast six million acres of treeless tundra, filled with rivers, mountains, and abundant wildlife. The only thing missing is traffic, as the park only has one road! This afternoon, you will be taken to the local airport to board a small plane to the tiny town of Kantishna, located in the center of the park. Your flight will carry you past the shoulder of Mt. McKinley and, weather permitting, you will have a climber’s eye view of this magnificent peak. Upon arrival in Kantishna, you will be shuttled up the ridgeline to the Skyline Lodge. From here, there are several amazing hiking trails in the area for you to explore the wonders of Denali National Park. An evening visit to the beautiful Wonder Lake will be sure to amaze you and your senses. Tonight, you will enjoy a dinner prepared by the Skyline’s chef as you relax with a beer or glass of wine on the outside deck and soak in the breathtaking atmosphere of Kantishna. (B, D) Accommodations at the Skyline Lodge.

Day 3: Denali National Park - Bus Tour & Dinner Theater
After a leisurely continental breakfast, you will have a little more time to explore before boarding the Denali Park Shuttle and riding along the park’s only road from the center of the park to the entrance. Denali National Park & Preserve is the size of Massachusetts and features North America's highest mountain, 20,320-foot tall Mount McKinley. It encompasses a complete sub-arctic eco-system with large mammals such as grizzly bears, wolves, and Dall sheep, all of which you are likely to see on your tour. In the late afternoon, you will settle into your B & B in Healy, just outside the park’s entrance. Your afternoon will be free to relax, take a guided hike, or tour Stampede Road, featured in the film, ”Into the Wild.” This evening, you will attend an old-fashioned dinner theater show about life in 1900s Alaska in an authentic, log-paneled roadhouse. Before performing their charming historical musical, performers will serve up family-style platters of salmon, chicken and marinated ribs! (B, L, D) Accommodations at the Dome Home B and B.

Day 4: Denali National Park to Talkeetna -  Jeff King’s Kennels & Travel to Talkeetna
In the morning, you will enjoy a scrumptious made-to-order breakfast at your B & B, followed by some time to relax or explore the area. After lunch, you will visit Jeff King’s Dog Kennels, where you will be able to meet the famous Iditarod Sled dogs and possibly even four-time Iditarod winner Jeff King himself. You will then be driven 1.5 hours down to the tiny gold rush village of Talkeetna (population: 772!) and settle into your hotel. This town is known as the starting point for many expeditions to Mt. McKinley, and your hotel is renowned for having some of the best views of “The Great One” in all of Alaska. Your evening will be free to explore the quaint two-street downtown and enjoy dinner at one of the cozy restaurants or at your hotel. (B) Accommodations at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge.

Day 5: Talkeetna - Float Plane & Rafting
After an early morning breakfast, you will board a small floatplane and fly above the Talkeetna Mountains to begin your three-day trip into the wilds of Alaska, featuring spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, and class IV whitewater.  The Talkeetna, meaning “where the rivers meet,” has been called the best all-around whitewater wilderness river in Alaska, and getting to it is half the adventure! After your exciting day of traveling, your guides will set up camp and prepare a gourmet meal while you are free to explore the wilderness around you. All your accommodations will be in deluxe tents with pads, sleeping bags and pillows. (B, L, D and drinks) Accommodations on the Talkeetna River.

Day 6: Talkeetna River - River Rafting & Fishing
After waking up at your leisure and enjoying a full breakfast prepared by your expert guides, you will take a couple of short hikes around the canyon before packing up for the afternoon’s adventure. The highlight of your rafting trip is the dramatic Talkeetna Canyon – today, you will run such infamous rapids as the Entrance Exam, Toilet Bowl and the Sluice Box, which, at 14 miles long, is one of the longest continuous rapids in North America. As you work your way through the canyon, you will stop for a riverside lunch before finishing the fun rapids ahead. After exiting the canyon, your guides will once again set up camp alongside the river and cook a delicious gourmet meal for you. If you are a fly fisherman, this is a wonderful place to catch a few Silver Salmon with your rod and reel. Another incredible day will end with you falling asleep under the stars in the middle of the remote Alaskan wilderness. (B, L, D and drinks) Accommodations on the Talkeetna River.

