The 2009
Alaska Family Vacation
A Guided Adventure in Alaska for the entire
family!
BOTH DEPARTURES ARE SOLD OUT FOR 2009!
- ASK US ABOUT CUSTOMIZING A TOUR FOR YOUR FAMILY
-
Tour Summary
Detailed Tour Description
Tour Pricing
Introduction:
We’ve been operating our Alaska Family Vacation
tour series for 12
years and invite you to compare our tour with any other family-oriented
fully guided vacation in Alaska. With more features
than ever before, now is the time to start planning your family
adventure. Our blending of comfortable accommodations with outdoor
activities and enjoyable adventures ensures a unique Alaska vacation,
one in which everyone can participate.
Our guides:
This tour is escorted by a couple of long time Alaskans,
Carolyn and Bob. Together they will keep you entertained, informed and
ensure that everything runs smoothly from start to finish. With many
years experience escorting family groups, Carolyn is one of the top
guides in her field. Through her insight and passion for the region, it’s
like exploring with your best friends while viewing Alaska through the
eyes of Alaskans. Carolyn and Bob want you to experience what they love
most – discovering the natural world, enjoying outdoor activities,
meeting new people and most importantly, having fun! Bring your family to
Alaska in 2009 and make memories that will last a lifetime.
Tour
summary: 9
days / 8 nights (fully escorted)
Tour Description
Tour Pricing
Day 1: Arrive Fairbanks. Evening welcome reception.
Overnight Fairbanks.
Day 2: Breakfast at your hotel. Fairbanks city tour,
including the
Large Animal Research Station and the Trans-Alaska
Pipeline. El Dorado gold mine tour with gold panning. Group lunch.
Overnight Fairbanks.
Day 3:
Breakfast at your hotel. Alaska
Railroad from Fairbanks to Denali. Denali National Park bus tour with
snack lunch.
Overnight Denali park entrance.
Day 4:
Breakfast at your hotel.
Coach tour to Talkeetna and Knik River Lodge. Sled dog demonstration and
Iditarod tour. Overnight Knik River Lodge.
Day 5:
Breakfast at your hotel. Visit
Independence Mine State Historical Park. Stop at Matanuska Glacier.
Mildwater raft trip down the Matanuska River. Group lunch.
Overnight Knik River Lodge.
Day 6:
Breakfast at your hotel. Coach tour to Seward. Group lunch. Guided hike
to Exit Glacier. Private tour and dinner at the Alaska SeaLife Center.
Overnight Seward.
Day 7:
Breakfast at your hotel. Six-hour glacier and wildlife cruise of Kenai
Fjords National Park with lunch onboard. Overnight Seward.
Day 8:
Breakfast at your hotel. Coach tour to Girdwood. Aerial tram ride up Mt.
Alyeska with lunch at the top. Guided Winner Creek Trail hike. Visit to
Crow Creek Mine. Coach tour to Anchorage and Anchorage city tour.
Overnight Anchorage.
Day 9:
Breakfast at your hotel.
Hotel shuttle to the Anchorage airport to meet your
departing flight.
2009 Start
dates are July 10 & July 31
Click here for 2009 pricing
top
Detailed Tour Description:
DAY
1, Friday: Fairbanks Arrival
Fairbanks is situated in the heart of the Tanana Valley and combines
modern amenities with a frontier atmosphere.
Commonly referred to as the “Gateway to the Arctic,” the city has
a long and colorful history dating back to the late 1800’s and the
discovery of gold. It has the widest
temperature spread of any city on earth from -66F / –55C in the winter
to +99F / +38C in the summer. Transfer by hotel shuttle from the
airport. This evening there will be a light reception at the hotel to
meet your guide and fellow travelers.
