Day 1 Anchorage
After your arrival, explore Alaska’s biggest city: Take a walk on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail or take the Town Trolley to get a first overview of the city. There is lots to do in Anchorage. The Visitor Center is a good starting point to collect information.
Day 2 Anchorage to Talkeetna
(113 miles)
A rather short first driving leg takes you to Talkeetna, a charming artist community at the confluence of the Susitna-, Chulitna- and Talkeetna Rivers and with views of Mt. Denali on clear days. Take an optional flightseeing- or jetboat tour.
*** If you would like to experience a fly-in remote lodge, we would like to suggest adding a few days to your itinerary and stay at the Caribou Lodge **
Day 3 Talkeetna to Denali/Healy
(154 miles)
Drive on the Parks Highway to Denali National Park. Enjoy the spectacular scenery along the way. Weather permitting you can catch a great view of Mt. Denali. Overnight near the Denali National Park entrance or Healy.
Day 4 Denali National Park
Today, you take a 4.5 hours bus tour into Denali National Park. This is one of your best opportunities to spot wildlife, including bears, moose, foxes or caribou and other wildlife up close. While the ride on the park transit bus is not narrated it gives you the freedom to get off the bus and do some hiking and afterwards taking a different bus back to the park entrance.
Day 5 Denali to Fairbanks (121 miles)
The scenic drive to Fairbanks allows you plenty of time to explore a little on foot, either in town or in the forest. Fairbanks is no pulsing metropolis, but it does offer some interesting diversions and a scenic location on the shores of the Chena River.
Day 6 Fairbanks to Tok (206 miles)
Continue your journey to Tok. The Richardson Highway was Alaska’s first road, known to gold seekers in 1898 as the Valdez to Eagle trail. On the way to Tok you pass North Pole, where you can take a picture with Santa Claus. Tok is also known as the “Sled Dog Capital of Alaska” because so many of its residents are involved in some way with dogs and dog mushing.
Day 7 Tok to Dawson City (197 miles)
Driving the scenic Taylor and the Top of the World Highway will take you through the small community of Chicken and some buildings at the border. Otherwise it will be a day out in the middle of nature. The Taylor Highway is a typical Alaskan gravel road and road conditions are difficult at times. The Top of the World Highway rewards with panoramic views of the surrounding hills and mountains. Cross the border into Canada and spend the night in Dawson City, the heart of the Klondike Gold Rush.
Day 8 Dawson City
Free day in the Las Vegas of the North. Dawson City is an old-west gold rush town with an attitude. Enjoy the turn-of-the-century atmosphere and be sure to try the world-famous sourtoe cocktail.
Day 9 Dawson to Whitehorse
(337 miles)
Today you travel to the capital city of the Yukon. Your drive takes you through gold rush country. Relics from that age are visible along the road. When you arrive in Whitehorse, take some time to explore this charming town, stroll along the riverside, and enjoy the atmosphere of this northern city.
Day 10 Whitehorse
Take a day to relax or discover the sights around Whitehorse. There are some interesting museums in town. The Miles Canyon is a good place to visit close to town. Or get active and join a canoe- or mountain biking tour.
Day 11 Whitehorse to Skagway or Haines (111 or 244 miles)
From Whitehorse you wind your way up into the mountains. On a very scenic highway you will travel past Fraser and Bennett Lake, and over White Pass, where weary gold seekers made their way from the ocean to the Klondike gold fields inland.
**At the time of booking, you may choose to drive to Haines instead of Skagway to have less of a distance to drive and take full advantage of options to explore the incredibly scenic Haines Highway.
Day 12 Skagway to Haines (352 miles)
Enjoy fascinating landscapes along the border of the Kluane National Park Reserve, over the St. Elias Mountains and through forests along the Chilkat Eagle Preserve to the quaint fishing town of Haines. There are a lot of trails that offer great hiking along the way.
Day 13 Haines to Haines Junction
(152 miles)
Known for its grand views of glaciated mountains and the variety of its scenery – from coastal forests to alpine tundra – the Haines Highway winds through river flats and climbs up to a wide alpine valley, following the eastern border of Kluane National Park.
Day 14 Haines Junction to Tok
(297 miles)
Leaving Haines Junction behind, the Alaska Highway takes you back to Alaska. You will travel along Kluane National Park, cross the border and go back to Tok.
Day 15 Tok to McCarthy/Kennicott (261 miles)
Today you will drive to the amazing Wrangell St. Elias National Park, the largest National Park in the US. 9 of the 16 highest peaks in North America are located in this park. The road ends just before McCarthy, a very charming quaint village that was once an important town for the world’s formerly most productive copper mine in Kennecott.
Day 16 McCarthy / Kennicott
Free day to explore the area. Go on a glacier hike, visit the old copper mine in Kennicott on a guided tour, take a hike in the park or go on a scenic flight and enjoy the incredible scenery from above.
Day 17 McCarthy to Matanuska area
(200 miles)
The scenic Glenn Highway offers some good opportunities for hiking. See Sheep Mountain and the Matanuska Glacier before you enter the Mat’Su Valley either today or tomorrow. This valley gets the most hours of sunshine in Alaska and is therefore the prime agricultural area in the state. ontinue your journey to Palmer. Your scenic drive offers great views of the glaciers and takes you through the most important agricultural area in Alaska. Palmer is a community that is a bit of pioneer Alaska but also a modern-day commercial center for the Matanuska and Susitna valleys.
Day 18 Matanuska area to Seward (232 miles)
Return to Anchorage and continue southward to Seward. The Seward Highway offers outstanding sightseeing and wildlife viewing opportunities, including spawning salmon and a number of good hiking trails. Seward is a small fishing village with an excellent aquarium (Alaska SeaLife Center).
Day 19 Seward
Today you will join the Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise Tour. This 6-hour whale-watching/glacier cruise takes you to Holgate Glacier. On route you will discover the diverse marine wildlife. A lunch snack is included.
*** To end your trip with a very special experience, we recommend to spend a few days at the Kenai Fjord Glacier Lodge, right in the wildlife sanctuary ****
Day 20 Seward to Anchorage
(130 miles)
You may want to join a kayaking tour or visit the Exit Glacier before starting your drive back to Anchorage. Once again enjoy the spectacular scenery along the way.
Day 21 Anchorage
Your tour ends today. Return your rental car and depart Anchorage.
