14 Day Tour Full Description
DAY ONE
- Arrive in Anchorage and pick up your motorhome (between 1:00
p.m. and 5:00 p.m.). Drive south on a designated Scenic Byway
to Portage, watching for whales and wildlife. Take a one
hour cruise to the face of Portage Glacier ($29.00
per person) narrated by a Park Service employee.
Learn about the glaciers at the Beggich-Boggs Visitor Center.
Overnight in the Portage area. Anchorage to Portage/48.1
DAY TWO
- Depart for Seward and enjoy beautiful scenery en-route. Take
an afternoon Kenai Fjords
National Park cruise ($129.00
per person). Watch for seals, otters, whales,
sea lions, and other marinelife abundant in this area. See several
glaciers surrounded by spectacular scenery. Overnight in Seward.
(Fishing from Seward for trophy Halibut, Salmon and other species
is excellent. See Day Tours for details.) Portage to Seward/78.9
miles
DAY THREE
- Just north of Seward, drive to Exit Glacier where you can walk
to the face of the glacier. You can actually hear the ice moan
as it makes its’ gentle retreat. Continue north to the Sterling
Highway exit that takes you across the Kenai Peninsula. In Cooper
Landing, take a relaxing
float trip ($49.00 per person)
on the emerald green water of the Upper Kenai River or spend the
afternoon fishing for trophy trout or salmon. Seward to Cooper
Landing/48.8 miles
DAY FOUR
- Continue across the Kenai Peninsula with scenic stops en-route
to including the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge in Soldatna and
Ninilchik’s Russian Orthodox Church. and south to Homer.
Drive out to the Homer Spit for beautiful views of Kachemak Bay.
Take the Danny J
($50.00 per person)
boat trip over to Halibut Cove – a very beautiful coastal
community built along a boardwalk with galleries displaying works
of local artists. Bird watching and hiking are popular beginning
at the Halibut Cove Lagoon.
Cooper Landing to Homer/131.1
DAY FIVE
– Full day fishing charters available for world class halibut,
or spend the day beach combing and taking in Homer’s small
town charm. The recommended Halibut
trip is the Double Limit - you depart in the afternoon
around 3:30 p.m., fish all night and return the next day in mid
morning. You get to take 2 days limit because you fish overnight!
($175.00 - $195.00 per person)
DAY SIX
- Travel north toward Anchorage and stop in Girdwood en-route.
Take the tram ($16.00
per person - tram with lunch packages available,
too) to the 2,200 foot level of Mt. Alyeska for spectacular views
of seven glaciers and several mountain ranges. Continue north
to the Matanuska Valley visit Eklutna Cemetery. Homer to Matanuska
Valley/251 miles
DAY SEVEN
- Continue north to Talkeetna, from Palmer – 71 miles, and
take an afternoon riverboat
safari ($55.00 per person)
where you are likely to see Mt. McKinley and a variety of wildlife.
Later, continue north to the Denali Park entrance and enjoy an
evening at Cabin Nite Dinner Theater. Talkeetna to Denali/151
miles
DAY EIGHT
- Today, travel inside Denali
National Park to the Kantishna region ($139.00
per person) via the Denali National Park Road.
This full-day guided adventure takes you 95 miles through the
Park and the Wonder Lake district to the picturesque Kantishna
Historical District.
“Upon reaching Kantishna, visitors will be treated to a hot full lunch and guided activities at the Kantishna Roadhouse. Visitors will have several options to stretch their legs and relax or choose from an educational dog mushing or gold panning demonstration.
After lunch and activities, get back on the bus and make your way back through the park once again – gaining additional opportunities to see wildlife, Mt. McKinley and everything else that makes Denali National Park a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”
DAY NINE
- Travel north to Fairbanks today and depart on an afternoon riverboat
cruise ($44.95 per person)
on the Chena and Tanana Rivers. Later, drive to North Pole and
visit Santa’s House! Drive out to view a section of the
Trans Alaska Pipeline that starts in Prudhoe Bay and ends in Valdez.
Denali Park entrance to Fairbanks/100 miles
DAY TEN - Enjoy optional activities today including
a visit to Chena Hot Springs or take the full day Arctic
Circle Driving Adventure
($169.00 per person).
Chena Hot Springs is located 60 miles northeast of Fairbanks,and
became famous for curing crippled prospectors of their aches and
pains as long ago as 1905. The principal characteristics of the
Chena Hot Spring waters consisted of its content of sulfate, chloride
and bicarbonate of sodium. In fact, it was very similar to the
waters of Felsenquelle, one of the famous springs at Carlsbad
in Bohemia. To this very day, Chena Hot Springs Resort enjoys
a clean, healthy and beautiful natural environment and continues
to welcome people from all over the world to bathe in the curative
powers of the hot waters. Depart early morning on a guided Arctic
Circle Driving Adventure with your tour hosts. Travel the rugged
Dalton Highway made famous by the construction of the Trans Alaska
Pipeline. Experience the mighty Yukon River. Marvel at the majestic
beauty of the northland's most famous waterway and learn of the
river's storied past. Cross the Arctic Circle in ceremonious fashion
and receive an official Arctic Circle Adventure Certificate. Explore
up close the amazing arctic tundra and feel the veins of ice just
beneath the surface. Departs 6:30 am; returns between 10:30 and
11:30 pm.
DAY ELEVEN – Depart for Glenallen via the
Richardson Highway and enjoy this scenic route of mountains, glaciers,
and wildlife. Fairbanks to Glenallen/247 miles
DAY TWELVE
– Drive to Chitna (66 miles southeast of Glennallen)and
depart via 15 passenger
van ($99.00 round trip)
on a transfer to McCarthy. *New for 2008, the van can pick you
up at your campsite in either Glenallen, Chitina or Copper Center
and transfer you to McCarthy. The McCarthy Road follows
the right-of-way of the old Copper River & Northwestern Railway.
Begun in 1907, the CR&NW (also referred to as the “can’t
run and never will”) was built to carry copper ore from
the Kennecott Mines to Cordova. It took 4 years to complete the
railway. The railway and mine ceased operation in 1938. There
is no vehicle access across the Kennicott River from the McCarthy
Road, however there are 2 pedestrian bridges and it takes 15 minutes
to walk to McCarthy. Explore this small town – population
42, then take the van to the ghost town of Kennicott. Kennicott
is the old mining community perched on the side of Bonanza Ridge
next to, and in full view of Kennicott Glacier. This community
once housed thousands of workers who mined the copper-ore. The
buildings still stand as they were 100 years ago, and visitors
can walk through this ghost town, rich in history. Later, return
to Chitna and drive 83 miles to Valdez.
DAY THIRTEEN
- Depart on a cruise
from Valdez ($100.00
per person) for a 6.5 hour journey through Prince
William Sound featuring a visit to Columbia Glacier. On board
you will have a chance to view the Sounds' wildlife, and learn
about the mining, oil shipping, earthquake, and fishing history.
Visit local sights including the pipeline terminal.
DAY FOURTEEN - Return to Anchorage today and visit downtown. Places of interest may include the Alaska Native Heritage Center; Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum and the Anchorage Museum of History and Art. Valdez to Anchorage/304 miles
DAY FIFTEEN - Return your motorhome this morning and depart for home. If your flight leaves later today, consider a car rental and continue to explore the Anchorage area until your flight time.
* Some activities have
tax added to the above prices.
**Ask your reservationist at ABC Motorhome
& Car Rentals for details on the highlighted activities. We
can reserve any of the above activities, or let us plan a custom
itinerary for your visit to Alaska. |