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Day 1
Our tour starts today in Anchorage. This modern city is the gateway to 1,000s of miles of wilderness, overlooked by giant snow-capped peaks and flanked by the icy waters of the Cook Inlet. We'll prepare to explore it all.
Due to the number of evening flights into Anchorage, our tour leader will meet you for a welcome meeting on the morning of Day 2. Details of the timings will be left in the hotel reception.
There are no activities planned today, so you're free to arrive at any time. We don't provide arrival transfers on this tour, but you can find information on how to reach the hotel in your final documentation.
If your flight arrives earlier in the day, a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Centre will really set the scene and provide a great introduction to the many native cultures in this vast state. Alternatively, you might like to try the local beer at one of the city's many microbreweries.
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Day 2
Departing Anchorage this morning, we'll take the beautiful drive to Valdez. Along the way, we'll pass towering mountains and glittering waterfalls, winding along roads through a rock-cut canyon and catching a glimpse of the Matanuska Glacier. Keep an eye out for moose en route. Crossing Thompson Pass, the views are dramatic as we reach Keystone Canyon, where water cascades over sheer cliff walls into the river below. The canyon is steeped in history from the gold rush period, and this was once the scene of a bloody gun battle.
Valdez is the terminus of the 800-mile Trans-Alaska Pipeline which begins in Prudhoe Bay on the Arctic Ocean. This feat of engineering traverses the Brooks Range, crossing rivers and valleys, above and below ground, before finally feeding its oil into the waiting tankers. The economy of the town depends very much on the oil industry and salmon fisheries. We'll stay overnight in Valdez.
Today's journey will take approximately 10 hours depending on the number and length of stops that we make en route.
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Day 3
Today, we'll set out on a full-day trip towards the Shoup Glacier - including a guided paddle in sea kayaks within the calm, protected waters of the Prince William Sound. No previous experience is necessary, and we'll be travelling with a kayak guide who will give us some on-land instruction before we jump into a water taxi for a ride to Shoup Bay, where our kayaks are waiting for us. From the bay, we'll paddle up the waterfall-lined walls of a fjord, past a nesting site of black kittiwakes and towards the face of the Shoup Glacier. This will take around two hours, before taking a short walk on the rocky beach and eating our packed lunches with a glacier view. We'll return through the fjord the way we came, and take a taxi boat back to Valdez.
The whole day will be approximately eight hours with around four hours of sea kayaking. Along the way, our guide will introduce us to the rich history of the local area.
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Day 4
Our route today takes us through more spectacular scenery, as we drive through forested hills and past cascading rivers, fed by small glaciers on the Chugach Mountains. We'll follow our route back across the Thompson Pass, making a stop at the Worthington Glacier, before heading east through Chitina and onto McCarthy Road. Stopping at the Copper River, we'll then cross the Kuskulana River on a narrow railroad bridge high above the water and continue through a vast expanse of untouched wilderness, following an unpaved road through the remote forests. At the end of the road, we'll reach the small town of McCarthy (with a tiny population of just 42), which grew to serve the copper mine at Kennicott, just a few miles up the road.
Set amongst the wild landscapes of the Wrangell St. Elias National Park, McCarthy presents us with an ideal base from which to explore this stunning setting further. Less accessible than Denali, Wrangell St Elias contains the largest concentration of glaciers on the continent and nine of the 16 highest peaks in the United States. Some 13.2 million acres of the park system have been declared a UNESCO World Heritage area. Mountain goats and Dall sheep with long curly horns can be found on the upper slopes while wolves, black bears, coyotes, bison and caribou range through the interior of the park.
Please note, we can't guarantee we'll spot wildlife, particularly given the sheer size and scale of this national park.
The drive today will take around eight hours including stops.
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Day 5
This morning is free, with the option to take a walk along the Root Glacier trail with our tour leader. This trail starts from nearby Kennicott and is a straightforward but strenuous walk that takes in the magnificent panoramas of the Chugach Mountains and the Kennicott and Root Glaciers. The hike begins easily with a path of gradual undulations, and the last section towards the glacier is a steep set of switchbacks with loose gravel and scree underfoot. The views over the glacier at the end are stunning.
If you're feeling more active today, there is also the option to take a hike on the glacier itself with an expert guide from one of the local St Elias mountain companies (if you'd like to take part in this excursion, please ensure that your travel insurance covers crampon hikes).
For those who'd prefer a more leisurely activity, there are shuttle buses along the five kilometre (three mile) stretch of scenic road between McCarthy and Kennicott, or this can be walked under your own steam with a good chance of spotting a black bear.
In the afternoon, we'll reconvene around 3pm to explore the old mining town of Kennicott. Designated as a National Historic Landmark and considered the finest remaining example of an early 20th-century copper mine anywhere, the town remains a fascinating monument to a long-forgotten era of America's pioneering past. We'll take a tour of the mill here for a glimpse of the area's industrial history.
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Day 6
We'll have a late departure from Wrangell St-Elias this morning, making the most of the park's magnificent scenery. Heading north, we'll stop to see the remarkable fish wheels on the Copper River, an ingenious method of catching the abundant salmon that follow the river to spawn, as well as making a short visit to the Wrangell St. Elias Visitors Centre.
We'll then continue to our lodge at Gakona, on the confluence of the Gakona and Copper Rivers. Although simple, the lodge's wild surroundings and friendly owners give us a real slice of Alaskan life. As one of the oldest existing roadhouses in the state, it has an authentic history that makes for a charming and rustic stay.
