Tour 153
 With
an amazing array of scenic mountain ranges, massive
glaciers and great activities, this family vacation
experience covers Alaska's Scenic Byways by car and
ferry. Travel through the fertile Matanuska
Valley and continue though mountain passes to the
oil tanker port of Valdez. Then journey across
Prince William Sound aboard the Alaska ferry onto
Alaska's Kenai Peninsula to Seward - known as the
gateway to the Kenai Fjords National Park.
Seward is home to the fascinating Alaska
SeaLife
Center, and one of Alaska's leading
Iditarod dog mushing families. Experience the
thrill of riding behind an Iditarod dog team, with a
2-mile ride on a specially designed wheeled dog
sled.
Your next adventure takes you rafting on the world
famous Kenai River, and then on to the "end of the
road" in Homer. Your tour concludes with two
nights at the luxurious Alyeska Resort.
Fourteen days/thirteen nights
(tours start every
Sunday, Tuesday and Friday)
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 Anchorage.
 Day
02: Anchorage; complimentary
continental breakfast at the hotel. Avis will
pick you up at your hotel for you to get your rental
car. Enjoy a full day today to getting
acclimated to Alaska and to experience the many
activities in Anchorage and its' surroundings.
Nestled between the
Chugach Mountains
and
Cook Inlet,
Anchorage
is
Alaska’s
largest city.
The city began as a tent community in 1915, during
the construction of the Alaska Railroad which
connected the ice-free
port
of
Seward
to
and
Alaska’s
Interior.
Today tour the city visiting sights including the
historic downtown area, the Ship Creek fish ladder,
Lake
Hood
sea planes, The Alaska zoo, and the
Alaska
Native
Heritage
Center.
The day is free for you to explore or select
one of many optional excursions available from
Anchorage, such a
bear viewing and flightseeing tours.
Overnight Anchorage.
 Day
03: Anchorage to Sheep Mountain;
enjoy a scenic drive along the Glenn Highway,
northward from Anchorage. This is one of the
oldest and most scenic highways in Alaska. Just
outside of the agricultural center of Palmer,
suggested stops include the Musk Ox farm and
historic Hatcher Pass gold mine. This route
follows the Matanuska River up to it beginning at
the Matanuska Glacier. Optional tours in this area
include guided glacier hikes and river rafting.
Final stop is Sheep Mountain Lodge, nestled at the
base of the Talkeetna Mountains. Dall Sheep
are frequently seen in this area. Overnight
Sheep Mountain Lodge.
Day 04: 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
05: 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
06: A Day with Alaskan SeaLife and Iditarod
Sled Dogs; Seward is known as the gateway
to the Kenai Fjords National Park and it is one of
Alaska's most historic towns. Visit the
state-of-the-art marine
science facility at the Alaska SeaLife Center, and
also experience an Alaska husky dog sled team at the
kennel of the Seavey Family. Here you get an
close up look the lifestyle of one of Alaska's most
competitive Iditarod Sled Dog race families.
Three generations of the Seavey family have finished
the Last Great Race on Earth. You also have
the option to take a
cruise into the Kenai Fjords National Park.
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
07: Journey to Homer - The End of the Road;
traveling along the turquoise blue lakes and rivers
with mountains in every view makes today a great day
of touring. A scenic float on the Upper Kenai
River is included. This is the world famous
salmon river where Alaska salmon run in huge numbers
to their final spawning grounds. The day also
presents an opportunity for an optional guided
fishing charter, instead of river rafting. The
final destination is Homer,
positioned at the tip of Kachemak Bay.
This
is as far west as you can drive on the North
American continent. Overnight in Homer.
Day 08: Homer on Kachemak Bay;
today cruise across Kachemak Bay aboard a
comfortable water taxi to Gull Island, and the to
the picturesque wilderness beach of Otter Cove.
Enjoy a a nice lunch in the hand crafted lodge and
some time to relax before returning to Homer later
in the afternoon. Overnight in Homer.
 Day
09: Alyeska Resort; The drive back toward
Anchorage is along Cook Inlet to the resort
village
of
Girdwood.
Girdwood is the home of the only 5-star resort in
Alaska
, the Alyeska Resort and Alyeska Prince Hotel.
Upon arrival at the property there is plenty
of time to relax and enjoy the rest of your day at
leisure. In the evening take an optional tram
ride 2,300 feet up the side of
Mt.
Alyeska
for a panoramic view of the valley and Turnagain
Arm.
There are also many hiking trails and quaint shops
to explore in the area. Overnight
Alyeska Prince Hotel.
Day 10: Alyeska Resort;
today features Alaska's glaciers and the
natural history of the area.
The visitor center offers a 20-minute,
award-winning film “Voices
From the Ice.”
The glacier has receded too far to be seen
from the visitor’s center, so we've included a
1-hour cruise aboard the mv
Ptarmigan. This is your opportunity to get a close-up view
of Portage Glacier. After your
Portage
visit, we
 suggest
stops at Big Game Alaska and Crow Creek Mine.
This historic 1898 mining camp lends the feeling of
a long-forgotten era.
Eight original buildings still stand and old
mining equipment and artifacts decorate the grounds.
Your hosts will show you how to pan for gold,
and you get to keep all that you find.
The day is free to explore your beautiful
surroundings. Overnight Alyeska Prince
Hotel.
Day 11: Denali National
Park; spend the day touring by car to Denali
National Park. Plenty of interesting stops in
route including the Iditarod Sled Dog Race
headquarters visitor center, as well as the small
town of Talkeetna, known as the gateway to Mt.
McKinley. Travel at you own pace and enjoy the
great scenery of Alaska's vast interior region.
Overnight at a Denali
park entrance area hotel.
Overnight at a Denali park entrance area hotel.
 Day
12: 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 13: Denali to Fairbanks; time is
available for a hike or optional tours in the
Denali area, before
your 2-hour drive to Fairbanks. 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 14: Departure; Return the car to
the airport rental station this morning on your own.
Routing Note: this tour is designed as
a one way route starting in Anchorage and ending in
Fairbanks. This is done to maximize time to
see each area visited. The tour works very
well with flights on Alaska Airlines and Northwest
Airlines, these airlines serve both cities and offer
rates similar to round trip pricing, although using
2 different airports. If a one way fare is
required from Fairbanks to return to Anchorage to
meet other flights, we offer a one way fare of $135
per person. We are also happy to customize a
tour routing for your family.
13
nights hotels including 11 nights in moderate
"family friendly" properties and 2 overnights at the
family friendly Alyeska Prince. Ferry passage for
passengers and vehicle from Valdez to Whittier and
toll fee from Whittier to Portage. Admission
to the Alaska Sealife center and Seavey's Iditaride
kennel. 2-hour Kenai River float, Kachemak Bay
marine tour, Portage Lake cruise, Denali wilderness
tour and Riverboat Discovery sternwheeler tour in
Fairbanks. All taxes.
2005
Rates!
|
June 15 - Sept. 5 |
2 share car/1 room
|
3 share car/1 room
|
4 share car/2 rooms
|
Child under 12
|
|
Compact Car |
$2378
|
n/a
|
n/a
|
$384
|
|
Mid size car |
$2394
|
$1828
|
$2200
|
$384
|
|
Full size car |
$2426
|
$1856
|
$2216
|
$384
|
|
Mini van |
$2889
|
$2154
|
$2401
|
$384
|
|
4x4 SUV |
$2948
|
$2194
|
$2410
|
$384
|
|
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