On the Wild Side in Southeast Alaska
Credit: Luis Boucault
Credit: NPS
Trip Type: Small Group Adventure
Territory: North America
Region: Alaska
Trip Price: From $6,295
Single Supplement: $795
On-Trip Airfare: $540
Duration: 8 days/7 nights
Trip Begins/Ends: Juneau, Alaska / Juneau, Alaska
Minimum Travelers: 2 travelers
Maximum Travelers: 16 travelers
Pricing detailed for this Small Group Adventure is based upon double occupancy. Additional charges for single travelers and any on-trip airfare required for the trip apply. A booking deposit is required to reserve your space. Small Group Adventure pricing includes all lodging, meals (unless otherwise noted), activities, baggage handling, transportation, and guide service. Not included are travel costs to/from gateway cities, guide gratuities, and personal incidentals including, but not limited to, trip cancellation/interruption insurance, alcoholic beverages, and laundry service. Travel with Off the Beaten Path requires agreement to our standard Terms & Conditions.
No Sweat - 1-2 miles of walking or hiking 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
Travel by ferry and small charter plane. Activities include hiking on trails ranging from 1-3 miles, calm water river rafting, and two small boat cruise outings, one half and one full day.
Most all of our Small Group Adventures can be made private to just your traveling troupe. Just give us a call at (800) 445-2995 and tell us that you would like to “make it private”!
Generally, there are two ways to make a small group adventure private. First, you could capture one of our published departure dates for just your group. In order to achieve this, we have to have sufficient space available to create a separate private trip. Second, we could take the details of this itinerary and fashion it for just your group on dates of your choosing. For this, too, we just need to review your interest, group size, and preferred timing in order to create the trip.
In all cases, the process begins with a phone call so give us a ring at (800) 445-2995 and after just a few minutes gathering information, we can set to the task of making your trip a reality!
After an early morning check-in at the Alaska Ferry terminal, we steam out of Juneau and up Lynn Canal, the longest and deepest fjord in North America. We arrive in Haines by late morning for a fun day of discovery in this beautiful area, rich in natural and cultural history.
This morning we board large rubber rafts for our relaxed and very scenic float through the Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve. Bald eagles, as well as bears and other wildlife, are drawn by the easy pickings of spawned-out salmon. We should see scores of eagles perched in trees and on shoreline stumps. We’ll also keep an eye out for black and brown bears, wolves, and moose under the spectacular backdrop of the Chilkat Mountains. In the afternoon we drive out to the Chilkoot River or Chilkoot Lake, where bears come out to fish and forage along the banks. Of course these are wild bears so they’re not obligated to show up for us, but the places we go are well-known for bear sightings.
Today we take a spectacular scenic charter flight into Gustavus, at the entrance to Glacier Bay National Park. In the late 1800s, John Muir built a cabin near what is now called Muir Glacier. Muir was a tireless advocate for the protection of this “unspeakably pure and sublime” place. This afternoon, we’ll stroll a trail near park headquarters through a lush temperate rainforest of spruce and hemlock. There might also be time for some optional sea kayaking.
This fantastic day is our full-day boat cruise up the West Arm, deep into the heart of Glacier Bay National Park. The West Arm features impressive tidewater glaciers, vast glacial outwash fans, and steep fjords. Each June thousands of harbor seals give birth to pups on floating icebergs, and the area also offers chances to see brown bears, mountain goats, sea lions, and a variety of other wildlife and birds. Our on-board naturalist guide gives us a full overview of this unique, evolving landscape.
This morning we enjoy a half-day whale watching cruise to Point Adolphus, one of the best places to watch whales in North America, known for its high concentration of humpbacks. At various times of the year, humpback, orca, gray, and minke whales are all seen in the waters of Glacier Bay. In the afternoon, our guides lead us out on some fun and interesting hikes through the lush and impressive temperate rainforest.
We catch the scenic flight back to Juneau, arriving in time for lunch. This afternoon we drive out to explore the vast and very impressive Mendenhall Glacier. In the evening, a festive farewell dinner celebrates this unforgettable journey!
After breakfast we enjoy a thrilling ride up the Mount Roberts enclosed tramway, to the beautiful Mountain House (Shaa Hít) recreation and cultural complex set in towering Sitka spruce and subalpine grasses and wildflowers. This is our access to the Nature Center, Juneau Raptor Center Bald Eagle Display, and Mount Roberts Trail System. Then, it’s always hard to leave Alaska, but you can catch flights out of Juneau anytime after noon.
This historic hotel sits in the center of the town of Haines, providing easy and convenient access to all the area has to offer. The town's highlights are in walking distance, and the hotel houses the best restaurant in Haines. Although it's a bit dated, the hotel is clean and comfortable and makes a perfect base for your stay.
The Glacier Bay Bear Track Inn sits on 97 acres of wetlands and rainforest, which bald eagles, moose, river otters, bears, wolves, and a huge variety of birds call home. The inn was built as the lifelong dream of engineer and designer John Olney, who imagined a wonderful lodge that fit in with the surrounding environment. Built of logs that had fallen victim to beetle kill, each one was hand-crafted to fit perfectly. The lodge, which has been the subject of many-a-magazine article, and which has been visited by dignitaries, royalty, and sport and movie stars, is warm and inviting, with cozy, over-stuffed furniture, a stone fireplace, and huge picture windows that allow you to take in the view towards the Straits.
Located in the heart of downtown Juneau near the state capitol building, you might catch wind of deals in the making when the legislature is in session. The hotel offers character, color, and a restaurant with fine ining. There is also a coffee shop and the Bubble Room Bar, named after a famous madam from Juneau’s early days.
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