Embark on an 11-day exploration of Alaskan coasts, glacial fjords, and majestic mountains on this inland tour and scenic cruise highlighting the “must-sees” of Alaska. Amble Fairbank’s Gold Rush streets and savor the sumptuous simplicity of Alaskan crab legs paired with locally crafted amber ales. Board a riverboat bound for a rustic Athabascan Indian village on the Chena River. Keep your camera and binoculars ready while you are on the lookout for caribou, Dall sheep and reclusive riverbank grizzly in Denali National Park.  Board a train bound for Talkeetna, then sample artisan ice cream and gourmet coffees as you relax shoulder-to-shoulder with Denali wilderness expedition teams and seasoned mountaineering parties. Cycle remote Sitka coastal roads. Drift close to blue-hued glacial ice on a guided kayak excursion in Tongass National Forest. Scan the horizon for breaching humpback pods swimming through Stephens Passage. Lead a raucous team of friendly canines on a dogsled ride across Mendenhall Glacier’s alabaster expanses.

Rivers, mountains, emerald wilderness and milky blue glacial lakes pass below during the flight to Fairbanks. After meeting your Alaskan Guide and transferring to your comfortable hotel, the rest of the day is yours to rest up or explore downtown Fairbanks’ unique blend of old and new.

(Includes overnight at Fairbanks Hotel)

Board the Riverboat Discovery for a trip back in time on the Chena River, stopping along the way to learn frontier living skills at an Athabascan Indian village, watch an Alaskan bush pilot use the river as a runway, and visit Iditarod champion Susan Butcher’s kennels. After a scenic drive to Denali National Park, mingle with fellow guests at a Welcome Reception, then get a taste of old-time Alaska at Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theater, complete with an all-you-can-eat salmon and barbecue ribs dinner.

(Includes overnight at Denali Lodge, Breakfast, Welcome Reception and Cabin Nite Dinner)

Spend a full 5 to 5-1/2 hours in the park famous for its wildlife, searching for moose, Dall sheep, caribou, grizzlies and wolves. If you have energy to spare, finish the day with an ATV, zip line or horseback adventure on your own.

(Includes overnight at Denali Lodge, Breakfast, Lunch and a Snack)

Transfer to the rail depot where you board a deluxe domed rail car for a scenic ride to the quaint village of Talkeetna at the foot of Denali. Enjoy lunch on the train and a guided tour into the Alaskan Wilderness. Settle into your hotel, then listen to colorful tales of the area’s history before your Farewell Dinner.

(Includes overnight at Talkeetna Hotel, Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner)

The Seward Highway is one of the most breathtaking routes in Alaska, following along Turnagain Arm and through the Kenai Mountains. Pause in Anchorage before your included flight to Juneau to board your waiting ship.

(Includes Breakfast, flight from Anchorage and then all meals onboard your ship.)

Located on the Gastineau Channel in the Alaskan panhandle, Juneau sits at sea level below steep mountains between 3,500-4,000 feet high. Atop these mountains is the Juneau Icefield, a large ice mass from which about 30 glaciers flow, and two of them – Mendenhall Glacier and Lemon Creek Glacier are visible from the local road. A unique feature of Juneau is that it is the only U.S. capital that has no roads connecting it to the rest of the state.

Haines is one of the most popular Alaska cruise ports and one of the best places for hiking, fishing and wildlife viewing, especially bald eagles.  Within the Haines city limits Fort William H. Seward is a nationally recognized historic landmark, with some of its structures open to the public. Other cultural offerings in Haines include the Alaska Indian Arts Center where traditional craftsmen offer demonstrations of their work, the Sheldon Museum & Cultural Center where local Tlingit people are featured, the Hammer Museum, dedicated to the history of the hammer and the Tsirku Canning Company Museum with memories of Haines’ salmon canneries.

Stunningly beautiful Tracy Arm is a fjord 45 miles south of Juneau that actually consists of two deep and narrow fjords – Tracy Arm and Endicott Arm. Both fjords are over 30 miles long. At the end of Tracy Arm are the impressive twin Sawyer Glaciers. Wildlife in the area includes black and brown bears, deer, wolves, harbor seals and a variety of birds. What you'll be able to see today and how far we can travel up Tracy Arm is weather and ice dependent.

Sitka is one of the oldest and most culturally significant communities in Alaska, filled with rich Tlingit, Russian, and early American settler history. Sitka is famous for its spectacular scenery, abundant wildlife, the copper-domed St. Michael’s Cathedral, the Pioneer Home and the Russian Bishop’s House. It contains 22 buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is where the contract of sale was signed transferring Alaska from Russia to the United States.

Misty Fjords, with its gorgeous views of natural formations is a national monument and wilderness area with steep valleys formed by glaciers and lava flows. It is part of the Tongass National Forest and is about 40 miles east of Ketchikan along the Inside Passage. With its icy blue lakes, waterfalls, snowcapped peaks and glacial valleys literally everywhere you point your camera you will get a postcard picture, depending on the weather of course. For a more up-close opportunity in this beautiful scenic sanctuary optional expeditions excursions will be available.
 

Dubbed the Salmon Capital of the World, Ketchikan is the southeastern-most town in Alaska and is home to the world’s largest collection of standing totem poles that are found throughout the city and at four major locations: Saxman Totem Park, Totem Bight State Park, Potlatch Park, and the Totem Heritage Center. Other attractions of Ketchikan are Creek Street, a boardwalk road built on pilings over Ketchikan Creek and the Waterfront Promenade that skirts the bustling shoreline with inviting whale-tail benches to take in the view.

Today we cruise the fjords of Canada’s Inside Passage boasting centuries-old coastal rainforests, beaches, waterfalls and mountains. Over 25,000 miles of rugged coastline lie in Canada’s Inside Passage, joining Alaska’s 15,000 miles of inside waters and provides a safe and sheltered West Coast waterway transit.  In this isolated wilderness look for coastal First Nations longhouses fronted with proud totems and a variety of marine life, from orcas and porpoises to some of the largest populations of bald eagles in the world.

Vancouver’s location at the mouth of the Fraser River and on the waterways of the Strait of Georgia, Howe Sound, Burrard Inlet and all their tributaries makes this busy seaport an easy place for meeting. It is one of Canada’s most populated, most ethnically diverse cities that is a popular filming location. Visit the interesting neighborhoods of Gastown, Granville Island and Chinatown. Walk across the Capilano Suspension Bridge and stroll through Stanley Park. See the Vancouver Art Gallery and the Museum of Anthropology. There is an amazing variety of things to see and do here.