Discover Denali

This itinerary starts AFTER the accompanying cruise itinerary.

After disembarking your cruise ship, you will meet your tour director and begin your drive to Girdwood. The road linking Seward to Anchorage passes through some of the most spectacular scenery in the country and holds triple designation: USDA Forest Service Scenic Byway, Alaska Scenic Byway, and All-American Road. After arriving at the Alyeska Prince Resort, take a ride to the top of Mt. Alyeska on the aerial tramway for a spectacular view of the surrounding area with its seven glaciers. A snack lunch will be included. The rest of the day and evening are at your leisure. Overnight at the Alyeska Prince Resort, Girdwood.

After breakfast at the hotel, begin your day's tour from Alyeska to Denali on the Parks Highway. Stop at the Iditarod Sled Dog Headquarters and learn about this truly Alaskan competition. From Anchorage, to Nome on the Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover 1,150 miles in 10 to 17 days over the roughest, terrain Alaska has to offer. Over jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast, the mushers and their dog teams race. Add temperatures far below zero, winds that cause complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness, and you have the Iditarod. The last Great Race on Earth. Enjoy a picnic boxed lunch en-route to the great park. Arrive early evening at the Grande Denali Hotel. Dinner and a lecture on Denali are at the resort. Overnight at the Grande Denali Hotel, Denali Park.

After an early breakfast at the hotel, pack the camera for the six to eight hour Tundra Wilderness Tour deep into the heart of Denali Park in search of wildlife. The tour is operated by the Denali National Park concessionaire in assigned school buses. Keep your eyes open for moose, sheep, caribou and grizzly bear. The trip is fully narrated and makes frequent stops for photos and restroom breaks. A snack box lunch is included on the bus. Upon returning to the hotel mid-afternoon, enjoy the rest of the day and evening at leisure for optional activities. Overnight at the Grande Denali Hotel, Denali Park.

After breakfast at the resort, enjoy a morning at leisure. This afternoon ride on the world famous Alaska Railroad from Denali to Talkeetna (4 1and a half 2 hrs) along the Susitna River, and enjoy your lunch onboard. After disembarking the train, begin your three hour scenic tour from Talkeetna to Anchorage via the George Parks Highway, linking the state's two largest cities, Anchorage and Fairbanks, with Denali National Park and Preserve. The George Parks Highway travels through the kind of scenery that defines the Alaskan interior: tundra and muskeg, the continent's highest peaks, glaciers, forests, wild rivers, and vast expanses inhabited only by moose, grizzlies, foxes, wolves, and a wealth of birds. Upon arrival in Anchorage, check-in at the Hilton Hotel. The evening is at your leisure. Overnight at the Hilton Hotel, Anchorage.

After breakfast at the hotel, begin your day's tour from Alyeska to Denali on the Parks Highway. Stop at the Iditarod Sled Dog Headquarters and learn about this truly Alaskan competition. From Anchorage, to Nome on the Bering Sea coast, each team of 12 to 16 dogs and their musher cover 1,150 miles in 10 to 17 days over the roughest, terrain Alaska has to offer. Over jagged mountain ranges, frozen river, dense forest, desolate tundra and miles of windswept coast, the mushers and their dog teams race. Add temperatures far below zero, winds that cause complete loss of visibility, the hazards of overflow, long hours of darkness, and you have the Iditarod. The last Great Race on Earth. Enjoy a picnic boxed lunch en-route to the great park. Arrive early evening at the Grande Denali Hotel. Dinner and a lecture on Denali are at the resort. Overnight at the Grande Denali Hotel, Denali Park.