Day 1     Saturday

Arrival in Anchorage.  Transfer to your hotel via hotel shuttle.  Enjoy your evening exploring Alaska’s largest city. 

Day 2     Sunday

Breakfast at hotel included                                                                                                                                               

Meet your guide at 8AM for the scenic 2-hour drive through the mountains to Matanuska Glacier for an Ice Walk Adventure!  On the way you will pass through downtown Anchorage and learn about the history of the city, founded in 1915 as headquarters of the Alaska Railroad.  The Dena’ina Athabascan people of the region have lived here for over 1000 years. As you depart the city you will pass Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson and the bedroom communities of Eagle River and Chugiak before you pass the Dena’ina village of Eklutna. Crossing the Knik River, you will leave the “Muni” and enter the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, larger than the state of Connecticut.  A stop at a grocery store in the charming town of Palmer allows you to purchase food & drinks for lunch and snacks for the drive. The Glenn Highway Scenic Byway winds along the mighty Matanuska River as it winds from the glacier to Cook Inlet.  The river separates the Chugach Mountains to the south and the Talkeetna Mountains to the north. 

Upon arrival at Matanuska Glacier your guides will instruct you in using ice cleats for secure footing on the ice, and your Ice Walk adventure will be underway.  Marvel at the spectacular formations, crevasses and seracs, the ice caves and the deep blue color, created as thousand-year-old ice carves its way 27 miles, from nearly 13,000 feet elevation to the toe of the glacier at less than 500 feet above sea level. 

Your guide will return you to Anchorage in the comfort of our private vehicle, where you will be free to choose your dining and entertainment options in this vibrant city. 

Hotel - Lakefront Millennium Hotel or similar

Day 3     Monday

Breakfast at hotel included                                                                                                                              

Today, your focus shifts to the sea as you explore Turnagain Arm and points south.  The Seward Highway route you will follow is also a designated National Scenic Byway, affording beautiful view of the rushing waters of the world’s second largest tidal swing, as much as 30 ft from low to high tide.  Look for Dall Sheep perched on the roadside cliffs, bald eagles and moose on the route, and enjoy breathtaking views of the Kenai Mountains to your south. 

A visit to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center offers a sure bet of seeing some of Alaska’s world-famous wild creatures, including moose, caribou, wood bison, elk, mule deer and eagles.  Bears live here, too, and are visible most of the year, except during their winter hibernation. 

When the Alyeska Resort opens for the season, you will be able to ride the scenic Mt. Alyeska aerial tram. From the top of the 2300 ft elevation tram, you can see for miles in all directions – including views of Turnagain Arm, up to seven “hanging” glaciers, and endless peaks deep into the Chugach Mountain range. Don’t forget to look down! Alyeska is the most popular winter resort in the state.  You can see skiers flying down the mountain or snowboarders perfecting their back flips. The observation deck is a perfect place to enjoy a relaxed lunch or beautiful evening sunset. Telescopes are also available along the deck. When weather permits, you can choose to experience Alaska glaciers by helicopter to land on the blue ice and snow.

Included:

Hotel shuttle from/to Anchorage International Airport

Two nights’ hotel in Anchorage - Lakefront Millennium Hotel or similar

Breakfast in hotel daily

Daily guided tours with knowledgeable local guide

Glacier access fee, helmet, and ice cleats for glacier hiking

Air transportation to Fairbanks

Not included:

All meals not included in itinerary

Driver/Guide gratuities (suggested minimum $10/day per person for day trips and $5/person for evening aurora viewing.)

Optional Activities

Fairbanks

Additional hotel nights – Extend your stay before or after your tour itinerary.

Aurora Viewing Lodge (additional nights beyond tour itinerary) – 4+hours.  Your guide will pick you up at your hotel for the 20 to 30-minute drive to one of our aurora viewing lodge locations, where you can search the skies for the magical Aurora Borealis.  Hot drinks and snacks are always available for a warm-up and your guide will be able to offer tips on capturing images of the Northern Lights on your camera or smartphone.

