Passport to Southeast Alaska: By Hiking Boot, Kayak & Boat

Activity note: Hotel check-in from 3:00 p.m.

Afternoon: Program Registration: After you have your room assignment, come over to the Road Scholar table to register with the program staff and get your welcome packet containing your up-to-date schedule that reflects any last-minute changes, and other important information. If you arrive late, please ask for your packet when you check in.

Dinner: In the hotel's meeting space, enjoy a buffet including entrées, vegetable, salad and dessert, plus coffee, tea, or water.

Evening: Orientation: The Group Leader will greet everyone with a warm welcome and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule and any changes, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, emergency procedures including contact numbers for key staff, and answer any questions you may have. This program will be led by the Group Leader and local experts unless specified otherwise. Transportation will vary each day between taxis, vans, small buses, or converted school buses. Scheduled free time is reserved for your personal independent exploration. Please be aware that program activities, schedules, and personnel may need to change due to local circumstances. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.

Activity note: Kayaking at a leisurely pace for approximately 2-1/2 hours in two person kayaks; walking for approximately 1 hour on dirt/sand/gravel paths. Sturdy, waterproof boots and rain gear are highly recommended for kayaking excursion. We also recommend bringing synthetic gloves, rain hat, and waterproof bag to store valuables and camera gear.

Breakfast: In our hotel meeting space with a buffet to include choices such as egg dishes, cereals, toast, yogurt, fresh fruit, plus coffee, tea, and water.

Morning: This morning we will divide into two groups for our interpretive hiking and kayaking excursion. We will meet our kayak outfitter and transfer to the trailhead where we will being our hike to a remote beach. From this beach we'll launch our double kayaks and begin the 1.5 hour interpretive nature paddle. Following our kayak trip we'll return to the remote beach where we'll have lunch and enjoy a nice bonfire on the beach before making the hike back to the trail head and returning to the hotel.

Lunch: Enjoy a picnic lunch on the beach featuring Alaskan delicacies harvested by local businesses and Alaskan families. The menu will include dairy, fish, shellfish, and nuts. An alternate menu is not available for this meal so if you cannot have any of the items listed you will need to self supplement.

Afternoon: Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Dinner: This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to enjoy what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Hike up to 4 miles on uneven terrain with moderate elevation gain.

Breakfast: In our hotel meeting space with a buffet to include choices such as fruit, muffins, pastries, bagels, scrambled eggs, breakfast meats, potatoes, plus coffee, tea, and water.

Morning: We'll head to the Mendenhall Glacier to explore the area around the glacier’s base. Known as Sitaantaagu, meaning “the Glacier Behind the Town,” it is only 12 miles from downtown Juneau allowing easy access to the 13 mile long glacier. Mendenhall Lake was created by melting ice and runoff from the glacier, flowing out through the 6 mile long Mendenhall River. Following our field trip, we will return to Juneau.

Lunch: In the hotel meeting space we'll enjoy a buffet lunch with coffee, tea, lemonade, and water. Other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: After lunch we'll walk next door to the Alaska State Museum for a self-directed exploration of the museum, which is the repository for the state's history, highlighting the distinct native cultures of Alaska. In mid-afternoon, we'll reconvene at the hotel to transfer to the airport for a short flight to Gustavus. We'll transfer to the lodge and check in for three nights.

Dinner: At the lodge we'll have a plated meal to include an entrée, side dish, salad, dessert, coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: Each night a park ranger will lead an educational lecture on Glacier Bay for all guests of the lodge to enjoy. Or, choose to spend the evening relaxing, or taking advantage of long daylight hours by strolling the peaceful beach.

Activity note: Our boat trip into the bay will be on a 150-passenger, high-speed Catamaran with covered areas. Boat trip will take approximately 8 hours.

Breakfast: At the lodge, enjoy an early buffet breakfast including a chef's specialty dish, eggs, meats, biscuits, potatoes, oatmeals, cereals, pastries, fruits, plus coffee and juice.

Morning: We'll board a heated, high-speed catamaran with a National Park Ranger to spend the day on the waters of Glacier Bay to view tidewater glaciers, snow-capped mountains, whales, stellar sea lions, seabirds, seals, eagles, and possibly some bears along the shore. We'll travel to the face of the Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers, two of the many tidewater glaciers found in the National Park.

Lunch: Aboard the catamaran including a sandwich, fruit, cookie, plus coffee, tea, hot chocolate and water.

Afternoon: We'll continue our exploration through the bay watching for calving glaciers, floating ice, and wildlife. Isn't that what Alaska is all about?!

Dinner: Plated meal at the lodge.

Evening: We'll get to know our guides for tomorrow's kayak excursion as they'll stop by this evening to give us a short orientation on our adventures tomorrow.

Activity note: Kayaking for 2-1/2 hours at a time. We will have a boat with us for those who want to rest and relax. We will likely split into two groups for our kayak adventure. One group will have free time in Glacier Bay while the other group kayaks.

Breakfast: Buffet breakfast at the lodge.

Morning: We will be picked up from the hotel and transferred to a water taxi to Point Adolphus for our kayak adventure. Once on shore, your experts will provide the essentials to paddle safely and efficiently. We'll paddle out and watch for whales and other wildlife with plenty of time to take photographs, and to enjoy the true Alaskan wilderness.