Day 7: Talkeetna River - River Rafting & Fishing
Your morning will be waking up at your leisure and enjoying a full breakfast prepared by your expert guides. Your morning is free to relax, hike, or fish before prepare for the afternoon’s adventure. Today includes more rafting through Class III and IV rapids and exploring some of the beautiful side canyons on the Tallkeetna River.  You wil truly appreciate the wilderness of Alaska as you travel down this remote section of river. In the evening we will stop for another night of camping and gourmet meals on the shore of the river. Let your guides take care of you for one more day as you relax with only the sounds of wild Alaska to entertain you. (B, L, D and drinks)  Accommodations on the Talkeetna River.

Day 8: Talkeetna to Seward - Travel to Kenai Peninsula (5 hours)
After a hot breakfast in the wilderness, you will pack up camp and head down the river by private jet boat to Talkeetna. Here, you will bid goodbye to your river guides and enjoy lunch on your own before departing for the Kenai Peninsula. Your drive will take you back through Anchorage, by the Chugach Mountains and onto the Kenai Peninsula at Seward. Known as the "Gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park," Seward is a picturesque town located 126 miles south of Anchorage where you will discover a bustling harbor and historic downtown district filled with quaint shops and art galleries. After settling into your oceanfront hotel, you will have the evening free to explore and have dinner on your own. (B) Accommodations on the Edgewater Hotel.

Day 9: Seward - Explore Seward & Deep Sea Fishing
You will wake up this morning at your leisure and enjoy breakfast at your hotel. Today, you are free to explore the town, or you can choose to take a hike near the local glaciers. You can also visit the Alaska Sea Life Center, a renowned research aquarium open to the public. In the afternoon, you will board a private fishing boat for an ocean fishing excursion into the deep waters outside of Resurrection Bay. Adventurers will all have the chance to hook Halibut and Silver Salmon, as well as have it packed and sent home to provide enough fresh fish to last you for a long, long time. After returning in the evening, you will have the opportunity to explore more of this quaint fishing town on your own.  (B, L) Accommodations on the Edgewater Hotel.

Day 10: Seward to Anchorage - Kenai Fjords Tour
This morning, after waking up to spectacular views of Resurrection Bay, you will meet at the pier to depart on your 6-hour Kenai Fjords tour. Kenai Fjords National Park is home to the Harding Icefield, one of the largest ice fields in the United States, and is named for the numerous fjords carved by glaciers moving down the mountains from it. Your fully-narrated tour will take you out of the bay and up to the edge of some of the park’s 38 glaciers. As you float through the untouched beauty of Alaska’s coastal waters, you may see puffins, seals, sea otters, porpoises, and sea lions. And along with the breathtaking scenery, you will most likely see a glacier calving before your very eyes! After your adventure, you will have time for some last minute shopping before beginning the 2-hour drive to Anchorage. On the way to Anchorage, you can stop and take a short hike to see the “Exit Glacier” of the Kenai Fjords National Park.  Depending on how much energy you have, there is the possibility of continuing up the ridgeline for a breathtaking view of the Harding Ice field, the icy cap of the Kenai Peninsula.  After arriving in Anchorage, you will settle into your hotel and then enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (B, L, D) Accommodations on the Captain Cook.

Day 11: Anchorage - Explore Anchorage & Return Flight Home
Depending on your flight time home, you may have the day free to visit museums, souvenir shops, or see any vistas that you may have missed on the way in. You can also explore the Anchorage Market, which is a kaleidoscope of local music, native and contemporary crafts, and mouthwatering food - by far the best place to pick up souvenirs. Also, be sure to try the salmon quesadilla! At the end of the day, you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight home. (B)