Overnight Fairbanks; River’s Edge
Resort (R)
DAY
2, Saturday: Fairbanks
This morning a private
tour of Fairbanks has been arranged. Your Fairbanks city tour begins
with an overview of Fairbanks and a stop at the University’s Large
Animal Research Station. LARS focuses on the history and development of
musk oxen, caribou, and reindeer. The tour continues with a stop at the
800-mile engineering feat known as the Trans-Alaska pipeline, which
carries crude oil from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez. After a sightseeing tour
of Fairbanks, you will take a
two-hour guided tour at the El Dorado
Gold Mine. You will go through a permafrost tunnel where Alaska's
history comes alive. Enjoy a tour of the mining camp and get an
opportunity to learn about present day placer mining methods. After a
short course in gold mining, you get to grab your own "poke" filled with
pay dirt right out of a sluice box and try your hand at panning for
gold. After the gold tour, you will transfer back into Fairbanks for
some lunch at a favorite local restaurant. Return to your hotel after
lunch, where you will have the evening on your own.
Overnight Fairbanks; River’s Edge
Resort (B, L)
DAY
3, Sunday: Fairbanks to Denali National Park Entrance 
This morning you will transfer from your hotel to the Fairbanks
rail depot, where you will board the Alaska railroad for your journey to
Denali.
After departing Fairbanks, the train crosses the Tanana River on one of
the world's longest single-span bridges. It was here, at the west end of
the 702-foot bridge, that President Harding drove the final spike
completing the railroad in 1923. Upon arrival in Denali National Park
the train enters scenic Nenana River Canyon
and
continues to the Denali rail depot.
Denali National Park lies in the heart of a curved mountain chain about
600 miles long, the Alaska Range. Upon arrival, enjoy an afternoon bus
tour of Denali National Park.
Your driver/naturalist will provide a great introduction to the
landscape, geology and history of Denali National Park. Watch for
wildlife and take in the scenic views. A snack box is onboard serves as
a light lunch.
Overnight Denali;
Denali River Cabins (B, SL)
DAY
4, Monday: Denali National Park entrance to Knik River Lodge (230mi/368km)
This morning you will
depart Denali National Park for Knik. Prior to reaching Knik, you will
stop in Talkeetna for lunch on your own.
Historic Talkeetna is best known as the jumping-off point for Mount
McKinley climbing expeditions. Given clear weather, views of the
Mountain from this perspective are breathtaking. After lunch you will be
driven to a well-known sled dog kennel, where you will participate in a
presentation about the Iditarod and its history. Then continue to Knik,
where you will have the remainder of the afternoon free to explore the
area on your own, hike, or relax around a bonfire.
Overnight; Knik River Lodge (B)
DAY
5, Tuesday: Knik River Lodge
After breakfast, explore the nearby area of Palmer. A visit to Hatcher’s
Pass and Independence Mine State Historical Park offers an experience of
what life was like when the area was first settled. Afterwards, head up
the Glenn Highway to your Glacier Rafting adventure. Starting with a
photo opportunity at the terminus of the Matanuska Glacier, this
excursion launches from the moraine just downstream of the awesome ice
formations. This tour is perfect for the whole family. After your tour
you will return to the Knik River Lodge for the evening.
Overnight; Knik River Lodge (CB, L)
DAY 6, Wednesday: Knik River Lodge to
Seward
This morning
you will depart south to Seward. After passing through Anchorage, you
will continue traveling south on the Seward highway along scenic
Turnagain Arm, designated an All-American Road.
The designation signifies the road has features that do not exist
elsewhere in the United States and are scenic enough to be tourist
destinations unto themselves.
The
Seward Highway showcases the natural beauty of south central Alaska
between Anchorage and Seward. From jagged peaks and alpine meadows to
breathtaking fjords and crystal lakes, you will find a concentrated
series of diverse landscapes and experiences.
Upon
arrival in Seward, you will stop for lunch and then continue on out to
Exit Glacier for a short hike to the face of the glacier. This is one of
the most accessible glaciers in Alaska.
Seward is
located at the head of Resurrection Bay and is home to the Alaska
SeaLife Center, a research and rehabilitation facility that focuses on
marine mammals, seabirds, and fish species of the Northern Pacific. You
will spend some time exploring the center’s wildlife and interpretive
displays. Your special dinner tonight will be served at the Alaska
SeaLife Center. Afterwards return to your hotel.