Dogsled Kennel Tour – 2.5 hours.  After a quick 15-minute drive to our favorite professional musher’s kennel, you will learn about the mushing lifestyle and the essential role dog teams have played in Alaska history, then tour the kennel and pet the puppies!  Then, it’s time to load up on the sled for an invigorating ride through the frosted forest (about 30 minutes’ ride time), then return to the kennel cabin to warm up with hot drinks while your fellow travelers take a spin through the woods.  Mushing is still a means of transportation in some remote locations and a variety of short- and long-distance dog sled races enable mushers to earn big prize money to support their lifestyle.

Snowmachine Tour – 2.5 hours.  Don’t call it a snowmobile in Alaska!  Learn the basics of operating a snowmachine, from safety to steering and stopping, then strap on your helmet and off you go on the Iron Horse of the Northland.  Your knowledgeable guide will keep an eye out for your safety and enjoyment as you cruise over a frozen lake and across beautiful wooded trails.

Ice Fishing Tour – 2.5 hours.  Learn and enjoy a favorite Alaska winter pastime and get your fish on!  Get cozy in our guide’s heated fishing hut and drop your bait through a hole augered through the foot-thick ice to pull in a lunker, then the guide will cook it up right there for you to snack on while you wait for the next nibble.  Trade stories, or invent great fish tales with your friends while you learn the tricks of the trade from your guide.

One-Day Arctic Circle Driving Adventure – 17-18 hours.  Earn your official Arctic Circle certificate!  Our customized ground transportation gets you there comfortably while you enjoy the views and spectacular scenery.  Cross the Yukon River on your way north to the Arctic Circle and search for the Aurora as you return to Fairbanks.

One-Day Arctic Circle Fly/Drive Adventure – 14-15 hours.  Fly north to Coldfoot, enjoying beautiful views of the White Mountains and the south flank of the mighty Brooks Range.  Then transfer to our customized ground transportation for the southbound leg.  Enjoy the spectacular scenery, stop at the Arctic Circle and cross the Yukon River, searching for the Aurora as you return to Fairbanks.

Anchorage

Additional hotel nights – Extend your stay before your tour itinerary.

Helicopter Tour with Glacier Landing – 1 hour.  Buckle in for a thrilling 15-minute flight to a massive icefield high in the Chugach Mountains. Enjoy a 30-minute walk on the ice with your guide and marvel at the deep blue color of the 1000-year-old ice.  Learn about how icefields are formed, how they feed the glaciers’ slow descent from the highlands and how the glaciers’ unstoppable force in turn forms the landscape around them. 

Aurora Chasing – 4+hours. Though not as ideal as Fairbanks when it comes to aurora viewing, Anchorage does offer occasional opportunities to enjoy the mystic light shows when both solar activity and weather cooperate. Under such promising conditions, our experienced tour guides will take you to locations with the best chances for aurora observation and photography, typically within an-hour drive out of Anchorage. Leaving hotels around 10pm and returning between 2am and 3am. Please dress warm. Hot drinks are provided. When conditions do not meet the requirements for a reasonable aurora viewing opportunity, guides will cancel the tour and notify guests between 18:00 and 20:00 on the day of the tour with full refund.

Coldfoot

Arctic Mountain Safari – 7 hours.  Enjoy a guided driving tour north into the Brooks Mountain Range to Atigun Pass, on the Dalton Highway, the highest point on Alaska’s road system (dependent on weather and road conditions).  Learn more about the extremes that Mother Nature throws at life in the Arctic and stop along the way to take pictures of the fairy-tale snowscapes. 

Arctic Village Aurora – 4 hours.  Visit an historic gold-mining community near Coldfoot to listen and learn about its dynamic past and present, inside one of the historic miner’s cabins.  Then, scan the skies with your guide for dancing Northern Lights and enjoy complimentary hot beverages while you warm up from the Arctic chill.