Fairbanks, Denali, Prince William Sound, Homer
Credit: Hage Photo/Alyeska Resort
Trip Type: Small Group Adventure
Territory:
Region: Alaska
Trip Price: From $8,995
Single Supplement: $1,375
On-Trip Airfare: $200
Duration: 9 days/8 nights
Trip Begins/Ends: Fairbanks, Alaska / Anchorage, 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 is by train, plane, and van, with one long travel day. Activities include hiking up to 4 miles, a tram-assisted creek crossing, optional mountain biking, and a cruise on Prince William Sound in a catamaran designed to prevent seasickness. You’ll also fly in a small plane that requires a bit of dexterity to climb in and out of.
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!
Meet your guide and fellow travelers, then we'll meet Iditarod veteran Mary Shields at her home outside Fairbanks, where she will introduce us to her sled dogs and share some of her 40 years of Alaska stories. Following, we will return to Fairbanks to enjoy a welcome dinner. Tomorrow, DenalI!
After breakfast this morning we visit the University of Alaska Museum of the North to peruse award-winning exhibits that showcase the natural history and cultural heritage of Alaska’s Interior. Drive northeast to Chena Hot Springs to soak in the naturally fed hot spring pools and tour the Aurora Ice Museum. Return to Fairbanks with time to relax before dinner.
A scenic, four-hour ride on the historic Alaska Railroad takes us from Fairbanks to the entrance of Denali National Park. Upon arrival to Denali Depot, we’ll disembark and hop on a trail to stretch our legs, take in the new landscape, and learn a bit about the park’s flora and fauna. If the skies are clear, we’ll catch our first glimpse of The Great One – Denali!
Today is Denali National Park immersion day, taking us 43 miles into the park’s interior. En route we’ll keep an eye out for wildlife – stopping for any sightings – and spend time at select scenic viewpoints to take photographs and short walks. Upon return to the park entrance, there will be time for an optional mid-afternoon hike.
After a leisurely morning, we drive south to the tiny enclave of Girdwood. This drive offers a real feel for the size of this state, as the landscape changes over the miles. We stop at Hatcher Pass to visit Independence Mine State Historic Park. We continue south to Anchorage, then follow the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm to Alyeska Resort, tucked into the Chugach Mountains. Relax with dinner on your own tonight in one of Alyeska’s many restaurants.
Stretch your legs this morning on a 3-mile rainforest hike on the Winner Creek Trail, with its fun bridge and hand tram over the creek. Then properly invigorated, we drive 45 minutes to embark on a cruise of Prince William Sound, known for its concentration of glaciers and deep fjords. We’ll see more than 20 named glaciers and also watch for marine wildlife and birds from our smooth-sailing high-speed catamaran. Tonight, compare notes on the day over dinner in Girdwood.
We break up the four-hour drive to Homer with two interesting stops. The Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a visitor favorite, is a nonprofit sanctuary where you can see wildlife up close as you learn about the animals. Next stop is Kenai National Wildlife Refuge, where a short hike gives us long views. We end the day at our hotel on the end of the famous 4.5-mile-long Homer Spit, which juts out into Kachemak Bay.
Feel the joy this morning on an iconic Alaskan experience—landing on a beach and spending time with coastal brown bears on their own turf. Depending on weather and bear activity, you’ll either go to Lake Clark or Katmai National Parks to observe bears as they dig for clams, wade in the water, play, and just be bears.
A quick 30-minute flight gets us back to Anchorage to catch connections home.
SpringHill Suites is situated on the banks of the Chena River in the heart of downtown Fairbanks. You can walk out the front door and take a riverside walk on a path, or browse downtown shops and restaurants. The hotel’s Lavelle’s Bistro, one of Fairbanks’ best restaurants, is open for dinner each evening.
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.
Alyeska Resort is a large full service retreat, set in the heart of the Chugach Mountains, right at the foot of the Mt. Alyeska ski resort. There are several great hiking trails right from the resort that will wind you through the lush temperate rainforest surrounding the lodge, or will take you high above the resort, giving you spectacular views of the seven hanging glaciers in this valley. As a full service resort, there are several dining options available for your stay, including the Seven Glaciers Hotel, which is accessed via exciting tram ride and sits at the top of Mt Alyeska!
Situated on the shores of Kachemak Bay at the end of Homer Spit, you can walk out the hotel door to walk the beach, or look for otters, whales, seals, and eagles right from your private deck. Guest accommodations are in 117 modern rooms, each with private bath and deck. Enjoy your stay in—pretty much literally—Kachemak Bay!
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