Denali National Park to the Kenai Peninsula
Credit: Bryan Neuswanger
Credit: Brian Luenemann
Trip Type: Small Group Adventure
Territory: North America
Region: Alaska
Trip Price: From $6,295
Single Supplement: $1,050
On-Trip Airfare: $0
Duration: 8 days/7 nights
Trip Begins/Ends: Fairbanks, Alaska / Anchorage, Alaska
Minimum Travelers: 2 travelers
Maximum Travelers: 14 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 van, train, and bus, with one long travel day into the heart of Denali National Park. 6 to 8 hours outside each day. Activities include hiking up to 4 miles, optional mountain biking, river rafting on calm water, and a day-long boat outing.
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!
In Fairbanks, you'll have the opportunity to meet an Iditarod veteran and OBP friend, Mary Shields, and hear her amazing Alaska stories.
And we're off! Today we'll be taking the Alaska Railroad down to Denali National Park. Once at the entrance, we'll hop onto the bus that will take us deep into the heart of the park. On the 90 mile bus ride to our lodging, you'll possibly spot caribou, golden eagles, grizzly bears, wolves, and the snow dusted Alaska range. Maybe we'll even get a glimpse of Denali himself!
From our lodging in the park, you have opportunities to explore the area however you choose. Whether you want a strenuous hike to some beautiful vista points or to canoe across Wonder Lake, you'll spend your days in the midst of the natural splendor that is Denali National Park. You can also rent mountain bikes, fishing gear, and walking sticks.
Since Alaska's our largest state by far, we need a full day to travel to our next destination! After riding the bus back to the park entrance, we'll take an incredibly scenic drive to arrive in Anchorage. With the breathtaking views, we'll stop to take pictures, enjoy a picnic lunch, and potentially have some more wildlife watching opportunities.
In the morning, we'll head down to the quintessential port town of Seward. Along the way, we'll stop to take a scenic float down the Upper Kenai River through the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge. Bears, moose, and eagles frequent this area so we'll be in a prime location to view them. Once we have arrived and settled in Seward, a short hike to Exit Glacier is next on the agenda. You'll learn about a glacier's longterm effect on an area's landscape and ecosystem while marveling at its icy blue hue.
Whenever you venture down to Seward, a wildlife watching cruise is a must! We'll hop onto a comfortable touring boat to view the jaw-dropping scenery of Kenai Fjords National Park and the abundant sea life that makes this place their home. Sea lions, seals, sea otters, orcas, humpback whales, and puffins are just a few of the residents. Once we're back on land, we'll venture to the Alaska SeaLife Center that rescues and cares for stranded, injured, or threatened marine mammals.
After this amazing exploration of the Last Frontier, we'll head back to Anchorage after breakfast to catch flights home in the early afternoon.
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.
This very special accommodation is a collection of guest cabins plus a main lodge. The cabins are perched high on a hill with spectacular views of Mt. McKinley and the Alaska Range. Each has a bed and wood stove, with a charming outhouse right outside your door (Alaskans take great creative pride in their outhouses). There is also a shared bath facility with hot showers and flush toilets. The camp is rustic but truly inspirational, with the incredible setting and warm, welcoming staff. Guests gather at the main lodge for meals and to sit by the fire and enjoy stories from fellow travelers.
The Hilton Anchorage is a 592-room hotel in a great location in the heart of Anchorage, within walking distance to restaurants, shops, and other attractions, including a great local market across the street that’s open in summer months. Guest rooms include cable television, internet access, WiFi service, telephone with voicemail, coffee maker, hairdryer, iron and ironing board, and adjustable thermostat. On the premises, you’ll find a swimming pool, fitness room, concierge desk, gift shop, valet laundry service, an ATM machine, and elevator. There are two dining options, Hooper Bay Café, which is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and offers a casual atmosphere, and Bruin’s Bar, where you can indulge in hors d’oeuvres and drinks, open from 12:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. daily.
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’ve just finished ten weeks of travel in three of my favorite places on the planet: Japan, Greece, and France. One of the great lessons I’ve re-learned on this trip is the importance of slowing down. Wherever you may be—a garden in Kyoto, or an Inca ruin in Peru, or a canyon trail in Utah—the […]
With Scotland‘s summer travel season now in full swing, it may seem premature to be looking ahead to autumn and winter. But this is the exact right time to let us start planning your off-season independent custom travels, so we can get you booked into those much sought after lodgings with the “wow” experiences to match. […]
Off the Beaten Path Custom Travel Planner Julianne Mohr recently returned from a scouting trip to Samoa. Here’s her report… I wasn’t sure what to expect when I stepped off the plane into the warm air of Samoa, but it didn’t take long to fall in love with this idyllic, friendly place. If you’re looking […]
When your family is ready for an entry-level adventure vacation, tiny Costa Rica is the perfect place to start. Costa Rica family vacations have it all, beaches, jungles, volcanoes, and abundant wildlife, all in one beautiful and relatively safe and compact package. Costa Rica has bestowed some of my kids’ favorite travel moments and memories […]
