Arrive in Fairbanks and transfer to your hotel. Enjoy the rest of your day at leisure.

In the morning, you’ll enjoy a fun-filled day in Fairbanks, a visit to Gold Dredge 8, a National Historical Monument, where you will see firsthand how the dredge worked the gold fields. Alaska’s gold rush history will come alive as you tour this mining camp. After a short demonstration on gold panning, it’s your turn to try and strike it rich. Pan for gold from your own ‘poke’ filled with pay dirt. After the tour, enjoy shopping in the gift shop. Then the afternoon is open for you to explore independently. Consult your Tour Director for ideas, including a flight over the Arctic Circle or a ride on the Riverboat Discovery. You’ll retire to your accommodations for a second night in Fairbanks.

In the morning, you’ll board the Wilderness Express, our glass-domed railcar, and travel to Denali. Breakfast is available onboard (additional fees apply). Upon arrival in the afternoon, you’ll embark on the narrated Denali Natural History Tour via park bus and hear about the culture and history of the area. You’ll learn about the local flora and the remarkable wildlife Alaska is famous for. Take your camera; there will be many photo opportunities throughout the tour. After your tour, the rest of the evening is yours to spend at leisure before retiring to your accommodations for an overnight stay in Denali. 

Leaving Mount Denali behind, depart by coach for Anchorage, Alaska’s largest city, to shop, explore, and have lunch on your own. After lunch, depart for Seward on a coach to begin the cruise portion of your vacation.    

Cruise to Hubbard Glacier and experience the wilds of Alaska as your ship makes its way through icy waters turning from Yakutat Bay into the narrow Disenchantment Bay to come face-to-face with the towering Hubbard Glacier. The strong currents and riptides that flow between Gilbert Point and the face of the glacier cause calving to occur daily, sending massive chunks of ice crashing into Disenchantment Bay. Witness this awe-inspiring phenomenon onboard a Hubbard Glacier cruise through the misty, chilled air of the Gulf of Alaska. Our dedicated onboard naturalist narrates the experience and keeps an eye out for the whales, harbor seals, and otters that hunt and play in the waters of Yakutat Bay. It’s an adventure of a lifetime.

You can’t get to Juneau easily without a sprint by air or sea. But once you arrive, you’ll find majestic views and rich culture in every corner. With its snowcapped mountains, misty rainforests, massive glaciers, and bounty of wildlife, Alaska’s remote state capital is the perfect place to dive into nature. Framed by Mount Juneau and Mount Roberts, the city’s picturesque downtown area offers centuries-old bars, boutique shops, and historic landmarks. To taste the local culture, visit the historic district and the Alaska State Museum. And for outdoor thrills, you can take your pick of activities ranging from whale watching in Auke Bay Harbor to tundra trekking over Mendenhall Glacier, and even try your hand at gold panning in Last Chance Basin. 

The great Klondike Gold Rush lives on in Skagway’s charming downtown of restored 19th-century buildings and historic railway. Located on the edge of the wilderness, this small town saw its fair share of gold rush, get-rich-quick dreamers pass through. Today, its residents are more than welcome to share the stories of its untamed past. And there’s so much fascinating history to uncover on a Skagway cruise. Head to Klondike Gold Rush National Park Museum for an in-depth look at Klondike and the two routes out of Skagway – Chilkoot Pass and White Pass. From the vintage train, admire the mountains and see the 1898 trail that fortune seekers traveled on foot. The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad runs the vintage locomotives through the famously steep Chilkoot Trail and offers sweeping mountain views during its climb toward Canada. 

For thousands of years, the Tlingit Indians have called this place home. Located near the city of Hoonah, and home to a historic cannery, Icy Strait Point also offers travelers the chance to view wildlife like humpback whales, orcas, seals, eagles, and brown bears, or to explore monuments to the region’s fishing heritage. 

You’ve never tasted salmon so fresh. Known as the ‘Salmon Capital of the World’, Ketchikan is also the ancestral home of the Tlingit people, who have carved the world’s most extensive collection of totem poles. If you’re up for an adventure, take a canoe and nature trail excursion through the rain forest or a wilderness exploration followed by a sumptuous crab feast you’ll long remember. 

You’ll sail beyond the Inside Passage into southeastern Alaska’s more protected Alaska Inside Passage. This complex labyrinth of fjords, bays, and lush green islands is home to abundant wildlife, including orca, mountain goats, bald eagles, bears, puffins, sea otters, and much more. During the summer, the long hours of daylight allow ample opportunities for nature photos on your Inside Passage Cruise. You’ll never forget the sight of 40-ton whales hurling themselves into the air, almost completely escaping the water. If you’re fortunate, you could see them swimming together to create a bubble net, trapping and eating fish by the giant mouthful.

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