Arrive To: Whitehorse

Afternoon: Welcome to an adventure of a lifetime! Alaska and Yukon wonders all await you in your upcoming exploration!

At 6:00 PM, we'll gather for brief introductions before dinner.

Dinner: At the hotel.

Evening: Get ready for the trip as your guide details highlights of your upcoming journey and provides an orientation to the program.

Lodging: High Country Inn

Meals Included: Dinner

Whitehorse City Tour/SS Klondike/Presentation: Yukon & Alaska National Parks

Breakfast: At hotel

Morning: Begin the day with a city field trip, learning the history of Whitehorse and its role in present day politics as the capitol of the Yukon.

Each day your study leader will enhance your travels as he explores the geology and the natural and cultural history of each specific area you visit. Discussions abound, anecdotes flow and he will make sure to capitalize on whatever fun event presents itself!

Travel to the restored sternwheeler SS Klondike,which sits on the banks of the Yukon River. It is a perfect representative of the city as it reflects an age when Whitehorse served as a major transportation hub for this entire region, and a large fleet of sternwheelers carried miners, traders, and many other people, including tourists, to the Klondike and other mining areas along the Yukon River and its tributaries.

Lunch: In Whitehorse

Afternoon: Enjoy free time this afternoon to explore the city at your leisure before we head out tomorrow. An option might include a boat trip through Miles Canyon, a dramatic, basalt-walled canyon through which the Yukon River flows.

Dinner: Gather back together for dinner in at the hotel.

Evening: Presentation: Great Parks of the Yukon and Alaska; What Lies Ahead!

Days of presentations may vary.

Lodging: High Country Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Whitehorse to Haines Junction: Kluane National Park Visitor's Center/Sheep Mountain/Soldier's Summit

Breakfast: At hotel

Morning: Our first day on the Alaska Highway will give you a good indication of the incredible scenic beauty you will encounter day-by-day throughout your travels. Several stops will be made at scenic and historic locations, including a broad view of the 7,000-9,000-ft. peaks of the Kluane Frontal Range as we near Haines Junction, a small community which borders Kluane National Park.

Lunch: In Haines Junction in early afternoon

Afternoon: Start the afternoon with an introduction to Kluane National Park at the Parks Canada Visitor's Center. Then we'll travel to Sheep Mountain in the park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Still largely unexplored and pristine, it hosts a phenomenal variety of wildlife. You'll get to stretch your legs as we take off on a short, very scenic hike to Soldier's Summit, where the Alaska Highway was dedicated in 1942.

Dinner: In Haines Junction

Evening: There will be free time for optional activities, such as a flight on a bush plane to the impressive glaciers within the park or a helicopter flight to deserted areas.

Lodging: Alcan Motor Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Haines Junction to Tok: Sheep Mountain/Kluane Lake/Kluane Museum of Natural History/Lecture

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: On our way out of Haines Junction, we'll make another stop at Sheep Mountain, this time to visit the Tachal Dhal Visitor Center. We'll use their spotting scopes to look for some of the many Dall sheep that make the slopes of the mountain their home.

From there, we drive along the scenic shore of vast Kluane Lake, with its spectacular mountain views. Stunning snowy peaks rise on one side, with lower mountains world famous for big game animals on the other. Kluane Park contains 10 of the 20 highest peaks in Canada and, combined with Alaska's Wrangell-St. Elias Park, is the largest internationally-protected area in the world.

The region around Kluane Lake is rich in First Nation history and culture. We'll stop at the tiny Native community of Burwash Landing to visit the Kluane Museum of Natural History. Here you'll find an excellent wildlife exhibit, with dioramas displaying over 70 animals, birds and fish native to the Yukon, as well as displays of Southern Tutchone First Nation clothing, tools and other artifacts.

Lunch: At White River Lodge

Afternoon: Cross the border into Alaska, as you travel northwest to the small community of Tok. Local Native arts and crafts can be found readily here, and we'll stop for the night.

Dinner: In Tok

Evening: Presentation: Alaska Highway and World War II

Lodging: Young's Motel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Tok to Valdez: Wrangell-St. Elias National Park/Worthington Glacier/Thompson Pass/Lecture

Breakfast: At hotel

Morning: Everything is big in Alaska!

We thread our winding way through dramatic mountains throughout the morning, with breathtaking views along countless rivers, lakes, glaciers and finally the majestic Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Four major mountain ranges meet here, and in this high country, land is snow-covered year around resulting in extensive ice fields and glaciers.

