Alaska: America’s Last Frontier

Your Alaskan adventure begins with a 3-night stay in Fairbanks – the “golden heart city.” Discover this gold rush boomtown’s unique mix of contemporary culture and rich history.
Hotel Name: Pikes Waterfront Lodge

Tap into Alaska’s “golden heart” with a visit to a locally owned gold panning experience, where you’ll learn about the region’s gold mining past and try your hand at panning for some pay dirt yourself. Get to know Fairbanks on a city tour, including a stop at the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, an engineering marvel that delivers oil across the state to the port city of Valdez. After some free time this afternoon, you’ll visit legendary Trail Breaker Kennel where you’ll meet mushers and their happy pups. Witness the dogs in their element on a training run before enjoying dinner on the kennel’s scenic property.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Visit Area: Fairbanks
A home rule city in the state of Alaska, Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region. The city of Fairbanks was founded by Captain E. T. Barnette in August 1901 while headed to Tanacross, where he intended to set up a trading post. Fairbanks has a history of gold mining, which dates back to when it was founded. In 1939, major infrastructure in the territory occurred for the first time, in part of a larger effort by the federal government during the New deal and World War II, which fostered an economic and population boom in Fairbanks. The city of Fairbanks is home to a number of attractions and events which draw visitors from outside of Alaska throughout the year.

This morning is at leisure or take a cruise on the Riverboat Discovery to get a glimpse into everyday life along Alaska’s rivers. This afternoon, visit the Museum of the North at the University of Alaska where light filled spaces and expansive windows highlight the spectacular views of the Alaskan range. Inside, the museum tells the state’s rich history through art, artifacts, and film.

Breakfast Included

Admittance: Gold Mining

Behold beautiful scenery as you relax and have breakfast in a deluxe domed railcar on your way to Denali National Park. Upon arrival in Denali, enjoy an included lunch and some free time. After, it’s your choice! Join your Tour Manager on an easy hike and discover wildflowers and gorgeous views in every direction -OR- take a bus into the park where a ranger will introduce you to the park's sled dogs – the traditional mode of Alaskan wilderness transportation. The evening is yours to discover Denali as you please.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included
Hotel Name: Denali Bluffs Hotel

Admittance: Museum of the North

Bring your binoculars and camera as you head into Denali National Park on a full-day Tundra Wilderness Tour.* Travel over 40 miles into the park and enjoy a wide range of incredible scenery, narrated history, and some of the best opportunities to view the park’s abundant wildlife.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included

Admittance: Trans-Alaska Pipeline

Leave Denali National Park behind and step into small-town life in Talkeetna. Check into the iconic Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, perched on a ridge offering unforgettable views of Denali. Perhaps you will take an optional flightseeing tour and witness the park’s breathtaking beauty from the air before landing on a glacier for incomparable views of the Alaskan Range. Later, meet up with a local for a discussion on the down-to-earth Alaskan lifestyle.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included
Hotel Name: Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

Admittance: Dog Mushing
Dog mushing is an iconic Alaskan sport and/or transportation method powered by dogs. A team of trained, athletic dogs are directed by a human musher on a sled, traversing snowy lands. Dog mushing has been a part of Alaskan life since long before it was even a state. This is sometimes still the best way to travel around rural communities today.

On your way to Anchorage, discover the pastoral charm of Matanuska Valley. Enjoy free time in Palmer for lunch before you take a step into the past with a visit to a Musk Ox Farm. Learn about the Musk Ox project – a sustainable domestication effort that has worked to preserve, protect, and increase awareness for these wooly creatures since 1954. Get acquainted with Anchorage on a panoramic city tour before enjoying an evening at leisure to discover what Alaska’s largest city has to offer.

Breakfast Included
Hotel Name: Hilton Anchorage

Admittance: Denali National Park
In 1917, Alaska named its first national park Mount McKinley National Park and nearly 70 years later the park was expanded and renamed Denali National Park. This vast land has a fascinating ecosystem and is more than a park — it is a wildlife reserve. And perhaps its biggest claim to fame is being the home to North America’s highest peak, Denali, ascending more than 20,000 feet. This massive park is now more than 6 million acres, an area that can be compared to the size of Massachusetts. The park is home to nearly forty different varieties of mammals, but the most popular residents are moose, caribou, wolves, plus brown and grizzly bears. Denali is Alaska’s heartland and brings you up close to its majestic beauty and natural wonders.

Delve into the area’s indigenous culture this morning at the Alaska Native Heritage Center where you’ll learn about Alaska Native customs, dances, songs, and local crafts. Head to Whittier and embrace the sheer magnitude of Alaska’s natural beauty on a glacier cruise* through Prince William Sound. Listen to an expert narrate your journey through a geological wonderland as blue skies collide with stark white glaciers and playful otters dip in and out of the calm waters. Tonight, gather at a local restaurant to toast to your journey through America’s last great frontier.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included
Dinner Included

Admittance: Choice on Tour: Denali Nature Walk or Denali Sled Dog Demo with Ranger
In Denali National Park, you’ll have the choice between two activities. Your first option is to join your Tour Manager for an easy hike along one of the marked trails just outside the Visitor Center. Walk among wildflowers in bloom and discover gorgeous views in every direction. Your second option is to take a bus into the park where you’ll meet with a Ranger to meet the park’s sled dogs and tour the kennels. These working pups help Rangers reach remote parts of the park and are reflective of Alaska’s traditional wilderness transportation. Denali Nature Walk Activity Level: 3 This option requires the ability to walk on an even trail for 1.5 miles. Travelers should wear comfortable shoes. Denali National Park Sled Dog Demo with Ranger Activity Level: 1 Travelers will take the free shuttle from the Visitor Center to the demo, then back to the Visitor Center. The Tour Manager will not be taking them but only getting them on and off the bus, so they will do this activity on their own.

Your Alaskan adventure comes to a close today.

Breakfast Included

Admittance: Tundra Wilderness Tour
The Tundra Wilderness Tour offers wonderful diversity for visitors. Travel 53 miles into the park to the Toklat River area where incredible scenery and some of the best opportunities to view the park’s wildlife await you. This tour also provides in-depth information about the history of the park. While we can’t promise or predict when wildlife will show, the tour allows plenty of opportunity to look for Dall sheep, moose, caribou, wolves and grizzly bears.