10 Day Alaska trip: A Taste of Alaska

Day 1

Downtown Anchorage

• Public Lands Information Center – This information centre is a gold mine of information, including movies and other interesting facts about Alaska.
• Shopping in Anchorage if desired
• Visit Lake Hood, the busiest seaplane airport in the world

Private Dinner at the Glacier Brewhouse with Jody Overstreet (5:30-7:30pm) if she is available. Jody is a former executive of the Anchorage Convention and Visitors Bureau, and today leads photo safaris in and around Anchorage. She will talk to us about the history and geography of Alaska, and take us to some of the most photogenic spots in the area.

Day 2

Potter’s Marsh

Our first stop will be Potter Marsh, one of the most accessible wildlife viewing areas in Alaska. This is a rest area for migratory birds, and we occasionally see beavers, moose and bald eagles. There is an elevated boardwalk with interpretative signs and spotting scopes

Turnagain Arm

After our stop at Potter Marsh, we follow the mountains of Chugach State Park along the dramatic shore of Turnagain Arm. The four-mile-wide flats of Turnagain Arm stretch to the opposite shores of Cook inlet, where mammoth sloping mountains meet the water. Each turn reveals another scenic wonder, and it is hard to drive this area without stopping at every scenic vista.

Homer slogan – ‘Life begins where the Road Ends.’

The Homer Spit is a geographical landmark located in Homer, Alaska on the southern tip of the Kenai Peninsula. The spit is a 4.5-mile long piece of land jutting out into Kachemak Bay, and is home to the Homer Boat Harbor. The harbor contains both deep and shallow water docks and serves up to 1500 commercial and pleasure boats during the summer peak. The Spit features the longest land road into ocean waters in the entire world, taking up 10–15 minutes to cover by car

Day 3

Once In A Lifetime Bear Viewing Opportunity

Alaska is definitely known for its wilderness and abundant wildlife. We will fly by bush plane to the remote wilderness grizzly viewing area of Katmai National Park, which has the highest concentration of protected brown bears in the world! The flight from Homer to Katmai National Park (or Lake Clark National Park) for bear viewing is an adventure by itself. There will be magnificent flightseeing including volcanoes, glaciers, and mountains all set against the backdrop of the azure ocean.

Day 4

Day 4 – Wildlife Sea Tour (or Halibut Fishing if you prefer)

Kachemak Bay, Seldovia, whales, seals, otters, puffins and whatever else comes our way.

We will have a fully narrated wildlife tour to the community of Seldovia. Departure is at 10:30 with our first stop at Gull Island seabird rookery, home to 15,000 seabirds. This island features eight pelagic seabird species that nest annually on the island. Bald eagles and other species can also be seen frequently.

Then we navigate the Eldred Passage where many sea otters, bald eagles and ducks can be seen. The captain and crew continuously narrate the history, geography and wildlife biology pertaining to Kachemak Bay, and please be sure to visit the wheelhouse to talk to the captain. From the passage we head to the quaint Alaskan community of Seldovia. There are restaurants and cafes for lunch, trails to hike, boardwalks to stroll and always shopping. We will leave Seldovia at 4pm with an arrival time back in Homer of 5:30

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Day 4:  Alternate Activity: Halibut Fishing

As an alternate to the Wildlife Sea Tour, this fun halibut fishing trip almost guarantees success! Check in is at 6:30am, and the trip lasts from 7am-1pm. The boat will travel 20-25 miles each way, and you are limited to two halibut (one no size limit, one less than 28”).
Note: Please remember to take food, and dress for the weather with a rain jacket or windbreaker. If desired, you can arrange for Homer Fish Processing to ship the catch back home (extra fee for shipping the fish).

Anyone fishing needs to purchase a one day fishing license (Licenses are available online from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game website - adfg.Alaska.gov/store). This is best done before we leave in order to save time in Homer

Day 5

Day 5 – Travel to Seward; visit Alaska SeaLife Center and Exit Glacier

The Alaska SeaLife Center lies at “Mile 0” of the scenic Seward Highway on the shores of Resurrection Bay. Visitors to the “windows to the sea” have close encounters with puffins,

octopus, harbor seals, sea lions, and other marine life while learning about the work researchers perform both in the field and in the laboratories.

