Itinerary Details
Ultimate Alaska & The Yukon
Day 1 ARRIVE IN ANCHORAGE, ALASKA Welcome to Alaska! Meet your Tour Director between 3 pm and 7 pm in the hotel reception area.
FREE TIME TIPS
EXPLORE MORE in Anchorage with a dinner out in this iconic Alaskan city. Your Tour Director can point you in the right direction. Tap your GlobusGO mobile app for the best bites, brews, and things to do!
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Day 2 ANCHORAGE–WASILLA–TALKEETNA–ALASKA RAILROAD–DENALI NATIONAL PARKRiding the Rails Travel north into the majestic wilds of Alaska and visit the Iditarod Headquarters, home of the world-famous dogsled race. Continue to Talkeetna, the starting point for climbers attempting to summit Denali (formerly known as Mount McKinley), the highest peak in North America at 20,320 feet. Board the historic Alaska Railroad for a scenic trip to Denali National Park. Tonight, enjoy a [LF] private presentation by a Local Naturalist at the Murie Science & Learning Center followed by dinner. (B,D)
LOCAL FAVORITE
CONSERVATION HEROES Enjoy dinner at the Murie Science and Learning Center where stewardship and education are key to preserve and nurture the wild places of American national parks. You’ll hear fascinating and informative information presented by a Local Naturalist in this vital site named for wildlife biologist Adolph Murie who made lasting contributions to the understanding of wolves and wildlife management in Denali.
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
EPIC RIDE Board the Alaska Railroad train for spectacular views through its panoramic windows designed for soaking in the stunning scenery on this full-day journey that truly showcases America’s 49th state. Keep an eye out for views of Denali —as well as wildlife along the way!
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Day 3 DENALI NATIONAL PARKWilderness Wonders Journey into the 6-million-acre Denali National Park with a Naturalist Driver Guide on the Tundra Wilderness tour exploring the majestic wilderness. Your late afternoon and evening are free for optional adventures such as float trips, a dogsled demonstration, a helicopter ride over the park, or a delicious dinner and rollicking musical comedy performed in a camp house reminiscent of the Gold Rush era. (B,L)
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
NATURAL WONDERS Venture deep with a Naturalist into Denali National Park and Preserve in search of fantastic wildlife and natural wonders. Stay alert for wildlife, including Denali’s Big-Five, the grizzly bear, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, and the formidable yet elusive wolf. Named for the highest mountain peak in North America, Denali is a natural treasure of pristine and untamed wilderness at its finest.
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Day 4 DENALI NATIONAL PARK–FAIRBANKSBites & Brews This morning, spend a little more time marveling at the wonder of Denali National Park. Then, enjoy a friendly atmosphere during lunch at the [LF] 49th State Brewery to taste local specialties and play Alaska lawn-games. Travel into the heart of Alaska to Fairbanks, where the remainder of the day is at leisure. (B,L)
LOCAL FAVORITE
LOCAL TASTES Craft brewing as well as great food is a hallmark of Alaskan culture. Savor traditional Alaska cuisine with lunch at the fabulous 49th State Brewing Co. Taste the attention to detail born of glacial aquifers, fine malts and hops, and yeast, served by Cicerone Certified beer servers with proper glassware to accompany various styles of beer, along with a hearty menu to satisfy your appetite.
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Day 5 FAIRBANKSNative American Traditions Start the day by boarding the sternwheeler Discovery for a cruise on the Chena River, with a stop at a recreated Chena Native Village to learn about Athabascan culture. Later, during a city tour, visit the University of Alaska–Fairbanks Museum and stop at the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline. (B)
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
CULTURAL GEMS Experience frontier living in an Athabascan village on the Chena River. Here in the Alaskan forests, cabins are made of spruce logs, and the old ways of living with the land are beautifully preserved in the heritage of the Alaska Native culture. Learn about traditions and survival in an unforgiving yet beautiful environment, where generations of Athabascans skillfully survived for over 10,000 years, adapting to village life and Western culture in the past century.
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Day 6 FAIRBANKS–DAWSON CITY, YUKON Goldminers & Old Timers Continuing the journey into Gold Rush history, motor over the Top of the World Highway and enter Canada’s Yukon Territory. Passing through the village of Chicken, today promises to be filled with breathtaking scenery. Tonight, you have reservations at Diamond Tooth Gerties, featuring ragtime music, can-can girls, and an old-fashioned casino. (B)
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
CULTURAL GEM Get a rush of nostalgia for the old frontier with casino games, nostalgic tunes, and can-can shows at Dawson City’s rip-roaring Diamond Tooth Gertie’s saloon to relive the days of the Gold Rush, prospectors, barkeeps, and piano players in the Wild West.
