Alaska, Mountains to Sea

Wrangell-St. Elias National Park to Prince William Sound

Trip Details

Itinerary

Day 1: Anchorage

Arrive in Anchorage and spend the night. Depending on your arrival time, stretch your legs on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail on foot or bicycle. Or, walk out the door of your centrally-located hotel into the heart of Anchorage and find your restaurant of choice. 

Days 2-4: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Travel in style on a charter plane from Anchorage, bound for the small airstrip in McCarthy, a tiny outpost inside Wrangell-St Elias National Park. A short ten-minute drive takes you to the historic mining town of Kennicott and your accommodations at the historic Kennicott Glacier Lodge, your base for exploration. Days are spent enjoying guided glacier hiking, flightseeing, river rafting, and historic touring. Enjoy meals at the all-inclusive lodge (or out on the trail, depending on the day’s activities), and spend evenings dining family-style, sharing stories of the day with fellow travelers. Summer evenings bring an array of presentations at the lodge. 

Days 5-6: Prince William Sound

Depart Kennicott in the same fashion as you arrived, providing one more opportunity to take in the massive landscape from the air. After touchdown, you’ll embark on a short drive to Valdez through beautiful mountain terrain, leaving you based at the water’s edge for the next few days. With close, easy access to Prince William Sound, spend one full day out on the water, exploring the otherworldly landscape. Cruise the waters of the sound to its farthest reaches, then board kayaks to get to harder-to-reach places. Paddle through ice caves, through fjords, and floating “bergy bits.” There will also be time to get out of the boats, stretch your legs and picnic and relax on remote beaches, surrounded by active glaciers. Look and listen for the thunder of glaciers calving!

Days 7-8: Girdwood

Board the Alaska Marine Ferry to cross the sound, disembarking at the small (and quirky!) port town of Whittier. From Whittier, it’s a short drive through the Whittier Tunnel to your next and last destination, the quaint town of Girdwood, at the base of the Alyeska Ski Resort. From here, more days of adventure await! Possibilities include helicopter dog-sledding, ATV touring, jetboating, fishing the Kenai River, Alpine hiking, or enjoying a scenic ride up the tram to the top of Mount Alyeska for a stunning view of the seven glaciers that reside in the valley.

Day 9: Fly Home from Anchorage

An easy, gorgeous, one-hour drive to Anchorage along Turnagain Arm takes you to the end of this authentic journey in Alaska. Fly home from Anchorage. 

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