Lunch: After a great morning of paddling, we'll head back on the water taxi to Gustavus, enjoying sandwiches en-route.

Afternoon: If you kayaked in the morning, enjoy some time on your own to do the activities of your choice. If you still have some energy, join a ranger-led hike, explore by bicycle, or catch an educational film at the lodge. Or, simply enjoy your surroundings with a good book - the choice is up to you! Your group leader will be happy to offer suggestions.

Dinner: Plated meal at the lodge.

Evening: There will be another opportunity to attend a ranger-led lecture about Glacier Bay. Enjoy a relaxing final evening around beautiful Glacier Bay National Park.

Activity note: Hike up to 3 miles over varied terrain.

Breakfast: Buffet at the lodge.

Morning: After our last few days full of adventure, take some time for rest and relaxation with a morning at leisure. Your group leader will be happy to offer suggestions for independent exploration around the lodge. We'll check out of the lodge this morning and store our luggage for our transfer in the afternoon.

Lunch: At the lodge enjoy a plated meal.

Afternoon: We'll get moving again with a beautiful hike led by our group leader before transferring to the airport for our late afternoon return flight to Juneau.

Dinner: After checking in, enjoy a buffet dinner in the hotel's meeting space.

Evening: At leisure.

Activity note: Walking up to 3 miles along even terrain.

Breakfast: Since we have an early transfer this morning on the Alaska Marine Highway ferry, we'll enjoy breakfast onboard.

Morning: We'll check out of the hotel and transfer to the Alaska Marine Highway ferry and head up the Lynn Canal. Our staff will introduce us to the area from the deck of the ferry. North America’s longest and deepest glacial fjord, the Lynn Canal is surrounded by majestic mountains and abounds with wildlife. As we pass between hanging glaciers, keep an eye out for seabirds and eagles. We'll arrive in Haines and check into our hotel.

Lunch: At the hotel, enjoy a plated meal in the lounge.

Afternoon: Following lunch we'll explore the area at Fort William H. Seward with a local expert to learn about the history of the fort which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1972, and was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978. It was authorized by President William McKinley in December 1898 to house infantry until it was closed in 1945. Currently the fort houses an art colony and we will continue our exploration with a visit to Alaska Indian Arts, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the preservation and continuation of traditional native craft and culture of the Northwest Coast Native Tribes, to see totem poles and a carving studio. This will be followed by free time to explore the town. Our group leader will offer some suggestions.

Dinner: At the hotel restaurant, enjoy a plated meal featuring creative and unique entrées prepared from locally caught and grown ingredients, plus coffee, tea, water; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: At leisure to rest and relax or take a walk through town.

Activity note: Getting in/out of rafts. Hiking up to 4 miles on mostly flat, groomed paths.

Breakfast: At the hotel, enjoy an early plated breakfast at the hotel including eggs, breakfast meats, english muffin, fruit, plus coffee and juice.

Morning: Our expert naturalists and guides for today's adventure will meet us at the hotel and lead us on a hike through the rainforest, over boardwalks, bridges and creeks to Battery Point. Full of wildflowers in the early summer, it is bordered by the Chilkat River with views of the snowcapped mountains and Lynn Canal.

Lunch: Returning to the hotel, we will have boxed lunches with a pre-selected sandwich.

Afternoon: Our guides will give a safety briefing before boarding our 16 foot oar rafts and heading out on the Chilkat River. The Alaska Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve was created by the State of Alaska in June of 1982 to protect the world’s largest concentration of Bald Eagles and their critical habitat. The Preserve consists of 48,000 acres of river bottom land formed by the intersection of three rivers and is home to Klukwan, the mother village of the Tlingit Nation. After our float we will pull out at the site of a Klukwan village where elders will provide a presentation for our group.

Dinner: Back at our hotel, we'll enjoy a plated meal.

Evening: After dinner, we'll depart for an evening scenic drive with an expert naturalist. We'll experience the incredible natural beauty and wildlife along the river, then return to the hotel with lasting memories and stories to share of our adventures in wondrous Alaska!

Activity note: Hiking on groomed trails. Distance based on personal preference.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: After breakfast we'll check out and transfer to the dock where we'll board our fast ferry that will take us back to Juneau. We'll enjoy interpretation and keep our eyes peeled for wildlife sightings. When we arrive in Juneau we'll transfer to our hotel.

Lunch: In the hotel meeting space we'll enjoy a nice lunch buffet. Coffee, tea, and lemonade included. Other beverages available for purchase.

Afternoon: After lunch we'll make our way to downtown Juneau where we’ll have a chance to ride the Mount Roberts Tramway. In operation since 1996, the Mt. Roberts tram makes a six-minute ascent of 3,819-foot Mount Roberts from the cruise ship docks to a height of about 1,800 feet. At the top, enjoy expansive views of Juneau and Gastineau Channel and have some time for exploration at the Mountain House, Chilkat Theater, and Raven Eagle Gifts & Gallery.

Dinner: In the hotel meeting space we'll have a buffet dinner. Coffee, tea, and water included; other beverages available for purchase.

Evening: After dinner we'll have a program wrap up sharing our favorite memories with our fellow Road Scholars. Take the rest of the evening to relax and prepare for your departure the next day.

Breakfast: At the hotel.

Morning: This concludes our program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Please join our Facebook page and share photos of your program. Visit us at www.facebook.com/rsadventures. Best wishes for all your journeys!