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Day 7
Continuing northwest, the highway takes us over a rugged landscape, where the views are breathtaking and, weather permitting, we might get a glimpse of Denali (formerly Mt McKinley), the highest mountain in North America. The Athabascan people called it 'Denali' meaning 'the high one' and this towering pyramid of rock, ice and snow is often shrouded in a blanket of mist and cloud. Denali National Park represents one of the world's last intact ecosystems, with over 6 million acres of tundra, glaciers and mountains that present a unique opportunity to observe the natural behaviour of wild animals still unaffected by the often-destructive influence of man. The park provides a haven for bears, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves, moose, red foxes, wolverine and over 160 species of birds, and is without doubt one of the highlights of our remarkable journey.
The drive to Denali will take approximately five hours. We'll get an introduction to the park today, and depending on the timings, we might be able to see a demonstration of the park's sled dogs, which are used for patrolling in the winter season and are an integral part of the cultural traditions of Denali. They remain the only sled dogs in the entire U.S. who help directly in the preservation of the park and its wildlife.
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Day 8
This morning, we'll drive to the entrance of Denali National Park and transfer to a shuttle bus for our journey into the park itself. Established as a national park in 1917, the area was designated as an international biosphere reserve in 1976 and contains everything from 1200-pound moose to 1.5 gram shrews. In order to ensure the preservation of this wilderness, vehicle access is restricted, so these shuttle buses are the only way that visitors can enter the park. They look like old American school buses - for international visitors, this is quite the experience in itself! We'll embark on a round-trip journey through this natural treasure trove, driving along the primitive road and taking opportunities to observe and photograph any wildlife we might come across, as well as the park's impressive scenery.
The journey will be around four to five hours, and the bus stops every time there is wildlife along the route, as well as for bathroom breaks on the way. It's not just an out-and-back bus ride - the scenery is spectacular, and we'll have plenty of opportunities to appreciate the natural beauty. The bus starts and ends at the entrance to the Denali National Park, and when we get off the bus, for those who would like to walk in the park our tour leader will prepare us with all the trail and safety information we need to choose from the number of marked hiking trails at the park entrance.
Later in the afternoon, we'll jump into our maxi wagon to return to the hotel.
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Day 9
Today, we'll drive to the town of Talkeetna, an old mining supply station and riverboat port, that has become a hot spot for mountaineers attempting to scale the heights of Denali. Many believe that you can get the best views of the mountain from here and this afternoon we'll have time to enjoy some exhilarating optional excursions from the town. You can choose from river-based activities including rafting, as well as several scenic overflights, which take in the views of Alaska's most famous summit.
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Day 10
Leaving Talkeetna this morning, we'll head for the mountainous landscapes around Hatcher's Pass, where a visit to the gold mine gives us a glimpse into the pioneering heritage of this great wilderness. It's worth noting that the roads up here aren't fully tarmacked - today's trip will depend on how much rain there has been in the area.
Named after Robert Lee Hatcher, who established the first lode claim in Willow Creek Valley in 1906, the top of the pass is the site of the old Independence Mine, today a Historical State Park, but once the property of the Alaska-Pacific Consolidated Mining Company. At the peak of its production, the mine employed over 200 men and produced nearly 35,000 ounces of gold, which at today's rates would equate to over $17,000,000 worth a year.
After our visit, we'll continue south, passing through Anchorage and following the coastline of Turnagain Arm. Our destination is the town of Seward, a picturesque port ringed by a stunning landscape of mountains and glaciers, lying alongside the rich waters of Resurrection Bay. Founded at the turn of the 20th century by engineers building the railroad to the interior, it benefited from its status as an ice-free port, prospering during the early years of the Nome gold rush and going on to become the gateway port for cruises into the spectacular Kenai Fjords National Park. On arrival, we'll make our way to our hotel, where we'll spend the next two nights amidst this majestic landscape.
The drive time to Seward is approximately four-and-a-half hours.
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Day 11
Today is free for you to explore your surroundings solo. There are several optional excursions that you could choose from in Seward, including wildlife cruises, sea kayaking experiences and dog-sledding trips.
A cruise within the Kenai Fjords National Park is an unbeatable wildlife experience - this 580,000-acre wonderland of towering peaks, glaciers and the coastline is home to a rich diversity of marine wildlife, including puffins, sea otters, stellar sea lions, orcas, humpbacks and dall porpoises. Here, over 30 named glaciers plunge directly into the salt water along the coast. There are several cruise options to choose from, including full and half-day options.
If you've got a taste for sea kayaking, it's possible to head to the waters once again to see the wildlife and glaciers close up. Alternatively, if you're seeking adventure, you could head out on an unforgettable glacier dog-sledding tour, which involves a scenic helicopter flight over Godwin Glacier, and 30 minutes of sledding in the stunning snowy landscape on the glacier.
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Day 12
Leaving Seward today, we'll return north through Moose Pass - the pass earned its name in 1903 when a mail carrier had trouble gaining right of way thanks to a giant moose. We'll retrace our steps back through the Chugach Mountains and follow the railroad tracks through the Chugach Forest. Finishing up in Anchorage, we'll have a little free time to explore. There might also be time to visit the Anchorage Museum, which offers a great overview of Alaskan history, wilderness and indigenous culture.
This evening, we'll go out for dinner to celebrate our final evening in Alaska.
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Day 13
The trip ends today at our hotel in Anchorage.
There are no activities planned today, so you're free to depart at any time. If your flight is departing later in the day, luggage storage facilities are available at our hotel.
Similar to your arrival, we don't provide transfers in Anchorage, but information on how to reach the airport from the hotel will be provided in your final documents. Our tour leader is also on hand to give you travel advice.
