Alaska
Denali, Kenai Fiords, Juneau, Ketchikan
Day 1: On the first day of your remarkable Alaskan adventure, you arrive in Anchorage, pick up your rental car, and then drive to Denali National Park (about four hours), where you will stay for two nights. Note: In planning your trip, you may want to consider renting a motor home for the first four days of this itinerary. There are many options in Anchorage for rentals. Day 2: Get up early and take your binoculars and a lunch for your pre-arranged bus tour into the park for opportunities to see wildlife on the vast tundra, including brown bears. After your bus tour, make sure not to miss the sled dog demonstration and then visit the rest of the dogs in their kennels. If you have the energy, consider a hike near the visitors’ center either before or after dinner (the sun sets for only a few hours in summer). Day 3: Get up early and drive to Exit Glacier in Kenai Fiords National Park (about 6 hours). At Exit Glacier, take a short hike to the edge of the glacier to get a close look at one of these cold, rock-grinding marvels. Afterwards, drive into Seward for dinner and check into your room where you will stay for the night. Day 4: After you awake and have breakfast, get ready for one of the highlights of the trip—a cruise through Kenai Fiords National Park. On your pre-booked cruise, you will have the opportunity to see calving glaciers and the abundant wildlife within the fjords including whales, sea otters, puffins, bald eagles, sea lions, and porpoises. After your cruise, drive back to Anchorage (about 3 hours), where you will stay for the night. Day 5: After breakfast, fly to Juneau, pick up a rental car and then check into your hotel. After getting something to eat, visit the salmon hatchery to learn more about the life cycle of these unique fish. Day 6: Get up early and visit Mendenhall Glacier. On the trails in this National Forest, stay alert for wildlife, especially black bears (which frequent the area). If you have time, also consider a quick visit to the Alaska State Museum. In the late afternoon or evening, depending on the ferry schedule, turn in your rental car and take an Alaska state ferry to Ketchikan, where you will sleep for the night in your reserved cabin. Or if you want to save money, you can sleep for free in one of the reclining chairs in the observation lounge or set up a tent on deck. For dinner, eat at the restaurant or snack bar on the ferry. Day 7: In the morning, you will arrive in Ketchikan, where you will disembark with all of your luggage and tour the city for a few hours before boarding the next ferry for Bellingham. With the time you have in Ketchikan, consider renting a car (it’s easier if you have a lot of luggage) or taking a public bus or taxi to Totem Bight State Historical Park, where you can take a short hike to observe skillfully made recreations of native totem poles. If you would like to learn more about totems, you can also visit the Totem Heritage Center, which is closer to the ferry dock so you don’t need to worry about missing your boat. If you decide to extend your visit, you can stay the night in a local hotel and spend a day on the water at beautiful Misty Fjords National Monument. Day 8: Today, you will spend all day on the ferry, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to do. Spend some time in the observation area, where observers with high powered binoculars scan the seas for breaching whales or just relax and read a book. Day 9: On the last day of your trip, you wake to the motion of the ferry leaving Canadian waters and entering the United States. After disembarking in Bellingham, Washington, your trip to America’s last frontier is over, but you have really just scratched the surface of what Alaska has to offer, so make a vow to return to this untamed land again soon. |