Wild Alaska Tour with Tauck

Day 1

Arrive Anchorage

Tour begins: 5:30 PM, Hotel Captain Cook. A transfer is included from Anchorage International Airport to the Hotel Captain Cook in the heart of downtown, within walking distance of museums, shops, and restaurants. Only minutes away from unspoiled wilderness, Anchorage nestles beside Cook Inlet with the spectacular backdrop of the Chugach Mountains. Join us at the hotel for a welcome reception and dinner.

Lodging

Hotel Captain Cook

Day 2

Happy trails to Talkeetna

Wind your way from Anchorage to glacier-carved Matanuska Valley, a region of scenic mountain vistas, spruce forests and thousands of lakes. Rustic lodges, farmsteads, and small towns unwind along wilderness highways until you arrive at Big Lake, a popular area for camping, fishing and water sports; in winter, the passion here is dog sledding, and the big annual event is the Iditarod race from Anchorage to Nome. Visit Happy Trails Kennel, where four-time Iditarod winner Martin Buser breeds and trains sled dogs for the world-famous 1,000-mile marathon; you’ll have a chance to get acquainted with some of these up-and-coming champions, who are bred for speed and athleticism (and love to be petted). You’ll also learn about the special dynamics of the sport: the bond between dogs and musher, the dogs’ ability to conquer long distances in harsh weather and extreme temperatures, and the indelible role of dog sledding in Alaskan history and culture. Following lunch, drive on to the historic town of Talkeetna. With a population of less than 500 and one paved road, its rustic character offers a taste of small-town Alaska, from the general store to the roadhouse, as well as a staging area for climbing expeditions to Mt. McKinley. Arrive at the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, set high on a bluff overlooking the town and distant peaks of the Alaskan Range, where you’ll attend a naturalist lecture on the feats, and challenges, of climbing America’s highest mountain.

Lodging

Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

Day 3

Guided hike and more with a naturalist guide

Explore the scenic places surrounding Talkeetna on a morning hike with a naturalist guide. The town’s setting at the confluence of three rivers makes it an attractive area for outdoor sports, and a magnet for wildlife (beaver, moose, bears, and bald eagles) that frequent the lush forests and shorelines. Your morning hike takes you around Byers Lake, a true nature paradise inside Denali. Your guide will provide insights into both natural and human history surrounding the shimmering, clear lake – the views are amazing, and the wildflowers and plants unique. Drop in for lunch at Mary Carey’s McKinley View Lodge, where the café is bedecked with native crafts and memorabilia of the legendary pioneer woman who established the inn. Following lunch, again accompanied by a naturalist guide, you’ll enjoy working with the gadgets that professional nature photographers and filmmakers use in the wild. Return to Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, where the evening is free to spend as you please – perhaps enjoying the magnificent rock fireplace in the Great Room.

Lodging

Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

Day 4

Flying over Denali

Start the day by reviewing the footage you captured yesterday on the filmmakers’ gadgets with your naturalist guide. Then visit the Talkeetna Historical Society Museum; the town evolved from gold mining days to its status today as the gateway to Mt. McKinley (known here as “Denali”). The museum’s main exhibit is a large three-dimensional topographical map of the mountain and surrounding glaciers, which you can use to “walk” through its unique geological features and history. The model becomes real in dramatic, titanic scale this afternoon when you board a ski plane for a flightseeing tour of the real thing. Denali (the Athabascan name, meaning “the High One”) lives up to its legend, soaring 20,000 feet above sea level, and your bird’s-eye view takes in all its breathtaking landscape, from alpine tundra and snowcapped peaks to vast rambling glaciers within Denali National Park. Weather permitting, your ski plane may touch down on a glacier for an unforgettable close-up view, before you fly on to Wasilla. Then drive on to your next destination, Knik River Lodge, featuring wilderness cabins, and the comforts of home, in a tranquil mountain setting.

Lodging

Knik River Lodge

Day 5

Wildlife and Windsong

Visit the nonprofit Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where orphaned and displaced animals are cared for, rehabilitated, and sometimes re-released into the wild. Here you’ll have a chance to see (and photograph) native wildlife up close, including bison, moose, elk, musk oxen, coyotes, grizzly bears, eagles, and caribou; watch feedings; and learn about ongoing efforts to conserve and restore endangered animal populations. Drive on to your next destination, the coastal town of Seward (named for the U. S. Secretary of State who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russia in 1867). Nestled beside Resurrection Bay on scenic Kenai Peninsula, and surrounded by mountains, the town retains the aura of its early days as a trading outpost on the edge of a spectacular wilderness. Check into the Seward Windsong Lodge outside of the town, set among fragrant spruce trees beside the rushing Resurrection River. Get a taste of fresh local cuisine tonight at Chinooks, a restaurant in Seward.

Lodging

Seward Windsong Lodge

Day 6

Cruising the Kenai Fjord

Set out on a full day’s excursion cruising the Kenai Fjord, where you’ll have an opportunity to learn about the species that live here. Dramatic scenes of the Ice Age linger in glacial landscapes – see a “tidewater” glacier as you cruise amidst carved rugged peaks, rocky shores and dense forests. You may get a chance to see puffins, whales, porpoises, sea lions and other fish that whales feed on; like this beautiful alien world, they are endlessly photogenic. Return to the lodge for dinner this evening.

Lodging

Seward Windsong Lodge

Day 7

Sea life and living glaciers

Go behind the scenes on a visit to the Alaska Sealife Center, an aquarium, ocean wildlife rescue center and research facility. Enjoy close encounters with puffins and octopus, and view other Alaskan sea life while rubbing shoulders with the scientists who study them. Lunch on your own in Seward, then it’s on to your next eye-opening stop at Portage Glacier. The glacier itself is in retreat, but at the state-of-the-art visitors center you can experience a living glacier from the inside. Depart for Anchorage where you will arrive at your hotel, the Hotel Captain Cook, late in the afternoon.

Lodging

Hotel Captain Cook

Day 8

Bear watching on Crescent Lake

Hop aboard an early flight to remote Redoubt Mountain Lodge (the only way to get there) inside Lake Clark National Park, then set out for a bear-watching excursion* on Crescent Lake, surrounded by stunning mountain landscapes. When the salmon are running, the brown bears come to the shore to fish, and from your small boat on the lake, you’ll have a chance to see and photograph them up close. Lunch at the lodge (there’s a good chance it will be salmon), then fly back to urban Anchorage.

Lodging

Hotel Captain Cook

Day 9

The Alaska Native Heritage Center and a farewell evening

A renowned cultural center and museum in Anchorage interpreting the rich heritage of Alaska’s 11 major cultural groups, the Alaska Native Heritage Center offers an array of indoor and outdoor exhibits designed to foster understanding of Alaska’s indigenous people. During your visit today, you’ll enjoy a cultural dance demonstration, and take a guided tour through the museum’s recreated village. Featuring six authentic life-sized Native dwellings situated in a wooded area around beautiful Lake Tiulana, the village introduces you to the traditional folkways of the Athabascan, Inupiaq/St. Lawrence Island Yupik, Yup’ik/Cup’ik, Aleut, Alutiiq, and the Eyak, Tlingit, Haida and Tsimshian peoples. Late afternoon, a documentary vignette focuses on a wildlife cameraman and his relationship with the bears that he films in the wild. Join us tonight for a farewell dinner at a local restaurant that caps your unforgettable, image-filled journey to Alaska’s wild side.

Lodging

Hotel Captain Cook

Day 10

Journey home

Tour ends:

Anchorage. Fly home anytime. A transfer is included from Hotel Captain Cook to Anchorage International Airport; allow at least 2 hours for flight check-in.