Kenai Fjords National Park Exit Glacier

At the edge of the Kenai Peninsula lies a land where the ice age lingers. Nearly 40 glaciers flow from the Harding Icefield, Kenai Fjords’ crowning feature. Today, shrinking glaciers bear witness to the effects of our changing climate. We will visit Exit Glacier, one of the most accessible valley glaciers in Alaska.

Exit Glacier retreated approximately 187 feet from 2013 to 2014 and park scientists continue to monitor and record the glacier’s accelerating recession. It received its name because it served as the exit for the first recorded crossing of the Harding Icefield in 1968. We will walk from the visitor center along the trail to the Edge of the Glacier.

Day 6

Day 6 – Travel to Palmer with a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

AWCC is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through public education. AWCC takes in injured and orphaned animals year-round and provides spacious enclosures and quality animal care. Animals that cannot be released into the wild are given a permanent home at the center. Amateur photographers have the opportunity to take award winning photographs while animals display their natural, “wild”, behavior. Coyotes peer out from behind the brush while a bald eagle swoops in on the salmon remains left by a grizzly bear. Wood Bison plod through 65 acres of tidal flat terrain, as part of a program that will one day restore the species to the Alaskan wilderness

We will have a private presentation after arrival at the lodge. This fascinating session covers interesting and little know facts about the life of a professional musher and his sled dogs.

Day 7

Day 7 – ATV Thru the Backcountry

There’s no better way to explore the backcountry than with a local who knows it intimately and loves it just as much. You will ride an ATV, led by local experts, while driving over rocks, splashing through mud, and exploring Alaska terrain that’s otherwise inaccessible by roads. It’s an easy passion to share: Driving an ATV is something most anyone can do, from kids to seniors. After a short training session, you’ll be in command of your ATV, and the guide will lead us as you steer your machine through the Alaskan wilderness. You’ll drive through forested trails, across open valleys, up old mining claim routes, past waterfalls, and through streams. Your ATV powers through—and over—just about anything. 10am-2pm, lunch stop included.

We will have dinner this night with the owners of the ATV company at the Palmer City Alehouse.

Day 8

Talkeetna is exciting and fun to visit. Mountain climbers from all over the world come to Talkeetna to challenge Mount McKinley, adding an international flavor to the town. After registering with the National Park Service, most fly to the Kahiltna Glacier Base Camp (located at an elevation of 7200 feet) to start the climb. We will visit the Talkeetna Ranger Station, and learn the mechanics of these monumental climbs. Legends, lore and history abound in Talkeetna, and this little town is listed on the NaƟonal Register of Historic Places. It is a unique rural community similar to the town portrayed on the Northern Exposure TV program.

Day 9

The Roadhouse’s main log building was built around 1917, making it one of the oldest establishments sƟll in operaƟon on Main Street in “beautiful downtown Talkeetna.” Since the mid-40’s the kitchen has been puƫng out hearty home cooking at the big family-style tables. The bakery produces all sorts of treats each day such as pies, a variety of cinnamon rolls, cookies, cakes and brownies as well as savory pastries, lasagna, mac-n-cheese, reindeer chili and soups...all made from scratch! They were recently featured in the Chicago Sun Times for the Pie Making classes and have been on two shows on the Travel Channel: Man vs. Food and 101 TasƟest Chowdown Places!

Talkeetna Flight Seeing

We will check-in at 7:30am for our 8:30 scheduled flight. This definitive flight seeing tour of Denali covers more of the Alaska Range than any other tour available. It is truly an unforgettable experience that includes the many faces of North America’s tallest mountain.

• Cross over the Alaska Range and witness the arcƟc alpine tundra of the north side of Denali NaƟonal Park’s remote interior
• The Wickersham Wall of Denali - the greatest continual verƟcal relief in the world

This flight will off er breathtaking views of the Alaska Range’s ice-age majesty, and we have added a glacier landing to your flight. You will step out onto a glacier at the foot of Denali and gaze up at the peaks rising thousands of feet over your head .