Alaska Railroad Adventure

Arrive into Anchorage on your own. Transfer to your hotel by shuttle or on your own. Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city, nestled between the Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet. Offering an abundance of shopping, cultural attractions, and gourmet restaurants, Anchorage provides an excellent start to your vacation. Overnight in Anchorage.

Transfer to the rail station by hotel courtesy shuttle or on your own. At 9:45 am, depart on a scenic train ride past Beluga Point and along Turnagain Arm to Whittier. On arrival in Whittier at 12:20pm, walk across the street to board a high-speed catamaran for your cruise through Prince William Sound. Watch for sea otters, whales and birds as you travel through the glacier-filled fjords. This tour provides an excellent opportunity to witness glacier calving, where ice falls off into the ocean. Lunch is included on board your 5-hour Alaska cruise. Following the cruise, depart on the train for to Anchorage at 6:45 pm. Upon arrival in Anchorage at 9:15 pm, transfer back to your hotel by hotel courtesy shuttle or on your own. Overnight in Anchorage.

This morning transfer to the Anchorage train station by hotel courtesy shuttle or on your own. At 8:15 am, you will travel from Anchorage to Denali National Park aboard the Alaska Railroad. Upon arrival in Denali at 3:45 pm, transfer to your hotel by courtesy shuttle. With a size of over 6 million acres, Denali National Park is one of the world’s greatest wild animal preserves. Here, protected from hunting, the animals roam freely in a region dominated by the continent’s tallest mountain. Most visitor facilities are grouped near the park entrance. Your evening is free for optional activities, enjoy a fun dinner show  (see Tour Add-Ons), or just relax and enjoy some leisure time. Overnight near the Denali park entrance.

In the early morning depart on a bus tour of Denali National Park. This tour takes you through the best wildlife viewing portion of the Park Road, approximately 55 miles into the park. As you travel through the pristine wilderness, look for wildlife, such as bears, caribou, and moose, as well as views of the Mountain. Your experienced driver/guide will provide commentary and make stops during your approx. 7-8 hour tour*. Rest of day is at leisure. Overnight near the Denali park entrance.

The morning is free for optional tours in Denali, such as river rafting or flightseeing (see Tour Add-Ons). You also have time to tour the National Park Visitor Center and watch the Park Rangers’ sled dog demonstration. This afternoon, transfer to the train station via hotel courtesy shuttle. At 3:45 pm, depart on the Alaska Railroad to Fairbanks. The landscape changes as you descend from the mountains into a broad land of rivers and rolling hills. Upon arrival in Fairbanks at 8 pm, transfer to your hotel via courtesy shuttle or on your own. Overnight in Fairbanks.

This morning is free at leisure. In the afternoon, at 2:00pm, depart on a 3.5-hour cruise of the Chena and Tanana Rivers aboard the only authentic sternwheeler riverboat operating in Alaska. This narrated tour provides background on the area's natural history and the Athabaskan Native culture. You will see a trapper's cabin, log homes, bush pilot performance and a championship sled dog team. A stop will be made at the historic site of a Chena Indian village to learn about Native Alaskan hunting and fishing techniques. This tour departs from the Riverboat Discovery Dock, so transfer is on your own. Later in the evening, depart Fairbanks for Anchorage on a scheduled one-hour flight. On arrival in Anchorage, transfer to hotel via courtesy shuttle or taxi. Overnight in Anchorage.

Depending on your departure time, you might have free time for some souvenir shopping or additional excursions. Transfer by shuttle or on your own to the airport. Depart or start an additional program.