Wild Alaska Adventure

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 six 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 Millenium Hotel.

Day 2: Anchorage to Denali - 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. (D) Accommodations at Skyline Ldoge.

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. Denali 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. After exiting the park, you will settle into your B & B in Healy, just outside the park’s entrance. You will then 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 to Talkeetna - Jeff King’s Dog Kennels
After a scrumptious made-to-order breakfast at your B & B, 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. This afternoon, you can take short hikes around the area with a naturalist guide. 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 to Seward - Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center & Alaska SeaLife Center
Today, you will be driven past Anchorage to the fishing town of Seward (6 hours). Along the way, you will stop for lunch in the small town of Girdwood and visit the Alaskan Wildlife Conservation Center, a non-profit dedicated to wildlife conservation and education. The 200-acre preserve is a refuge for orphaned or injured bear, bison, moose, caribou, and muskox. During your visit, you will be able to walk or drive through the park, getting up close and personal with these wild animals in their natural habitats – a rare treat! You will then continue on to Seward, known as the "Gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park," a picturesque town located 126 miles south of Anchorage. Here, you will discover a bustling harbor and historic downtown district filled with quaint shops and art galleries. If you’re not too tired, you can visit the Alaska SeaLife Center, Alaska’s only public aquarium and ocean wildlife rescue center.  You will have close encounters with puffins, octopus, sea lions and other sealife while peeking over the shoulders of ocean scientists studying Alaska’s rich seas and diverse sealife. Your evening is free to relax and explore the harbor. (No Meals) Accommodations and the Edgewater Hotel.

Day 6: 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 3-hour drive to Anchorage. On the way to Anchorage, you can stop and take a short hike to see the Exit Glacier, from which you will have expansive views of the peninsula.  This evening, you will settle into your hotel and enjoy a farewell dinner at a local restaurant. (L, D) Accommodations at the Captain Cook.

Day 7: Anchorage - Return Flight Home
This morning, you will be transferred to the airport for your return flight home. (No Meals)