Wendinger Band & Travel, Inc.
Tuesday, July 5 - Juneau Wednesday, July 6 - Skagway Thursday, July 7 - Whithorse - Canada Friday, July 8 - Tok Saturday, July 9 - Valdez Sunday, July 10 - Anchorage Monday, July 11 - Anchorage Tuesday, July 12 - Denali Wednesday, July 13 - Fairbanks Thursday, July 14 - Fairbanks Friday, July 15 - Home
This morning we will board our flight for a journey to the great state of Alaska. Upon reaching our destination in Juneau, Alaska’s capital city, a motor coach will be awaiting our arrival. We will then enjoy a tour of the city of Juneau including their biggest attraction, Mendenhall Glacier. We will also visit the Gastineau Salmon Hatchery to learn first hand about Alaska’s salmon hatchery operation. Next we will enjoy the Alaska State Museum where we will see a bald eagle nesting tree and much more. The remainder of the day is at your leisure.
Our morning in Juneau is free to do a little shopping. This afternoon we will cruise the Inside Passage to Skagway aboard the Alaska Ferry. This narrow passage will define the route that the early settlers traveled passing glaciers and icebergs en route to Skagway. A narrator from the Department of Natural Resources will be describing our passage; Skagway - the town that owes its birth to the 1797 Gold Stampede. Skagway’s downtown historical district, false-fronted buildings, and boardwalk date back to the gold rush! Our overnight accommodations are in Skagway.
After breakfast we will board the Yukon/White Pass Railroad for an unbelievable breathtaking ride with photo opportunities around every turn. Our overnight stay will be in Whitehorse where we will begin our travel on the Alaska-Canadian Highway. Upon our arrival at Whitehorse, we will check into our accommodations for the evening. We will enjoy a rousing good time at the Frantic Follies.
This morning you will again be treated to breakfast. The entire day will be spent traveling along the Alaska Highway. Originally built in 1949, the highway has been greatly improved the past several years. We will have a rest stop at Big Horn Sheep Mountain learning all about the animals of the area. We’ll drive as far as Tok, "dog sled capitol of the world". Our overnight will be in Tok.
Today we will be traveling the Richardson Highway as we make our way to Valdez. We will make stops at the Worthington Glacier where the blue ice is blemished with glacial debris and crevasses. Continuing on, we will ride through Thompson Pass with it’s narrow chasms that open up to reveal snowfields and jagged slopes. Richard Highway then winds through the Keystone Canyon passing the Bridal Veil and Horse Tail Falls as rushing water plummets to the roadside. Several stops will be made for photo opportunities. We will continue on to Valdez to our accommodations for our evening stay.
We will enjoy a full day’s cruise on Prince William Sound passing Blight Reef where the Exxon Valdez spilled as well as seeing Columbia Glacier. We will board the ferry in Whittier. This is more than just a glacier tour. We’ll see and float within thousands of icebergs, many larger than the boat we are in, with seals resting on the bergs. Our cruise ends in Whittier where our coach will meet us and drive through the tunnel at Whittier to Alyeska Ski Resort for the Aerial Tramway:a seven-minute ride taking you to an observation deck which provides breath-taking panoramic views of majestic mountains, hanging glaciers, sparkling streams, towering spruce, and an array of wildlife. Our overnight stay is in Anchorage.
After breakfast we will have an informal city tour of Anchorage. We will drive around Lake Hood and see the busiest airport in the world on water, pass Earthquake Park and many other important landmarks. Today you will tour the Alaska Native Heritage Museum with an opportunity to spend the afternoon on your own shopping on 3rd Avenue in Anchorage- a fantastic experience.
Add a part of Alaska history to your visit as we depart Anchorage for a short drive to Sarah Palin’s hometown of Wasilla. We’ll visit the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Museum where a video lets us experience "The Last Great Race on Earth ". View trophies, displays, photos, and for a fee take a thrilling trip down the trail with the dogs that make the Iditarod so unique. As we travel to Denali, we will have photo opportunities along the way, hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt. McKinley. After checking into our hotel you will have the evening free to explore. Optional activities may include a helicopter ride, river rafting, or the "Cabin Nite" Dinner Show.
After breakfast we will board a bus for a Natural History Tour of Denali National Park, keeping our eyes open for bear, moose, caribou, elk, birds, and other small game. Just outside of Fairbanks we will stop in the town of North Pole for a chance to see the world famous Christmas House and the reindeer out in back. After arriving in Fairbanks, "The City with the Golden Heart", we will check into our accommodations for the next two evenings. Tonight we’ll enjoy ourselves at the Salmon Bake feasting on all-you-can-eat salmon, halibut, and barbecue ribs. After dinner we’ll walk to Pioneer Park to see the musical show depicting the "golden days" in Fairbanks, in a humorous fashion.
After breakfast we will board the motor coach and drive out to Little El Dorado. At the camp we will see demonstrations of the different ways of discovering gold as well as panning some for ourselves. On our drive back to Fairbanks we will stop for a great view of the Alaskan Pipeline. This afternoon we will board the Discovery Riverboat and cruise the Tanana and Chena Rivers. We’ll explore the Eskimo cultures and see dog sled demonstrations as well as salmon fishing wheels.
We bid farewell to Alaska as we board our flight home, reminiscing about the sites and memories of "The Last Frontier."
Back to the Alaskan Excursion
