Alaska Tour For Families Anchorage Denali Fairbanks

With an amazing array of attractions and adventures provides a truly unique family vacation experience. Our Circle Alaska Family Adventure includes every Alaskan highlight imaginable. All aboard! The Alaska Railroad not only provides transportation for the first portion of your journey, but the scenic views and excellent service create an enjoyable experience all on its own. From Anchorage travel north toward Denali National Park with opportunities to see Mt. McKinley along the way. In Fairbanks, you can pan for gold and cruise aboard a classic sternwheeler river boat. Next you will continue touring by car along the route leading to Wrangell St. Elias National Park and Valdez . A trip across Prince William Sound aboard the Alaska ferry gives a taste of Alaska ’s Glaciers and marine wildlife. And a visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center in Seward is both educational and exciting, for old and young alike. Click here to view a map of the driving route.

Day 01: Arrival Anchorage; transfer to your downtown area hotel by courtesy shuttle. Enjoy the remainder of your day at leisure. Within walking distance of your hotel is the Anchorage Museum of History and Art, and other downtown attractions as well as many choices for restaurants. Overnight in downtown hotel.

Day 02: Anchorage to Denali National Park; Depart Anchorage this morning for Denali National Park aboard the Alaska Railroad. The train departs at 8:15 am and arrives in Denali at 3:15 pm. A hotel courtesy shuttle will meet the train for transfer. Remainder of the afternoon is free for optional tours at Denali. Your hotel provides free transportation to the park's Visitor Access Center, which is just a short walk to hiking trails and the ranger station with it's Alaska husky kennels. Overnight at a Denali park entrance area hotel.
Day 03: A Day in Denali National Park; early morning Tundra Wildlife Tour, your exact time of departure will be assigned the day before. The travel time into the park is 6-8 hours, which varies due to the spotting of wildlife within the park. Sightings include moose, bear, wolves, caribou, Dall sheep and many small mammals. Your experienced driver will provide narration into Denali 's natural history and unique sub-arctic desert terrain. Overnight at a Denali park entrance area hotel.

Day 04: Denali to Fairbanks; free morning to explore on your own and take advantage of many optional tours in the Denali area. Choices include river rafting and McKinley flightseeing. You depart Denali for Fairbanks at 3:45 pm via the Alaska Railroad, arriving at 8:15 pm. A dining car is available on the train. Local transfer on arrival provided by your hotel. Overnight Fairbanks.

Day 05: A Day in Fairbanks; this morning you pick up your rental car at the Fairbanks airport. Spend the remainder of the day exploring this historic gold mining town, also known as Alaska's "gateway to the Arctic". We suggest a visit to the University of Alaska Museum of the Arctic and the Musk Ox farm. Just out of town are several options for gold panning and gold mine tours. This afternoon, take a ride aboard a classic sternwheeler riverboat. On this 3 1/2 hour river cruise you visit the old Chena village site, see an Indian fish camp, Alaskan bush pilot demonstration and a championship sled dog team. Overnight Fairbanks.

Day 06: Fairbanks to Copper Center; enjoy a scenic drive along the Richardson Highway, one of the oldest and most scenic highways in Alaska. Just outside of Fairbanks, stop at the Santa Claus House in North Pole, Alaska. This route follows the Alaska oil pipeline, one of the world' s greatest engineering feats. Along the way there are several rest stops including historic roadhouses and scenic viewpoints. As you near your final destination of Copper Center, you are very near the boundary of the Wrangell - St. Elias National Preserve. This region of Alaska offers impressive vistas with a few of North America's tallest peaks in view. This is a perfect day to plan a picnic! Overnight Copper Center area.

Day 07: A Day in the mountains to Valdez; take some time today to explore and visit the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park headquarters and ranger station, then continue into the Chugach Mountains and through Thompson Pass. Along the way there are several very special places to stop and enjoy the amazing landscapes. Look for Worthington Glacier and Bridal Veil Falls. Overnight Valdez.

Day 08: A Day on Prince William Sound; drive your car aboard Alaska Marine Highway ferry from Valdez to Whittier. As you depart Valdez you will sail past the huge oil tankers which transport Alaskan oil to the "lower 48". Enjoy the scenery and relaxing pace as you cruise into Prince William Sound with playful sea otters and lazy sea lions snoozing on the buoys within your sights - don't forget those binoculars in the car! The ferry takes approximately 5 1/2 hours in crossing with arrival in mid-afternoon. On arrival in the port of Whittier, drive off of the ferry and into a mountain tunnel which takes you to Portage Glacier Valley. From here, it's a very beautiful 2-hour drive to Seward. Overnight Seward.

Day 09: A Day with Alaskan SeaLife and Glaciers; Start the day with a visit to the quaint town of Seward, known as the gateway to the Kenai Fjords National Park. Admission is included into the state-of-the-art marine science facility at the Alaska SeaLife Center. Here you get an close up look at the underwater life of Alaska's diverse marine life and sea birds. You also have the option to take a cruise into the Kenai Fjords National Park. These day cruises range from 6-8 hours taking you up close to a calving glacier and possibly within close view of humpback whales. We also suggest a visit to the Exit Glacier, a massive ice sheet flowing out of the Harding Ice Field. There you can literally walk to the face of the glacier along an interpretive trail illustrating the historical path that the glacier has followed as it has receded over the last 100 years. Overnight Seward.

Day 10: Drive to Anchorage; The drive is about 2 1/2 hours, first through the Chugach Mountains and then along Cook Inlet's Turnagain Arm, scene of the second highest tidal flow in North America behind Nova Scotia's Bay of Fundy. In route we can suggest several worthwhile stops including the ski resort village of Girdwood and the Potter Marsh bird sanctuary. Depending on your arrival, there is ample time to explore Alaska's largest city. Anchorage's Alaska Native Heritage Center is a great facility to see and learn more about Alaska's varied native cultures and traditional lifestyles. Overnight Anchorage.

10 nights accommodation in moderate "family friendly" hotels. Passage on the Alaska Railroad from Anchorage to Denali and from Denali to Fairbanks. Admissions for the Denali wildlife tour with snack lunch, Sternwheeler Riverboat tour in Fairbanks and Seward SeaLife Center. Six days car rental including one way fee from Fairbanks to Anchorage and unlimited mileage. Ferry passage for passengers and vehicle from Valdez to Whittier and toll fee from Whittier to Portage. All taxes. NOTE: This tour operates every day except Friday. This tour itinerary may also work in reverse direction due to the Alaska ferry schedule.