Overnight Seward; Seward Windsong Lodge or similar (CB, L, D)
DAY 7, Thursday: Seward
This morning you will board a sightseeing boat to cruise through the
wildlife-rich and glacier-filled waters of Kenai Fjords National Park.
This six-hour journey takes you to the face of a tidewater glacier where
you may see large chunks of ice ‘calving’ into the sea. Wildlife that
you may encounter includes sea otters, sea lions, harbor seals, whales,
bald eagles, puffins, and other marine birds. A deli-style lunch will be
served on board the vessel. The evening is at your leisure.
Overnight Seward; Seward Windsong Lodge or similar (B, L)
DAY 8, Friday: Seward to Anchorage
This morning
after breakfast you will travel north along the Seward Highway to the
small mountainside community of Girdwood. A stop at the Alaska Wildlife
Conservation Center is included. Nestled
among the breathtaking Turnagain Arm and spectacular Mt. Alyeska,
Girdwood, originally named Glacier City, was founded as a gold
mining town at the turn of the century.
The town was moved 2.5 miles (4 km) up the valley after the devastating
Good Friday Earthquake of 1964, when the land under the original town
site subsided into Turnagain Arm, putting much of the town below high
tide.
This
quaint town
has evolved from a mining town into Alaska's only year-round resort
community. Upon arrival at the resort, you
will take a tram ride 2,300 feet up the side of Mt. Alyeska. From the
top you can enjoy panoramic views of Turnagain Arm while eating a lunch
at the top of the mountain. Afterwards, head back down the mountain for
your leisurely hike on Winner Creek Trail to an exciting hand tram creek
crossing. Continue to Crow Creek Mine to see a local family's mining
operation. After your hike and mine tour, you will depart Girdwood and
head north to Anchorage. A city tour will include local highlights, such
as Earthquake Park, the Lake Hood seaplane airport, and
the historic downtown area. You will have the remainder of the evening
free to explore Alaska’s largest city on your own.
Overnight Anchorage; Extended Stay Deluxe or similar (B, L)
DAY
9, Saturday: Depart Anchorage
The hotel shuttle will provide a
transfer to the Anchorage Airport in plenty of time for you to check in
for your departure flight. (CB)
8 nights moderate
accommodations including baggage handling,
private transportation and local sightseeing with an English-speaking
driver/guide as outlined above, private Alaskan guide throughout tour,
welcome
reception (R), Fairbanks city tour,
admission
to Large Animal Research Station, El
Dorado Gold Mine tour and gold panning,
Alaska
Railroad from Fairbanks to Denali,
Denali
National Park Tour (not private),
Iditarod and Dog Sled Demonstration,
Admission to Independence Mine, River Rafting on the Matanuska Glacier,
Seward City Tour,
Exit
Glacier Hike, Private program and dinner at the Alaska SeaLife Center,
6-hour
Kenai Fjords National Park cruise,
Admission
to Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, Alyeska Tram Ride, Winner Creek
Trail Guided Hike, Admission to Crow Creek Mine,
8
breakfasts (B), 5 lunches (L), 1 snack lunch (SL), and 1 dinner (D). All taxes and fees.
Airfare to Fairbanks and from Anchorage.
Meals other than mentioned. Optional
excursions.
Park/admission fees other than
mentioned. Gratuities.
|
2009 Rates - Tour 1005CTA -
sold out |
|
2009 Tour Dates |
Single |
Double |
Triple |
Child* |
|
July 10 - 18 |
$3864 |
$2989 |
$2691 |
$499 |
|
July 31 - August 8 |
$3864 |
$2989 |
$2691 |
$499 |
|
* children 6-11 years
staying with at least one full-paying adult in room with existing bedding.
Maximum of 4 people in any room. |
|
Alaska Family Vacation - A Guide Adventure in Alaska for
the whole family!
