This morning we are transferred to the Charlotte airport for our flight to Juneau, Alaska. We come in by plane and we will leave by boat because there are no roads into Juneau, the capital of Alaska. Once we arrive in Juneau we transfer to our hotel for a two-night stay.

You’ll have time to explore Juneau before our city tour, including Mendenhall Glacier, enjoying views of the 13 miles of ice. We are back in Juneau this afternoon allowing you time to enjoy downtown. Late this afternoon we board Alaska Fjordlines Express from Juneau to Skagway with a stop at Eldred Rock Lighthouse. See spectacular wildlife, beautiful scenery and watch for whales. A light dinner is served on board. We disembark in Skagway, which was the main point of departure for gold rushers heading for the Yukon. The name Skagway is said to mean “Home of the North Wind.” It is the oldest incorporated town in Alaska. Within Skagway’s downtown district false-fronted buildings and boardwalks dating from gold rush times line the streets. We overnight in Skagway.

We depart Skagway, Alaska and travel to Yukon’s capital city, Whitehorse. It’s a beautiful drive and we will make stops at Emerald Lake & Miles Canyon Suspension Bridge. After lunch we will visit the MacBride Museum for an extraordinary overview of the colorful characters and events that built Canada’s Yukon.

You are in for another treat today as we travel along the Alcan Highway through the land of the moose and bear into the true wilds of the great Northwest. We travel to beautiful Lake Kluane, where you might catch a glimpse of some wild sheep high on the sides of towering Sheep Mountain. We bid farewell to the Yukon and re-enter the great state of Alaska! We continue to Tok for our overnight stay.

Sit back and take in the magnificent views of snowcapped mountains and craggy peaks as we travel to Fairbanks. We will travel through Delta Junction, the official end of the Alcan Highway, and on to Big Delta for our first view of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline and the Tanana River. We’ll take time for a stop at North Pole to shop at the Santa Claus House. You may want to mail a Christmas card home from the North Pole while you are here. Tonight you’re in for a traditional Alaska salmon bake. The food is plentiful, so eat hearty! We spend the next two nights in Fairbanks. (D)

This morning we board the pioneer Binkley family’s sternwheeler riverboat, Discovery, for a cruise of the Chena and Tanana Rivers. See an authentic trapper’s base camp, Indian fish wheels, sled dogs, and view homesteaders’ riverside log homes. We see where Susan Butcher, four time Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race Champion lived until her death in 2006. We’ll pass famous Cripple Creek of gold rush fame and learn more about Athabascan Indian culture. This afternoon we enjoy an interesting sightseeing tour of Fairbanks stopping at Morris Thmpson Cultural & Visitor Center, then visiting the surrounding area. Learn what it takes to survive in an environment that sees the sun for only a small portion of the year. Also tour the University of Alaska Museum, with Indian artifacts, gold, and an eight foot tall brown bear. Dinner today is in a restored pump house, overlooking the Chena River. (D)

After breakfast we board our motorcoach for Denali National Park where accommodations are waiting. Denali is the highest peak on our continent, rising to a height of 20,310 feet. We’ll arrive at Denali with time to relax and maybe explore the natural beauty of the park or attend the Dog Sled Demonstration. This evening we get a taste of old-time Alaska at Alaska Cabin Nite, the popular dinner theater performed in an authentic, log-paneled roadhouse. We spend the next two nights near Denali. (D)

Early this morning we board a Denali tour bus for an exciting excursion through our nation’s most untamed National Park, Denali. Keep a close watch! Chances are good that you’ll spot bear, moose, fox, sheep, and other animals along our route. Hopefully we’ll see the top of Mt. McKinley, so don’t forget your camera! This afternoon we have some free time to enjoy Denali National Park and the surrounding area. (L)

Enjoy a leisurely morning in Denali then climb aboard the Alaska Railroad for a delightful journey to the historic town of Talkeetna. Talkeetna is a gathering place for mountaineers from around the world to challenge Mt. McKinley. Our train will pass over Hurricane Gulch and through Broad Pass before arriving at the railroad station at Talkeetna. The bridge at Hurricane Gulch spans 918 feet, some 296 feet over the Chulitna River. After a brief visit we board our motorcoach and travel the Parks Highway to Anchorage by way of Wasilla and Palmer, the supply center for the fertile farm-filled Matanuska Valley. This area yields two-thirds of Alaska’s agricultural products. We overnight in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city for three nights.

This morning we ride along the Turnagain Arm and make our way south to the small coastal town of Seward. Seward is situated at the head of Resurrection Bay and is known for its beautiful scenery and as the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. The town of about 3,000 residents is named for William H. Seward, the man who engineered the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867. The town is the southern terminus of the Alaska Railroad, dating back to its origins in the early 1900’s. It is also used by several major cruise lines as a “turn around” port for their Gulf of Alaska Cruises. Here we enjoy a boat cruise of the Kenai Fjords National Park. We’ll be cruising the fjords and passageways of the peninsula where we hope to see killer whales, humpback whales, sea lions, sea otters and also the tufted puffins. Beautiful scenery awaits us on this fully narrated visit to the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge along with a light lunch. After our cruise we return to Anchorage for the night. (L)

Today we tour Anchorage, home to nearly half of Alaska’s population. We visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center dedicated to conservation, education, and quality animal care of Alaska’s wildlife. AWCC takes in injured and orphaned animals year-round and provides spacious enclosures and quality animal care. Animals that cannot be released into the wild are given a permanent home at the center. Watch the animals display their natural “wild” behavior. Wood Bison plod through 65 acres of tidal flat terrain, as part of a program that will one day restore the species to the Alaskan wilderness. We take the Alyeska Aerial Tram from The Hotel Alyeska to 2,300 ft in elevation and the top of Mt. Alyeska. From the tram, it’s possible to see miles in all directions including views of the Turnagain Arm, up to seven “hanging” glaciers and endless peaks deep into the Chugach Mountain range. We travel back to Anchorage. This evening we enjoy our last included dinner in Alaska. (D)

Early this morning we board our flight back home. We arrive late this evening.