7-Nights Alaska: Wilderness & Wildlife - Luxury Small Group Journeys

Alyeska

Alyeska is a gorgeous place to visit even summer time. It is nested nicely in Girdwood, between the mountains and close to Turnagain Arm. It is one of the few (only maybe) places to downhill ski and at the same time look at the sea, even maybe whales. There is so much to do in Alyeska, from golf, to mountain baking, to glacier hiking. Hike up to Alyeska Mt during summer. If desired, take a tram, but hiking is fun and the view is spectacular.

Kenai Fjords

Magnificent Kenai Fjords stirs the souls of artists inspired by locations like this. The ice-sculpted "Alaska's playground" begs to be explored. Long, intricate trails afford some of the best views, including an up-close encounter with scenic Exit Glacier, the most famous of more than 30 glaciers surrounding spectacular Harding Icefield and the crown jewel of Kenai Fjords. This unrelenting blanket of white is punctured by peaks of high, rocky mountains, which are best viewed at the crest of the steep, 4.5 mile-long Harding Icefield Trail. In addition to hiking, nearly every other outdoor activity can be found here, including kayaking, river rafting, mountain climbing, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, tours by land, air and sea - even dogsledding. Glacier viewing is popular in the most impressive of the park's seven long fjords - Aialik Bay, where glaciers launch icebergs into the sea. Resurrection Bay holds the perfect opportunity to see humpback whales, orcas, seals, sea lions, otters, porpoises, and puffins. Blue-green Kenai River is perfect for trophy-size fishing.

Anchorage

Located at the upper end of Cook Inlet in the Gulf of Alaska, Anchorage is Alaska's largest community. This popular tourist destination and crossroads for global air travel is only minutes away from the recreational areas bordering the Gulf of Alaska.

Talkeetna

Talkeetna offers the traveler a look at the real Alaska as well as the best view of Mt McKinley. Reached year round by car, railroad and airplane, it is a unique town that has been almost untouched by commercialism. Mountain climbers from all over the world leave from here to climb McKinley and add an international flavor to the town during the summer months. Winter visits to the area are becoming increasingly popular, offering dog sledding, Northern Lights viewing and snowmobiling.

Fairbanks

Fairbanks is the focal point for tiny villages scattered throughout the surrounding wilderness and a staging point for North Slope villages such as Barrow and the oil fields of Prudhoe Bay. Fairbanks is called "The Golden Heart of Alaska," a reference to the character of her people as much as to the location of Fairbanks in Alaska's interior, or to the discovery of gold in 1902. The Interior has temperatures ranging from 65 degrees below zero in the winter to 90 degrees above in the summer. Gardening is big in the Interior. Alaska Gardens abound. Fairbanks also has very long summer days. The shortest winter day of the year has less than three hours of sunlight, the longest never really ends, though officially it has over 21 hours.