Capturing Alaska’s Eight Amazing National Parks
Trip Type: Custom-Made Travel
Territory: North America
Region: Alaska
Trip Price: $16,500
Duration: 19 days/18 nights
Trip Begins/Ends: Gustavus, Alaska / Fairbanks, Alaska
National Parklands: Denali NP;Glacier Bay NP;Wrangell-St. Elias NP;Gates of the Arctic NP;Kobuk Valley NP;Lake Clark NP;Katmai NP;Kenai Fjords NP
All custom travel is tailored to the desires and interests of our traveling clients (see How Custom Travel Works tab). Trip pricing detailed is an estimate of the per person pricing for the sample itinerary detailed and includes all of the lodging, activities, and guided experiences described. Actual pricing for the trip designed expressly for you and others traveling with you will depend on the features and elements developed during the trip planning process. Travel with Off the Beaten Path requires agreement to our standard Terms & Conditions.
No Sweat - 1-2 miles of walking or kiking per day, plus easy activities
Nice & Active – 3-6 miles of hiking or walking per day, plus physically active exploration
High Five! – 5-12 miles of hiking per day, plus possible peak bagging or other action-oriented fun
The Energy Index detailed above relates to the level of exertion associated with the sample trip detailed. This would be modified to fit the style and ability of your group as a part of the custom trip planning process
We’ve been tailoring custom journeys for clients since our very inception in the mid-1980s! The process is all about connecting the interests of the travelers with the best that a given destination has to offer. To achieve this, we rely upon good ol’ fashioned conversation! Our geographically focused travel designer love to meet new people and learn about their interests for travel. Understanding your goals informs the process immensely and serves as the foundation for the development of a bespoke travel experience for you and yours.
The trip detailed on this web page is a sample of something we’ve done for other clients over the years. In order to start the process of designing your own custom travel experience, just call us at (800) 445-2995 and ask to speak with one of our Travel Advisors. After a bit of time on the phone, you will then have the opportunity to connect with one of our travel designers.
The entire planning process is very personalized and works in an iterative fashion until a final, perfect trip has been created. We then secure all of the lodging, activities, and guided experiences associated with your trip and send along abundant trip materials capturing these details – and much more about your travels!
Land in Gustavus, the gateway to Glacier Bay National Park, and stay at the family-run Gustavus Inn. From this full-service lodge, explore the park by boat to see tidewater glaciers and wildlife, by kayak in Bartlett Cove, and on trails. At day’s end, return to the lodge for a delicious dinner and relaxing evening.
Fly from Gustavus to Anchorage – Alaska’s biggest, most bustling city. Fly to Brooks Falls in Katmai National Park for an incredible spectacle – grizzlies “fishing” for salmon! This is one of the most incredible bear watching opportunities on the planet. Fly back to Anchorage this evening after an exciting day, and sleep like a bear in wintertime.
The historic and scenic Alaska Railroad awaits! Travel along Turnagain arm from Anchorage to Seward, relaxing while taking in the beauty along the way. Seward Windsong Lodge is your cozy Alaskan home base. From here, cruise through Kenai Fjords National Park, glassing for whales, seals, sea otters, sea lions, porpoises, and birdlife, while crossing your fingers for calving glaciers. Hike the trails around Exit Glacier, and have a salmon dinner on Fox Island. There will also be time to walk the streets along Seward Harbor, stopping in shops, galleries, and cafés.
Head back to Anchorage and spend the night in the heart of the city, walking distance to restaurants, and within easy distance to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.
Fly by floatplane to the shores of Crescent Lake, for a wonder-filled stay at Redoubt Mountain Lodge. Cabin accommodations boast wonderful views of Crescent Lake and the Chigmit Mountains, and meals, beverages, and an array of amenities and activities –fishing, bear viewing, kayaking, water skiing, hot tub, sauna – are at your fingertips.
Have doubts about leaving Redoubt, then fly via Anchorage to the historic mining town of Kennecott, situated within the boundaries of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. From Kennicott Glacier Lodge, a modern lodge set in the historic mining town dating to 1910, take in surreal views of Kennicott Glacier, Mount Blackburn, and the Chugach Mountains. While here, take a mine tour and set out on a guided hike on Root Glacier.
Today is a big one! Fly to the entrance of Denali National Park, then catch the bus to the backcountry, 90 miles in, keeping your eyes peeled for wildlife and taking in the beautiful river crossings, rolling tundra hills, and maybe a glimpse of Denali. Upon arrival, a delicious dinner, cozy cabin, and comfy bed await you. Spend a full day in the great outdoors, hiking and hoping for a view of the oft-socked-in Denali, marveling in the beauty regardless!
