Itinerary
Please Note: This extension can be booked to align with dates before or after any Exploring Alaska's Coastal Wilderness departure. The order of the itinerary can be reversed based on if you add this as a pre- or post-voyage extension.
Day 1: Fairbanks, Alaska
Arrive in Fairbanks, transfer to your hotel and settle into yourriverview room at Pike’s Waterfront Lodge. This evening, meet your leader and traveling companions at a welcome dinner.
Day 2: Fairbanks / Denali National Park—North Face Lodge
This morning we visit the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum featuring collections that represent more than 11,000 years of cultural traditions in the North. Later we depart by road for Denali National Park. At the park entrance, we begin a 90-mile overland journey to North Face Lodge, in the remote heart of the park. Traveling in the lodge's private bus, we have special permits to access the highly restricted Denali Park Road, a privilege extended to lodge guests. It takes seven hours to cover the distance, traversing rugged wilderness terrain to access prime wildlife viewing areas. Look for grizzly bears, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, wolves, eagles, Arctic terns and more. We enjoy a hearty, picnic-style dinner, served at the midpoint of the drive alongside the East Fork River. Regular restroom stops at National Park Service facilities provide additional chances to stretch your legs.
Days 3–5: Denali National Park—North Face Lodge
While thousands of visitors come to Denali each year, only a fortunate few enter the inner sanctum of the park to truly become one with nature. In our exceptionally remote location, the wilderness is literally on our doorstep, with the comforts of North Face Lodge providing a perfect base from which to explore. See Denali’s famous wildlife and learn about our subarctic tundra surroundings during daily activities of your choice—hiking, canoeing, fishing and mountain biking are all options. Trained naturalist guides lead hikes in the protected wilderness backcountry, a rare privilege that few park guests get to enjoy. An optional flightseeing excursion offers stunning aerial views of ice-clad Denali and the glaciers that flank its slopes (available at an additional cost).
Exhilarating days wind down with nightly presentations by the fireplace that focus on various aspects of Denali’s natural and cultural history including birds, mammals, wildflowers, tundra ecology, geology, mountaineering, land use and natural resource issues. Delicious meals feature fresh-baked goods and locally grown produce. Enjoy a good night's sleep in comfortable accommodations, basking in the silence of our off-the-grid location.
Day 6: Denali / Fairbanks
This morning we leave North Face Lodge,reveling once more in the scenic drive over Polychrome Pass back to the park entrance. But our immersion in the grandeur of Alaska isn't over: board the Alaska Railroad to enjoy first-class, GoldStar service en route to Anchorage. Lavishly appointed dome cars feature custom-designed interiors highlighted with original Alaska art and a private outdoor viewing deck. It's an ideal setting from which to survey the passing tableau, with vistas of Denali and the Alaska Range, Broad Pass, the Susitna River and dense boreal forests once we drop below treeline. An elegant dinner is served on board the train before arriving in Anchorage later this evening. Overnight at the Anchorage Hilton Hotel.
Day 7: Anchorage / Sitka or Juneau / Embark
This morning, depending on which departure you have selected, fly to either Sitka or Juneau to begin your Southeast Alaska voyage.
Depending on your departure date, you may be responsible for one night's accommodations on your own before or after joining the Denali extension. Please call us at 1-800-543-8917 for details.
Day 1: Fairbanks, Alaska
Arrive in Fairbanks, transfer to your hotel and settle into your
Day 2: Fairbanks / Denali National Park—North Face Lodge
This morning we visit the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum featuring collections that represent more than 11,000 years of cultural traditions in the North. Later we depart by road for Denali National Park. At the park entrance, we begin a 90-mile overland journey to North Face Lodge, in the remote heart of the park. Traveling in the lodge's private bus, we have special permits to access the highly restricted Denali Park Road, a privilege extended to lodge guests. It takes seven hours to cover the distance, traversing rugged wilderness terrain to access prime wildlife viewing areas. Look for grizzly bears, caribou, moose, Dall sheep, wolves, eagles, Arctic terns and more. We enjoy a hearty, picnic-style dinner, served at the midpoint of the drive alongside the East Fork River. Regular restroom stops at National Park Service facilities provide additional chances to stretch your legs.
Days 3–5: Denali National Park—North Face Lodge
While thousands of visitors come to Denali each year, only a fortunate few enter the inner sanctum of the park to truly become one with nature. In our exceptionally remote location, the wilderness is literally on our doorstep, with the comforts of North Face Lodge providing a perfect base from which to explore. See Denali’s famous wildlife and learn about our subarctic tundra surroundings during daily activities of your choice—hiking, canoeing, fishing and mountain biking are all options. Trained naturalist guides lead hikes in the protected wilderness backcountry, a rare privilege that few park guests get to enjoy. An optional flightseeing excursion offers stunning aerial views of ice-clad Denali and the glaciers that flank its slopes (available at an additional cost).
Exhilarating days wind down with nightly presentations by the fireplace that focus on various aspects of Denali’s natural and cultural history including birds, mammals, wildflowers, tundra ecology, geology, mountaineering, land use and natural resource issues. Delicious meals feature fresh-baked goods and locally grown produce. Enjoy a good night's sleep in comfortable accommodations, basking in the silence of our off-the-grid location.
Day 6: Denali / Fairbanks
This morning we leave North Face Lodge,
Day 7: Anchorage / Sitka or Juneau / Embark
This morning, depending on which departure you have selected, fly to either Sitka or Juneau to begin your Southeast Alaska voyage.
Depending on your departure date, you may be responsible for one night's accommodations on your own before or after joining the Denali extension. Please call us at 1-800-543-8917 for details.
