Ultimate Alaska & the Yukon

Meet your Tour Director between 3 pm and 7 pm in the hotel reception area.

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.

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.

Start the day by boarding the sternwheeler Discovery for a cruise on the Chena River, with a stop at a recreated Chena Indian Village to learn about Athabascan Native culture. Later, during a city tour, visit the University of Alaska–Fairbanks Museum and a stop at the Trans-Alaska Oil Pipeline.

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.

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.

Roaring Rapids & Rip-Roaring Times 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.

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 personally meet the huskies and their trainers. Afterward, enjoy a special Taste of the Yukon dinner.

Depart the Yukon Territories 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.”

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, the 1898 Gold Rush, and the 1964 Good Friday Earthquake. Free time this evening.

Board a boat today and get a closer look at the Trans-Alaska Pipeline Terminal, the many massive glaciers, and the 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.

Your vacation ends with breakfast this morning.