Board the bus back to the park entrance, then catch a train bound for Fairbanks, taking in the small towns, rivers, and scenery. Have the late afternoon and evening to explore Fairbanks.
Take a quick flight to the remote, historic Bettles Lodge, your last stop and a base for visiting Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve. While here, take a village tour, a riverboat tour, and a flightseeing tour of Gates of the Arctic and Kobuk National Parks. Touch down in each park, hike a bit, and enjoy a picnic lunch. At each day’s end, return to the lodge for dining and reminiscing about the day.
Depart Bettles, and take a short flight back to Fairbanks for flights home.
Gustavus Inn is a historic homestead in Glacier Bay National Park. For three generations, the Lesh family has invited visitors to share their home, hearth, and table while adventuring in the region. The inn is nestled in the grassy Salmon River meadow, with an ocean view of Icy Strait. The cozy hearth room, naturalist library, and family style dining invite conversation and new friendships.
Hotel Captain Cook is located in the heart of downtown Anchorage, with excellent access to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, as well as restaurants and shops. Built after the 1964 earthquake at a time when Alaska was flush with new oil money, the hotel has a nautical theme and is both grand and classic Alaska. The hotel takes up an entire city block and towers top the building. All 550 guest rooms have sweeping views of either the Cook Inlet or Chugach Mountains, and there are three restaurants on site for your convenience.
Remote and remarkable sums it up. Six private, comfortable log cabins set in pure Alaskan splendor, plus a staff of passionate guides, deliver an experience you’ll never forget. Hiking, fishing, and flight touring are the name of the game here. The lodge is on the lake and surrounded by 4.1 million acres of wilderness, so there’s plenty of room to roam!
You’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time and you have, at this lodge tucked into the copper-mining ghost town of Kennecott. The Main Lodge is one of the original company-town buildings (bathrooms down the hall) while the South Wing is more modern, with a bright common room and spacious front porch with panoramic view. A casual dining room offers delicious meals, with dinner served family style.
Denali Backcountry Lodge sits beside Moose Creek in the Kantishna Hills at the base of massive Mount McKinley. There are thirty comfortable cedar guest cabins, each with heat and a private bath. The two-story main lodge is the gathering place, where you will enjoy hearty, healthy meals with fellow guests. A buffet is offered for breakfast and lunch, and dinner is served family style. There is an informal bar which serves beer and wine. Each day you can choose from a host of guided activities, including naturalist-led hikes, gold panning, wildlife explorations, and flightseeing. There are mountain bikes for guests to use, and a variety of evening programs that you are welcome to attend. We hope that on at least one of the day’s you visit it will be clear enough to see Denali in all its glory, as there is no better location from which to view it.
Bettles is located 35 miles north of the Arctic Circle in one of the last true pristine wilderness areas in the world. The small village of Bettles resides on the banks of the Koyukuk River, in the foothills of the Brooks Range - the northernmost mountain range in North America. It is known as the "jumping off" point of adventure into the Brooks Mountain Range, Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve, Noatak National Preserve, and Kobuk Valley National Park.
The Hampton Inn & Suites - Fairbanks hotel is just moments from the downtown business district, the Chena River and Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) and includes several modern amenities.
Just outside the city of Seward, travel down the winding road to Exit Glacier and you'll find your paradise away from home, Seward Windsong Lodge. The towering mountains, fragrant spruce trees and the rush of the Resurrection River awaken your senses on arrival.
I was a Hawaii resistor. The kind who said, “I’m not a lie-on-the-beach person. It’s not at the top of my list.” Then one winter I accompanied my daughter’s gymnastics team to an invitational meet on the island of Oahu. Well, on that trip I discovered my truth about Hawaii. I was a fan! In […]
I’m not sure what first attracted me to Fiji, but whatever it was, the notion of visiting that far-off place with the resonant name had long been one of my most cherished travel dreams. So it was with no small degree of amazement, anticipation, and apprehension that I set foot with my wife on the […]
One of my grandmother’s favorite expressions, unfailingly delivered with exuberant exaltation, was, “I will to live in a world that wills to live!” She would sing it out whenever she saw anything like a tree growing out of a rock. I think of her when I see the first buttercup of spring, reclaiming its territory […]
By now, Sidi Mohamed knew me. I had permission to take a double handful of dried pink rosebuds from the wooden barrel in front of his market stand. Sidi Mohamed was one of several merchants I had gotten to know on my daily morning food and bric-a-brac shopping trips to the markets in Rabat’s medina […]
