SDAN02 Alaska Discovery Holiday, One Way to Fairbanks

SDAN02 Alaska Discovery Holiday, One Way to Fairbanks

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Denali  National  Park nestling  in  the  shadows  of  towering  20.320  ft.  Mt.  Denali,  is  almost  the  first  thing  that  comes  to  mind  for  anyone  visiting  Alaska.  “SDAN02  –  Alaska  Discovery  Holiday”  self-drive  tour  is  perfectly  suited  for  travelers  with  a  limited  amount  of  time  to  experience  Denali  National  Park  but  want  to  have  Anchorage  as  the  start  point  and  Fairbanks  as  the  end  point.  This  tour  is  only  5-day  duration  and  so  it  fits  perfectly  with  the  travellers  who  have  limited  time or passengers joining an Inside Passage cruise. You  get  to visit Anchorage,  Talkeetna,  Denali  National  Park and  Fairbanks.  The  experience  on  this  trip  ranges  from  amazing  sightseeing  on  the  road  as  well  in  the  park,  lots  of  possible  wildlife  spotting  (Denali  National  Park  is  the  natural  habitat  for  more  than  380  Grizzly  Bears,  Moose,  Wolf,  Fox,  Lynx,  Dall  Sheep  and  Caribou),  hiking  trips  among  others. Please  read  our  itinerary  to  have  more  detailed  day-to-day  experience.  On  request,  this  trip  can  be  customized  and  can  be  organized  in  reverse  order.

  • Itinerary

  • Prices & Dates

  • Attractions & Add-ons

  • Accommodation

  • Rental Car

  • Map

  • Information

  • Reviews

Anchorage ( Overnight: Anchorage )

Arrive in Anchorage during the day. Pick up your rental car at the airport or in downtown. Nestled along the Chugach Mountains, the coastal city of Anchorage is not the frozen tundra of Alaska you might imagine. You will find it’s brimming with activities for the outdoorsy and adventurous. Being the largest city in Alaska, it is rich in indigenous culture; spend your day enjoying the Alaska Native Heritage Center, visiting the Anchorage Museum, or browsing through the Saturday Market. Visit the Lake Hood Floatplane base, go for a walk along the Coastal Train and try out one of Anchorage popular seafood restaurant. With so much of variety of things, for a first time visitor to Alaska or a seasoned traveller, Anchorage has more to offer and is the perfect start point for your journey into Alaska

Anchorage – Talkeetna ( Driving Distance: 120 miles | Overnight: Talkeetna )

It is a treat to watch the mountain peaks of the Alaska Range crowned with snow caps in the distance while traveling from Anchorage on the George Parks Highway to Talkeetna. On the way you travel across the fertile Matanuska Valley. Because of the immense amount of summer sunlight, vegetables grow to incredible sizes. Stopover at Eklutna Indian village on your way to Talkeetna which is a Athabaskan Indian settlement. While at Talkeetna, the must-do activity is the flightseeing tour to the summit of Mt. Denali. Get a picture perfect view of the Kahiltna and Ruth Glacier with its Great Gorge - over 9.000 ft deep - as well as magnificent ice-falls. You'll also see the Sheldon Amphitheatre - the largest of its kind in the world. Highlight of the flight will be an adventurous glacier landing.

Talkeetna - Denali National Park ( Driving Distance: 160 miles | Overnight: Denali Village )

The journey from Talkeetna to Denali National Park offers a lot of possibilities of wildlife spottings. Even if you are not eagle eyed, a few cars stopped over somewhere means that there could be a possibility of wildlife spotting! Byers Lake on the way offers choice to rent a canoe or kayak. Once you cross Denali State Park, you arrive at Denali Village. The parks office is your rich information chase and it provides details on ranger-naturalist programs, slide shows and sled dog demonstrations. Jeff King’s Sled Dog Kennel is a very popular choice for a personal tour with four-time Iditarod champion Jeff King at his Husky Homestead Kennel. One can also choose a rafting trip on Nenana River as well as an ATV Tour through the backcountry adjacent to Denali National Park.

Denali National Park ( Overnight: Denali Village )

Denali National Park offers excellent wildlife viewing and spectacular sceneries. Pick up your tickets, board the bus and watch out for grizzly bears, moose, caribou, wolf and fox moving along the ridges and river beds. Your driver informs about the history of Denali National Park, its diverse wildlife and flora. Once an animal has been spotted the bus will stop that everyone can watch and take pictures. The bus turns around at Eielson Visitor Center - 66 miles one way/8 hours round trip. You can get off the bus anytime to go for a hike. Return to the Denali Park entrance anytime during the day. Optional: We can extend the transit bus tour to Wonder Lake or exchange to the Tundra Wilderness Tour, Kantishna Wilderness Trails or Backcountry Lodge Tour. Included: Denali Transit Bus to Eielson

Denali National Park - Fairbanks ( Driving Distance: 130 miles )

Join this morning the Sled dog Demonstration hosted by Denali Park Rangers or hike around the Denali Visitor Center. Start your drive on the Richardson Highway and stopover at Nenana. Residents of Nenana sponsor the Nenana Ice Classic, a nature-based lottery. It is a fundraising event in which individuals attempt to guess the exact time the Tanana River ice will break up. Arrive in Fairbanks, the largest city in the Interior region of Alaska, which enjoys 24 hr of daylight during summer. This afternoon board the authentic Riverboat Discovery sternwheeler for a cruise along the Chena and Tanana rivers. Highlight is stopover at an Athabascan Indian Village, Susan Butcher's kennel and a floatplane take off & land. Drop off the rental car at the airport.

