Day 1 Anchorage | Arrival
Arrive in Anchorage and transfer independently to your hotel. The rest of the day is free to enjoy Alaska’s largest city, set between Cook Inlet and the Chugach Mountains. Walk part of the coastal trail, explore downtown restaurants and local galleries, or settle in with mountain views as your Alaska vacation begins.
Day 2 Prince William Sound 26 Glacier Cruise | Coach | Alaska Railroad
Travel from Anchorage toward Whittier, following the scenic Turnagain Arm corridor where mountains, tidal flats and coastal water create one of Southcentral Alaska’s classic journeys. Board the Prince William Sound 26 Glacier Cruise and enter a sheltered marine world of fjords, waterfalls, floating ice and tidewater glaciers. As the vessel travels deeper into the sound, watch for sea otters, seals, whales, seabirds, bears and mountain goats, with glacier faces and icefields rising from the surrounding mountains. After returning to Whittier, board Alaska Railroad’s Glacier Discovery train for the scenic evening rail journey back toward Anchorage. (Lunch is included onboard today.)
Day 3 Anchorage | Floatplane Fly-in Bear Viewing Excursion
Fly from Anchorage by floatplane into one of Alaska’s remote bear-viewing regions. Depending on the season, weather and bear activity, your destination may be Redoubt Bay, Katmai National Park, Lake Clark or Chinitna Bay. From the air, Alaska opens into a vast landscape of coastline, rivers, mountains, wetlands and wilderness valleys. After landing, join professional guides for a bear-viewing experience in natural habitat, with opportunities to watch brown or black bears fishing, foraging or moving through the landscape. (Lunch is included today.)
Day 4 Anchorage to Talkeetna | Alaska Railroad | Denali Flightseeing with Glacier Landing
Depart Anchorage aboard Alaska Railroad’s Denali Star and travel north into the broad, open landscapes of Southcentral Alaska. From your GoldStar dome seat or private outdoor viewing deck, the city quickly gives way to forest, wetlands, braided rivers and mountain horizons. The route follows the Knik Arm area before crossing river country near the Eklutna, Knik and Matanuska rivers, with the Chugach Mountains behind you and the Talkeetna Mountains rising to the north. Continue through the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, where open sky, distant ridgelines and long stretches of wilderness create a powerful sense of Alaska’s scale. On clear days, watch for Mt. Susitna, known locally as Sleeping Lady, and possible views of Denali as the train approaches Talkeetna and the Susitna River. (Breakfast is included onboard the train today.)
Arrive in Talkeetna, a historic Alaska rail town and one of the best gateways for Denali flightseeing. This afternoon, take to the air for an unforgettable Denali Flightseeing experience with a glacier landing, weather permitting. Fly toward the Alaska Range, where rivers, forests and foothills give way to vast glaciers, ice-carved valleys, granite walls and snow-covered peaks. From the aircraft, the scale of Denali and the surrounding mountain world becomes truly dramatic. Land on a glacier for time on the ice, surrounded by the silence, height and beauty of one of Alaska’s most powerful landscapes, before returning to Talkeetna for the evening.
Day 5 Talkeetna to Denali National Park Entrance | Alaska Railroad
Rejoin Alaska Railroad’s Denali Star and continue north from Talkeetna toward Denali National Park Entrance. This is a wilder, more remote stretch of the rail journey, where the line moves beyond the main highway corridor into backcountry landscapes of river valleys, forest, mountain views and open northern sky. Watch for views toward the Alaska Range as the train travels through country shaped by rivers, glaciers and long Alaska winters. On clear days, Denali and the surrounding peaks may appear above the horizon before you arrive near the entrance to Denali National Park. (Lunch is included onboard the train today.)
Day 6 Denali National Park | Freedom of Choice - Choose 1 of 4 Excursions
Today, enjoy a full day in the Denali region and choose the experience that best matches your travel style. Travel the legendary Denali Highway, journey into Denali National Park by coach, or upgrade to flightseeing over the Alaska Range or a helicopter glacier landing.
Option 1. Denali Highway Jeep Excursion | Self-Drive Guided 4x4 Excursion
Ranked #2 in “Drives of a Lifetime” by National Geographic Traveler magazine, experience the natural wonders of Alaska’s Denali Highway - this time by Jeep. This 4-hour guided excursion travels along a 217 km/135 mi gravel road and takes you off the beaten path in a 4x4 to enjoy sweeping views of Denali, the Alaska Range, glaciers, tundra and possible wildlife.
Option 2. Tundra Wilderness Tour | Coach Tour
Travel into Denali National Park on a narrated coach tour along the park road, where the landscape opens into tundra, braided rivers, mountain valleys and wildlife habitat. Watch for moose, caribou, Dall sheep, bears and other wildlife while learning about the park’s geology, ecology and wilderness character.
Option 3. Upgrade Option: Denali Summit Flightseeing | Small Aircraft
Fly toward Denali and the surrounding Alaska Range for a dramatic view of snow-covered peaks, glacier-filled valleys and rugged ridgelines. From the window seat of a small aircraft, this upgrade gives you a powerful sense of the scale of North America’s tallest mountain.
Option 4. Upgrade Option: Denali Glacier Landing | Helicopter
Fly by helicopter across the Denali region toward the Yanert Glacier, passing tundra, mountain terrain and glacier-carved valleys along the way. Land on the glacier for a spectacular high-alpine Alaska experience.
Day 7 Denali to Anchorage | Choose 1 of 2 Options
Option 1. Denali to Anchorage | Coach | Included
Depart Denali early this morning by comfortable motorcoach and travel south along the Parks Highway through broad river valleys, boreal forest and small Alaska communities. Watch for views of the Alaska Range before continuing through the Matanuska-Susitna Valley, where mountain scenery, braided rivers and wide northern landscapes unfold along the route. Arrive in Anchorage this afternoon, where your Alaska vacation comes to an end.
Option 2. Denali National Park to Anchorage | Alaska Railroad | Upgrade Option
Enjoy a relaxed morning near Denali, with time for optional activities such as rafting, hiking or flightseeing before boarding Alaska Railroad’s Denali Star in GoldStar Service for the journey south to Anchorage. Travel past rivers, forests and broad valley scenery, with chances to watch for wildlife along the way. (Lunch and dinner are included onboard the train today.)
