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Difficulty Level
This tour has a moderate difficulty; a good level of fitness is required
for hikes averaging 4-6 hours along well-marked trails, or along abandoned
portions of the Alaska Highway.
Accommodation
1 night hostel, 12 nights camping
Transportation
15-passenger maxi-van
Food Included
Food kitty CAD$168 covers most meals while camping (not included in price).
Tour leader
throughout
Budget
Allow $50CAD for meals not included.
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Tour Itinerary |
In this last frontier, our
camping adventure tour of Alaska takes us into four national parks, areas
that contain the highest mountain ranges in North America: Kluane, St.
Elias-Wrangell Range and Mt. McKinley. We'll travel past sweeping glaciers
that meet the road and drive famous stretches of road such as the Alaska
Highway, the George Parks Highway, the Top of the World Highway and the
Klondike Highway. North of Fairbanks, Alaska, we connect with the Dalton
Highway, a desolate stretch of gravel that crosses the vastness of the
Arctic Circle and terminates at the Arctic Ocean. We make camp just north
of the Arctic Circle, keeping a lookout for herds of caribou or grizzlies.
Day 1 Whitehorse
We travel west along the Alaska Highway and through Kluane National Park,
reaching the Sheep Mountain trailhead in the late morning. Here your guide
will lead you on a half-day hike up Sheep Mountain, which provides great
views of the area and is often, a place for spotting wildlife. In the
late afternoon we continue our drive to Tok, where we set up camp for
the night.
Day 2, 3 McCarthy, St-Elias – Wrangell
We reach the town of McCarthy via a gravel road that was once an old railway
bed, and spend the day exploring. On Day 3 you have the option to go for
a guided glacier ice-walk on the Root Glacier, or for the more adventurous
you may want to try ice climbing. On Day 3 we explore the old copper mine
of Kennicott, and go for a hike on one of the numerous trails to be found
in the Wrangell-St.Elias Preserve.
Day 4, 5 Valdez
We drive over Thompson Pass and stop at the Worthington Glacier. Valdez
is located on the north shore of Port Valdez, a deepwater fjord in Prince
William Sound. It is the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
The Richardson Highway, Alaska's first road, passes through the magnificent
scenery of the Chugach Mountains. On route we visit Keystone Canyon. On
Day 5 travellers have the opportunity to do a cruise out into Prince William
Sound or to try some great sea-kayaking among the glaciers and “iceberg
bits” known as “burgies”.
Day 6 Anchorage
The drive to Anchorage is punctuated by numerous scenic stops, including
the Matanuska Glacier and the Palmer Valley. Anchorage is the largest
city in Alaska and is situated at the headland of Cook Inlet. Surrounded
by mountains on all sides, Anchorage makes a great stop to replenish our
supplies before we head out to Denali.
Day 7, 8 Denali National Park
We drive the scenic George Parks Highway with spectacular views of Mt
McKinley and stop at the village of Talkeetna, the starting point for
some of the great climbers of the Alaska Range. On Day 8 we spend a full
day in the park and explore the vastness and true wilderness of Denali
National Park.
Day 9 Arctic Circle
From Denali we head north through the city of Fairbanks to the isolated
tundra of the Arctic Circle. At the Arctic Circle we will experience almost
24 hours of daylight. Our campsite is very rustic, and passengers should
be prepared to really “get away from it all.”
Day 10, 11 Chena Hot Springs
From the Arctic Circle we drive southeast to the scenic resort of Chena
Hot Springs, where we can enjoy a soak after a night on the tundra.
Day 12 Delta Junction,
Leaving Denali National Park we make our way to Fairbanks. After touring
Fairbanks we drive east to Delta Junction, the official ending of the
Alaska Highway.
Day 13 Dawson City
After the descent from the Top of the World Highway we reach the Klondike
gold rush boomtown of Dawson City. In Dawson City we have the option to
visit the abandoned Gold Dredge #4, pan for gold, and enjoy the nightlife
at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Saloon.
Day 14 Whitehorse,
We leave Dawson City to make our way south to Whitehorse. At Moose Creek
Lodge, an original roadhouse built during the gold rush years, we visit
an authentic trapper's cabin. We also stop at Five Finger Rapids for a
short hike down to the Yukon River, where dangerous rapids made it difficult
for the sternwheelers to plough the waters. Our adventure ends in Whitehorse
in the evening.
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