Rates in US $ / per Person
Comfort Hotel Category Single Double Triple Quad Child
May 18 - May 31 $2075 $1089 $784 $631 $106
June 1 - August 31 $2506 $1301 $922 $732 $106
September 1 - September 13 $2075 $1089 $784 $631 $106
First Class Hotel Category Single Double Triple Quad Child
May 18 - May 31 $2366 $1224 $878 $702 $106
June 1 - August 31 $3071 $1576 $1118 $889 $106
September 1 - September 13 $2505 $1293 $929 $744 $106

 

What’s included

4 Nights Comfort OR First-Class Accommodation

Hotel and State Taxes

5 Days Midsize Rental Car (For additional Upgrades and Extras Click Here)

Unlimited Free Mileage

Rental Car Licensing Fees

CFC, State & City Rental Car Sales Taxes

One Way Rental Fee

Denali Transit Bus Ticket to Eielson Visitor Center

Tour Documentation

Sightseeing Information

Tour Departures

Daily from May 17th – September 14th

 

 

Denali: Extend Denali Transit Bus Tour to Wonder Lake

 

The Denali Transit Bus is the official shuttle bus service into Denali National Park. The shuttle is best suited for those visitors who are seeking flexibility in their day trip into the Park and would like to have the option of getting off the bus to hike or explore on your own. Excellent hiking and wildlife viewing opportunities all along the Park Road. Created by retreating glaciers, Wonder Lake offers visitors stunning views of Mt. Denali and the Alaska Range, as weather permits. Along the Park Road, alder and willow carpeted hills are dotted with kettle ponds often frequented by waterfowl and other wildlife. Reflection Pond, an amazing photo stop on a clear day, requires you utilize the Kantishna Transit Bus or hike 2.5 miles from the Wonder Lake turnaround stop.

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Denali: Exchange Transit Bus Tour to Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour

 

The fully narrated 62-mile Tundra Wilderness Tour into Denali National Park is led by a certified naturalist driver/guide who will also provide historical and geographical background of the area. The tour will last approximately eight to nine hours and includes ample photo and rest stops. When your tour driver is able, he/she will take video footage of animals along Park Road and project these images onto drop-down video screens, featured only our specially designed tour buses. This way you can get a close-up look at the roadside action. At the end of the tour, you’ll have the opportunity to purchase a “Tundra Wilderness Tour” DVD, which will feature some of the video footage shot from your tour! Guests cannot switch buses throughout the day (only the Denali Transit Bus allows this).

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Denali: Exchange Transit Bus Tour to Kantishna Wilderness Trails Tour

 

The Kantishna Wilderness Trails tour is the premier Denali Park wilderness bus excursion. Spend the entire day in Denali National Park and discover a piece of Alaska's gold rush history and warm hospitality at the historic Kantishna Roadhouse, located just past Wonder Lake on the banks of Moose Creek. Your 12 to 13-hour fully-narrated excursion to Kantishna travels via a custom motorcoach through 95 miles of Denali National Park's prime wildlife habitat. The last 30 miles allow for full viewing of Mt. Denali, weather permitting. The wilderness backcountry of Denali Park provides diverse habitats which support big-game species such as black bear, grizzly, moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolf, and wolverine. Hot beverages and refreshments are included en route to the Kantishna Roadhouse. After a hearty deli style lunch in the dining room at the Roadhouse, relax and visit the Historical Recorder's Cabin and enjoy a dog sled demonstration or gold panning. Guests cannot switch buses throughout the day (only the Denali Transit Bus allows this).

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Denali: Exchange Transit Bus Tour to Denali Backcountry Adventure Bus Tour

 

The Denali Backcountry Adventure Tour is another premier Denali Park Wildlife bus excursion. This full-day, 13-hour tour travels 95 miles in each direction to the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna. You'll travel by private bus with a trained naturalist driver/guide giving interpretation along the way helping you search for bear, moose, caribou and other wildlife while pointing out the biology and geology of the region. Several photo and rest stops will be made. Snacks, drinks and lunch are provided. Lunch is served at the exclusive Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna. Lunch consists of a sandwich bar, soups, fruits, snacks, fresh baked goods and non-alcoholic drinks. After lunch try your luck at gold panning near the lodge or take a guided nature walk before returning to the Park entrance.

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Talkeetna: Denali Flightseeing Tour with optional Glacier Landing

The 1 hr Denali flightseeing tour takes you within six miles of Mt. Denali's summit. As your flight departs Talkeetna, you begin to notice how the last ice age has shaped the land. Moments later you enter a world of rugged high mountain peaks and wide glacier filled valleys. See the Sheldon Amphitheater, beautiful Ruth Glacier, and the Great Gorge (the world's deepest - almost 2 miles from top to bottom). Add a glacier landing to your flightseeing tour for a one-of-a-kind expedition. Passengers land usually at the 5600 foot level of the Ruth Glacier, located in the Sheldon Amphitheater. Other popular landing spots are the Kahiltna, the Pika, or the Eldridge glaciers. A glacier landing takes an additional 30 minutes (15 minutes of time exploring on foot and 15 minutes for landing and takeoff).

 

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Mark, NY: We visited Denali as part of our Alaskan roadtrip and it didn't fail to live up to it's promise of spectacular beauty. Considering how many people visit the park, you still feel the vastness of space, you don't really notice the other visitors. There are breathtaking views and vistas throughout the park, truly incredible.