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Day 7 DAWSON CITYThere’s Gold in the Yukon! Step back in time at the site of Klondike Gold Rush Claim #1, where the first gold strike was made. Continue to the Robert Service Interpretive Center to learn of the numerous poems and ballads he composed while exploring this remote area. The remainder of the day is at leisure. Your Tour Director will have suggestions for additional sightseeing, shopping, and dining. (B)
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
LEGENDARY LIVES Walk in the footsteps of historic figures of the Yukon Gold rush. Stand in the spot where George Carmack and Skookum Jim discovered the first shiny glimpse of gold in Bonanza Creek in 1896 to stake the first gold rush claim in the Yukon. Enter the humble cabin (now a historic site) where bank teller and famed poet Robert Service penned some of the Yukon’s most famous ballads and poems. See the artifacts belonging to this legendary “Bard of the Yukon.”
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Day 8 DAWSON CITY–WHITEHORSERoaring Rapids & Rip-Roaring Trace the trail of the gold seekers on their way to the Klondike. View the Five Finger Rapids, which once posed a major obstacle to the hordes of fortune seekers stampeding into the Yukon. Your day concludes in Whitehorse, capital of the Yukon, for a free evening. (B)
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
NATURAL WONDERS Marvel at the sight of The Five Finger Rapids on the Yukon River. Here, four islands divide the river into five narrow channels of which only the eastern is passable. The Five Finger Rapids is mentioned in Jack London's novel “The Call of the Wild” and posed a significant challenge to the throng of fortune seekers on the hunt for gold.
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Day 9 WHITEHORSEA Dog’s Life A city tour stops at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre, where you can meet the Ice Age giant mammals that once ruled the ancient subcontinent. See the historic SS Klondike Riverboat and learn about its importance on the Yukon River in the Gold Rush days. Later, head to Whitehorse’s premier dogsled facility, [LF] Muktuk Adventures, where you will meet the huskies and their trainers. Enjoy a special Taste of the Yukon dinner. (B,D)
LOCAL FAVORITE
CULTURE & TRADITION Get up close and personal to Alaska’s amazing sled dogs and their trainers at Muktuk Adventures. Learn about training and care of the Alaskan champions and the spirit needed to race in world-famous Iditarod and Yukon Quest competitions. A memorable experience that leads the pack!
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Day 10 WHITEHORSE–TOK, ALASKA Depart the Yukon and head to Alaska along the rugged mountains of Kluane National Park, home to 19,625-foot Mount Logan, Canada’s highest peak. Continue on the Alaska Highway to Tok, the “Dog Sled Capital of the World.” (B)
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
WILDERNESS TREASURES On your way to Alaska’s dogsledding town of Tok, you’ll drive along the mountains of Kluane National Park and Reserve in the southwest of the Canadian Yukon. Witness a vast wilderness of ice fields, forests, and towering peaks, including Canada’s highest summit, Mount Logan. Here, spectacular sights created by the glacier-fed Alsek River are home to grizzly bears, Dall sheep and more than 100 bird species.
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Day 11 TOK–VALDEZSights on the Sound Head to Alaska’s northernmost ice-free port, Valdez, home of the Alyeska Pipeline Terminal. As you travel toward some of the highest coastal mountains in the world, enjoy views of Thompson Pass, Worthington Glacier, and Bridal Veil Falls before arriving in the “Switzerland of Alaska”— Valdez. Visit the Valdez Museum to learn of the areas Native culture, early explorers, 1898 Gold Rush, and 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. Free time this evening. (B)
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
NATURAL WONDERS Located near the head of a deep fjord in Prince William Sound, Valdez is a mix of tidewater glaciers, rainforests, majestic mountains, and wildlife on land and sea. Orcas and humpback whales, otters, sea lions, and birds are among the many animals you might spy from this spectacular seaport.
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Day 12 VALDEZ–WHITTIER–ANCHORAGETrue Fish Stories Board a boat today and get a closer look at the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal, the many massive glaciers, and playful sea life of Prince William Sound. Keep your eyes open for eagles, whales, mountain goats, dolphins, and sea lions! Continue to Anchorage for a farewell dinner. (B,L,D)
TOUR HIGHLIGHT
CULTURE & TRADITIONS Go further with a scenic cruise on the spectacular Prince William Sound. Cruise along the 3-mile face of Columbia Glacier with a watchful eye out for wildlife, including seals, sea otters, birds, and even whales!
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Day 13 ANCHORAGESafe travels until we meet again! Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning. (B)
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