Alaska: Fjords, bears and glaciers | 4x4

This trip starts in Seattle, WA. If you arrive to town early enough, you could spend the rest of the day touring the city of Seattle. Highlights include the world famous Pikes Place Market, the Space Needle and of course, the downtown area. We recommend staying in SeaTac by the airport, but if you wish to spend more than one night in Seattle it might make more sense to stay in the downtown area.

Overnight: Seattle

The day starts with an early morning flight to Wrangell, Alaska, a beautiful and secluded town located in the heart of the Alaskan inside passage. Once in Wrangell, you’ll spend the rest of the day touring the towering fjords of the area using an 18-seat heated jet boat (no worries! marine head is available on board). The final destination is LeConte Glacier, a blue-ice glacier surrounded by granite cliffs and snowy peaks. The glacier is active and calving regularly, and marine wildlife can often be seen on the icebergs floating in the bay. On some dates, the tour will also include a visit to the town of Petersburg, a fishing town established by Norwegian settlers. Eventually the boat will bring you back to Wrangell, where you’ll spend the night.

Overnight: Wrangell, AK

The day starts with a flight to Juneau, Alaska’s capitol, located in the north part of the Inside Passage. Once in Juneau, you’ll have the rest of the day available for exploration. Perhaps the most recognized highlight of the city is Mendenhall Glacier, an extension of the Juneau Icefield that slopes down almost to the town borders. The glacier ends in a big glacial lake, where you can find a visitor center and a good variety of hiking trails. If you have enough time and energy, you could tackle the challenging west trail, leading to the glacier itself. Other options in the area include a ride on the Mt. Roberts Tram (great views and easy ridge hiking), or a tasting tour at the popular Alaskan Brewery in town. Foodies, please take note: downtown Juneau is also home to a surprising number of good quality eateries.
Accommodation in Juneau.

Overnight: Juneau, AK

This morning you’ll have some free time to continue exploring Juneau. Then, around mid-day, depart from Juneau using a small aircraft and go on a scenic flight along the coast and through the mountains and into the tiny town of Gustavus. This will be your home base from which you’ll explore Glacier Bay National Park over the next couple of days.

Glacier Bay, one of Alaska’s most famous parks, was covered in ice up until roughly 200 years ago. The ice has been receding ever since, revealing pristine soil which was soon covered by thick temperate rain forest. Today the park boasts a dynamic and evolving ecosystem, and is still home to 16 different glaciers.

Your lodge for the next two nights is located in Bartlett Cove, a beautiful bay about 20 minutes outside of Gustavus. A short hike in the afternoon through one of the forested trails near the lodge is highly recommended.

Overnight: Gustavus, AK

Today, board a small cruise boat and go on a beautiful tour of Glacier Bay National Park. The trip begins from the dock in Bartlett Cove, and the destination is the heavily-glaciated western arm of the bay. The bay is rich with marine wildlife, including sea lions, seals and whales, and the coastline is frequently being used by bears as they patrol their territories. Once deep into the bay, the boat will stop for a while in front of the impressive Margerie Glacier, where large chunks of ice often calve off the glacier and crash into the sea below.

The cruise ends in Bartlett Cove in the early afternoon hours, allowing for some more explorations in the trails near the lodge.

Overnight: Gustavus, AK

Point Adolphus, located across the bay from Glacier Bay, is probably one of the best locations in the state to view whales. This rich habitat is home to a large population of humpback whales which return here every summer to feed.

Today, board a small whale-watching boat (28 ft) and go on a 3 hour cruise in search of these giant creatures. The tour could depart in the morning or around noon, depending on availability. Then, in the afternoon, leave Gustavus and board the flight to Anchorage.

Anchorage is by far the biggest city in the state, and home to about half of the population. Your hotel tonight will be in the airport vicinity.

Most car rentals companies offer airport pickup, with the exception of some local agencies who are located a short taxi ride away.

Overnight: Anchorage, AK

Your destination today is Wrangell-St. Elias National Park – a huge park that forms a part of the largest natural reserve complex in the world (along with adjacent parks in Canada and Alaska). The Park contains some of the tallest mountains in North America, the highest of them all being Mount St. Elias (18,000 feet).

The town of McCarthy and the ghost town of Kennicott, only five miles apart, are located in the heart of the park and getting to them is an adventure in itself.  The only road into the east side of the park is the Mccarthy Road, a scenic and narrow gravel road with a rather rough reputation. That reputation is not always deserved (it used to be much rougher in the past), and the drive to the town of Mccarthy typically takes about 2.5 hours. The road offers some fantastic views, especially when following the immense Copper River and crossing the super-deep Kuskulana Canyon.

McCarthy is a tiny outpost that developed alongside the Kennecott mines, super-rich copper mines which operated here in the early 20th century and eventually abandoned in the 1930s. The difficult access prevents this area from becoming a big-numbers tourist attraction, which is exactly how the locals want to keep it.

