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Alaska

Amazing Alaska: The Last Frontier, From Mountains to the Sea

Program No. 24425RJ
Explore pristine landscapes and the wilderness of Alaska as you journey from mountains to the sea, learning from Native Peoples, discovering geological wonders and spotting wildlife.

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Protecting the Environment

We offset a portion of the emissions created by your travel. Learn more

Prefer to enroll or inquire by phone? 800-454-5768
climate
Plan ahead.
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itinerary
Please Note:
The itinerary for this program is different on certain dates.
Select your type of room
Price will update based on selection
Prices displayed below are based on per person,doubleoccupancy.
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jun 3 - Jun 12, 2023
Starting at
5,549
Itinerary Note

This date has 3 nights in Fairbanks and 2 nights in Denali.

Jun 17 - Jun 26, 2023
Starting at
5,549
Jul 8 - Jul 17, 2023
Starting at
5,549
Jul 15 - Jul 24, 2023
Starting at
5,549
Jul 22 - Jul 31, 2023
Starting at
5,549
Aug 5 - Aug 14, 2023
Starting at
5,549
Aug 12 - Aug 21, 2023
Starting at
5,549
Aug 19 - Aug 28, 2023
Starting at
5,549
Jun 1 - Jun 10, 2024
Starting at
5,899
Jun 15 - Jun 24, 2024
Starting at
5,899
Jul 6 - Jul 15, 2024
Starting at
5,899
Jul 13 - Jul 22, 2024
Starting at
5,899
Jul 20 - Jul 29, 2024
Starting at
5,899
Aug 3 - Aug 12, 2024
Starting at
5,899
Aug 10 - Aug 19, 2024
Starting at
5,899
Aug 17 - Aug 26, 2024
Starting at
5,899
DATES & starting prices
PRICES
Jun 3 - Jun 12, 2023
Starting at
6,949
Itinerary Note

This date has 3 nights in Fairbanks and 2 nights in Denali.

Jun 17 - Jun 26, 2023
Starting at
6,949
Jul 8 - Jul 17, 2023
Starting at
6,949
Jul 15 - Jul 24, 2023
Starting at
6,949
Jul 22 - Jul 31, 2023
Starting at
6,949
Aug 5 - Aug 14, 2023
Starting at
6,949
Aug 12 - Aug 21, 2023
Starting at
6,949
Aug 19 - Aug 28, 2023
Starting at
6,949
Jun 1 - Jun 10, 2024
Starting at
7,369
Jun 15 - Jun 24, 2024
Starting at
7,369
Jul 6 - Jul 15, 2024
Starting at
7,369
Jul 13 - Jul 22, 2024
Starting at
7,369
Jul 20 - Jul 29, 2024
Starting at
7,369
Aug 3 - Aug 12, 2024
Starting at
7,369
Aug 10 - Aug 19, 2024
Starting at
7,369
Aug 17 - Aug 26, 2024
Starting at
7,369

At a Glance

Journey from the highest mountain range in North America in Interior Alaska to the dramatic glaciated temperate rain forests of the Southeast Alaska coast on a learning adventure from Fairbanks to Seward. Learn about Native Athabascan culture, meet research scientists, take a field trip to see muskoxen, caribou and raft along the boarder of Denali National Park. Spend three nights at the entrance of Denali National Park, then take the Alaska Railroad through breathtaking scenery to Seward, nestled in beautiful Resurrection Bay. Visit the Alaska SeaLife Center, where researchers share their work rehabilitating the ecosystem after the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and observe marine mammals in Kenai Fjords National Park as you voyage past majestic glaciers.
Activity Level
Keep the Pace
This is an on-the-go program with a few days of early start times, long drives, and getting on/off a motorcoach. Walking on uneven terrain. Standing for an hour at a time. Several opportunities for hiking, with some options over uneven dirt surfaces, steps, and moderate elevation gain and length. Please refer to daily activity notes.
Small Group
Small Group
Love to learn and explore in a small-group setting? These adventures offer small, personal experiences with groups of 13 to 24 participants.

Best of all, you’ll…

  • Spend three nights at the entrance of Denali National Park and enjoy opportunities to hike and learn of the Park’s rich history, with opportunities to search for wildlife along the way.
  • Cruise past tidewater glaciers and watch for whales, otters, sea lions and puffins from a catamaran in Kenai Fjords National Park.
  • Take in beautiful views as you float through glacially carved valleys on the Nenana River.
Featured Expert
All Experts
Profile Image
Valerie Hershfield
Valerie Hershfield, a native Californian, has worked in educational travel since 1993, visiting more than 100 countries. She became associated with Road Scholar in 2010. Summers find her leading Road Scholar groups in Alaska. Valerie also enjoyed a career in journalism as a reporter and editor. She enjoys volunteering at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and as an EMT with a local fire department. She says, “The greatest joy of traveling with groups is witnessing that moment when people experience a new place.”

Please note: This expert may not be available for every date of this program.

Profile Image of Valerie Hershfield
Valerie Hershfield View biography
Valerie Hershfield, a native Californian, has worked in educational travel since 1993, visiting more than 100 countries. She became associated with Road Scholar in 2010. Summers find her leading Road Scholar groups in Alaska. Valerie also enjoyed a career in journalism as a reporter and editor. She enjoys volunteering at The Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito and as an EMT with a local fire department. She says, “The greatest joy of traveling with groups is witnessing that moment when people experience a new place.”
Visit the Road Scholar Bookshop
You can find many of the books we recommend at the Road Scholar store on bookshop.org, a website that supports local bookstores.
Winterdance: The Fine Madness of Running the Iditarod
by Gary Paulsen
The Firecracker Boys: H-Bombs, Inupiat Eskimos, and the Roots of the Environmental Movement
by Dan O'Neill
Going to Extremes
by Joe McGinniss
Coming Into The Country
by John McPhee
Coming into the Country is an unforgettable account of Alaska and Alaskans. It is a rich tapestry of vivid characters, observed landscapes, and descriptive narrative, in three principal segments that deal, respectively, with a total wilderness, with urban Alaska, and with life in the remoteness of the bush.
Chasing Ice
by Directed by Jeff Orlowski
Ten Thousand Miles with a Dog Sled: A Narrative of Winter Travel in Interior Alaska
by Hudson Stuck
Ordinary Wolves
by Seth Kantner
Fairbanks: A Gold Rush Town that Beat the Odds
by Dermot Cole
Two Old Women: An Alaska Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival
by Velma Wallis
Tisha: The Story of a Young Teacher in the Alaska Wilderness
by Robert Specht/Ann Purdy





Important registration tip:
If you want to attend the live lecture, please do not wait until the last minute to enroll.
If you enroll after a lecture is complete, we’ll send you a recording of the event.