Lunch: Picnic lunch

Afternoon: Ready for a little hike? Worthington Glacier is one of the most accessible glaciers in Alaska, passing within a few feet of the parking lot and viewing shelter right off the Richardson Highway. Hike the one-mile Moraine Trail to get up-close to the blue ice. Explore the cracks and pools at the glacier terminus. Climb the Ridge Trail to explore the alpine tundra and drink in a spectacular view of the grand valley.

A few minutes after leaving the Worthington Glacier, we go through Thompson Pass, the snowiest place in Alaska, recording 551.5 inches of snow a year on average. We'll make a stop there for the incredible views, then again in narrow Keystone Canyon at the bottom of the long hill - the waterfalls in the canyon are justifiably famous.

Arrive at Valdez, in its mesmerizing setting, enframed by mountain peaks and nestled along the sea coast. It's also the terminus for the famous Trans Alaska Pipeline. The massive oil tanker loading facilities across the bay from the community are almost as impressive as the peaks that tower above.

Dinner: Restaurant in Valdez

Evening: Presentation: Effects of Climate Change on Wildlife Populations

Lodging: Mountain Sky Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: On the ferry.

Morning: Head out early today to catch our ferry on the Alaska Marine Highway, traveling through Prince William Sound. Without a doubt, this is a highlight among the scenic beauties of Alaska. The route passes many glaciers, the Columbia Glacier being the largest. Odds are you will spot a variety of wildlife. With a little luck you will be able to take pictures not only of otters and puffins, but also of sea lions and whales.

Lunch: In Whittier

Afternoon: Travel through a series of tunnels beginning in Whittier, a photographer's paradise. The next stop is Portage, where we will view Portage Glacier and explore the well-known Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, a refuge for orphaned and injured wildlife.

Dinner: In Seward.

Evening: Relax and refresh at the hotel

Lodging: Breeze Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: Head out on a tour vessel to view Kenai Fjords National Park. With its protected marine environment, you'll see an abundance of wildlife and marine birds and animals. Seals, sea lions, sea otters, Dall porpoises, and perhaps an Orca humpback whale, may all be seen. Along the shore, you'll see Sitka and blacktail deer, bald eagles and their huge nests, black bears, as well as a wide variety of marine waterfowl, including murres, puffins, kittiwake and cormorants. Our vessel offers us an excellent view as it noses right into the rookeries.

Lunch: In Seward

Afternoon: We'll drive along Turnagain Arm to Anchorage. When the tides are right, tidal bores here can reach 6-10 feet in height. Dall sheep are often seen on the cliffs, and beluga whales are occasionally seen as well.

Then head to Anchorage for the evening.

Dinner: En route to Anchorage

Evening: Rest and refresh!

Lodging: The Coast International Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: We head north today, from Cook Inlet to Denali National Park. We'll skirt by the Matanuska Valley, famous for the gigantic vegetables that can be grown in glacial soil warmed by the midnight sun.

Stop at Willow to learn about life frontier-style from an Iditarod musher and to get some one-on-one time with his 75 sled dogs. You'll gain greater insight into how a large kennel works and the sport of dog sledding, as well as have the chance to see him hook up a team. As the dogs take off, you'll understand clearly that they "live to run!"

Lunch: Restaurant in the quaint village of Talkeetna

Afternoon: The afternoon will bring you to the Visitors Center at Denali National Park and then to your hotel. With time on your own this afternoon, take advantage of any of many possible activities, from hiking and whitewater rafting to ATV tours and flightseeing to Mount McKinley.

Dinner: At the hotel

Evening: Rest and refresh!

Lodging: Motel Nord Haven

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: Without a doubt this is another highlight of your tour . . . . one of the most scenic landscapes in North America. In the morning, head 66 miles into the park on a National Park Service bus - drivers are all extremely knowledgeable about the natural and cultural history of the park and conduct excellent tours.

Lunch: Picnic lunch at Eielson Visitor Center, where on a low pass you get a glimpse of 40-50 miles of Denali National Park.

Afternoon: Get an amazing view of majestic Mount McKinley, 20,320 feet high, the highest mountain in North America (weather permitting). It's also not uncommon to see wildlife on the surrounding hillsides at Eielson, particularly caribou.

Denali National Park is probably the closest you'll get to an African Safari experience in North America, with the incredible variety of wildlife. With a little luck, you will see "The Big Five" - caribou, moose, grizzly bears, Dall sheep and wolves - as well as many of the other 34 species that live in the park.

We'll return to the hotel late afternoon for some time on your own for optional activities.

Dinner: At the hotel

Evening: On own to relax, explore, refresh

Lodging: Motel Nord Haven

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Denali National Park to Fairbanks: Restored Train Station/ Cruise on Chena River

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: Back on the George Parks Highway, stop in Nenana, where the last spike of the Alaska Railroad was driven in 1932. We'll visit the restored train station, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and then the sod-roofed log cabin visitor center.

