Road Scholar®, a new educational-travel program for adults of all ages, is sponsoring a unique learning adventure this June that will take nature lovers into the Alaskan wilderness, far from the tourist buses and crowds.

Accompanied by naturalists and wildlife experts, participants in the seven-night program, Alaska: Enlightenment Under the Midnight Sun, will explore Alaska’s diverse ecosystems, from the rocky seacoast and tidewater glaciers of the Chugach Mountains to vast Denali National Park. Road Scholars will enter Denali’s wildlife-rich boreal taiga forest, venturing deep into the bush at the end of the 95-mile, restricted-access Denali Park Road – where tourist buses never go. Later, they’ll venture to Talkeetna to meet some of Alaska’s legendary bush pilots and mountaineers and listen to their tales of adventure.

Other program highlights include a raft trip on the remote Kenai Peninsula coast; a research vessel cruise to observe whales, sea otters and other marine life; and a behind-the-scenes visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center, a marine science facility specializing in wildlife rehabilitation, research and public education. Participants will also have opportunities to try gold panning, mountain biking and kayaking.

Road Scholar, a division of the not-for-profit Elderhostel lifelong learning organization, is offering the Alaska adventure on June 26 – July 3, 2004. Cost for the program – which includes lectures and presentations, field trips, activities, accommodations at backcountry lodges and hotels, 19 meals, taxes and gratuities – is $3,250 per person. Ample free time, including some mealtimes, is included in the program schedule for independent exploration.

For more information about Road Scholar or Alaska: Enlightenment Under the Midnight Sun, call toll-free: 1-800-466-7762 or visit the website at www.roadscholar.org.