Fairbanks, about 198 miles south of the Arctic Circle, will be reached early in the afternoon.

Lunch: In Fairbanks on the riverboat.

Afternoon: On you go for a cruise on the Chena River via sternwheeler. Explore a native fishing village, and watch a float plane taking off.

Dinner: Dinner on own to explore local fare in Fairbanks.

Evening: Evening on your own to explore Fairbanks. Perhaps you'd like to take a pleasant stroll along the Chena River!

Lodging: Bridgewater Hotel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch

Fairbanks to Tok: Museum of the North/Trans-Alaska Pipeline/ Rika's Roadhouse/ Lecture: Native History and Culture

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: Explore the magnificent Museum of the North at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, with its research collections containing 1.4 million artifacts and specimens, representing millions of years of biological diversity and thousands of years of cultural traditions in the North.

"Must-sees" are the 2,000 year spectrum of Alaska art, from ancient ivory carvings to contemporary paintings and sculpture; the state?s largest public display of gold; and Blue Babe, a 36,000-year-old mummified steppe bison.

Then on your way southbound, pass innumerable lakes and rivers in this beautiful landscape. We'll make a stop at the impressive bridge that carries the Trans Alaska Pipeline across the Tanana River.

Lunch: At Rika’s Roadhouse, located on the banks of the Tanana River. You'll be transported back in time to "farm days," with the help of their living history impersonators.

Afternoon: In Delta Junction, we'll stop to see the monument that marks the end of the Alaska Highway, Mile 1422.

We then head east on the Alaska Highway to Tok, the "Sled Dog Capital of Alaska."

Dinner: Café in Tok

Evening: Presentation: Native History and Culture

Lodging: Young's Motel

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Tok to Dawson City: Spectacular Top of the World Highway/Dawson City Ferry/Midnight Dome

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: It's going to be an exciting day scenery-wise! The journey continues via the Top of the World Highway, and snakes along rolling mountain domes with a road, much of it unpaved, built on top of them. You've come to the real "frontier of Alaska!"

You cannot get much farther from civilisation than here between Tok and Dawson City. 100-mile views are a photographer's paradise from the Top of the World Highway.

Beyond the timberline, we will pass through beautiful tundra scenery and cross the border from Alaska back into the Yukon at Little Gold Creek. This is the highest crossing between the two coutries.

Lunch: Picnic lunch en route

Afternoon: In the afternoon, ferry across the Yukon River and arrive in Dawson City, a community of 2,000 people which is also a national historic site. You've come to the heart of the 1898 Klondike Gold Rush.

You'll feel like you've taken a step back into history in Dawson City, as the amazing atmosphere of turn-of-the-century excitement of the gold rush remains. The last great adventure of the era took place here, where in a brief period of 6 years, 50,000 people arrived to seek their fortune.

Dinner: At the hotel

Evening: At Midnight Dome, high above Dawson City, watch the midnight sun and the changing colors of the night sky. Remember 18-20 hours of sun will be normal during your travels!

Lodging: Westmark Inn Dawson City

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Dawson City: Dawson City Museum/ Bonanza Creek/ Jack London's Cabin/ Diamond Tooth Gerties

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: Enjoy a full day in Dawson City. Begin with a field trip exploring the city?s history, gold fields and dredge operation. Explorations of Bonanza Creek and the Jack London cabin are on the agenda.

Lunch: Restaurant in Dawson City

Afternoon: Visiting the remarkable Dawson City Museum is a "must". Afterwards you may want to stroll around town with its lovely buildings, some of them still original, some affectionately restored.

Dinner: At the hotel

Evening: "Diamond Tooth Gerties Casino and Cancan" dance girls are on your entertainment card for the evening.

Lodging: Westmark Inn Dawson City

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: Breakfast at the hotel

Morning: Today, we’ll follow the mighty Yukon River, one of the longest waterways in North America at about 1,988 miles, back to Whitehorse via the Klondike Highway. Meander by Gold Rush-era villages, and stop at a quaint lodge for coffee.

Lunch: Picnic lunch en route

Afternoon: Stop at the infamous Five Finger Rapids, where 4 large towers of rock separate the river into fast-flowing channels, only one of which was reasonably safe for the early sternwheelers.

Dinner: Final dinner in Whitehorse celebrating our adventure!

Evening: Share your personal highlights of the trip, and think about where your next adventure will take you…back to other great sites in the wilds of Alaska or the Yukon we hope!

Lodging: High Country Inn

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Breakfast: At the hotel

Morning: Thanks for coming to the "Land of the Midnight Sun!"

Meals Included: Breakfast