The afternoon hours will be dedicated to exploring Wrangell St. Elias National park from the air. Since the park is so huge, the only way to properly see it and understand the landscape is flying over it. Fortunately, the local air taxi offers some incredible flightseeing trips. If you wanted to see glaciers and mountains, this is your lucky day.

The flight is 50 mins long (upgrades are available), and it ends at the Mccarthy airport.

Overnight: Kennicott / McCarthy, AK

A short walking distance from the deserted ghost town of Kennicott lays the white ice of the Root Glacier. This will be your playground for the first half of the day: The local guides will meet you in the morning, and lead you on the 2 mile hike along the glacier to the access point. You’ll spend the next few hours hiking, observing and photographing the glacier’s unique landscape: waterfalls disappearing into the ice, ice caves, turquoise pools and super-clear meandering streams. You’ll get the professional gear (crampons and gloves) from the guides; the physical challenge is not more extreme than a regular hike and the whole experience is a true highlight. The tour ends back in Kennicott around 2-3 pm; group size is typically 8-10 people. Extended tours and / or privately guided departures are available at an extra cost (and if you truly feel adventurous, ask us about the ice climbing option).

The afternoon could be spent in a number of ways: you could tour the remnants of Kennicott’s deserted buildings independently, or you could do it as a guided tour (*not included). Tours are about 2.5 hrs long and are well worth the effort and the minor extra cost. Another great option is to take the shuttle down to Mccarthy and visit the local bar for an evening of live music and loud locals.

Accommodations in Kennicott or McCarthy.

Overnight: Kennicott / McCarthy, AK

This morning, drive the Mccarthy Road back from McCarthy to Chitina. Once reunited with firm pavement, keep west towards the Richardson Highway, the scenic road that connects Fairbanks in the north to Valdez in the south.

The road takes you south along the mountain views of Thompson Pass and Worthington Glacier, then into the steep and narrow Keystone Canyon, where huge waterfalls come down crashing the canyon walls. Valdez itself is located at the east side of Prince William Sound, a gorgeous bay full of glaciers and wildlife.

The sound earned some unwanted international attention in 1989, when the oil tanker Exxon Valdez caused a catastrophic oil spill and an environmental disaster that lasted for decades. Today the damage is not visible to the eye and most of the wildlife is back to pre-1989 population size, but in a community where most folks work either in the oil industry or as commercial fishermen, this is still an open wound.

Overnight: Valdez, Alaska

Located in the northeast corner of Prince William Sound and not too far from Valdez, Columbia Glacier is one of Alaska’s biggest tidewater glaciers. This impressive giant has been receding rapidly in recent years, leaving behind a narrow bay choked with blue ice.

Today’s tour departs Valdez before noon. The destination is the humongous face of the Columbia Glacier, where one can witness some impressive (and sometimes outright crazy) calving activity. The captain will maneuver the boat as close as possible to the glacier’s face (safety first, of course), allowing for some fantastic photo ops. Occasionally the ice in front of the glacier can become too thick to go through, but the scenery is wonderful nevertheless. The boat is quite spacious (two decks, covered and heated), light lunch is included, and the tour is about 6 hours long.

During the morning or the evening hours, consider a quick drive from Valdez to the opposite side of the bay, where the Salomon Gulch Hatchery is located. The hatchery itself, producing millions of salmon annually, is interesting enough; that said, the major attraction is often the wildlife exploiting the situation. Have fun, take lots of photos and keep your eyes open – bears are often seen here, along with otters, sea lions, seals, bald eagles and many other birds, mostly gulls and kittiwakes.

Overnight: Valdez, AK

Your destination today is the town of Girdwood, about 45 minutes drive south of Anchorage. The road to Girdwood runs parallel to Turnagain Arm, a narrow bay known for its panoramic views and extreme tides. This is also a great area for wildlife viewing, especially beluga whales and Dall sheep.

A ski town in winter, Girdwood turns during summer into a hub for local outdoor activities. The Crow Pass Trail, one of Alaska’s best hiking trails, is right out of town (4-6 hours RT). If you’re looking for a flatter hiking experience, Winner Creek Trail offers a fun walk in the rainforest all the way to a great little view point called “the Gorge”. Overlooking the town is Mt. Alyeska, and you can take the tram to the top and enjoy some excellent views of the area. Other options include bike rentals, dog sledding, helicopter flightseeing tours, and more.

Overnight: Girdwood, AK

A full day in Girdwood. Depending on your energy level at this point of the tour, you can either use this day to explore the wonderful area around Girdwood, or you could simply take it easy and focus on vacation time. Either way, this will be a fun day.

Overnight: Girdwood, AK

Drive back north to Anchorage and enjoy another look at the beautiful views along the Turnagain Arm. If you arrive early in the day, consider a visit to either the Anchorage Museum of History and Arts, or the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Other good options include a walk along the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail, or a hike up the popular trail to Flattop Mt.

The trip ends at the Ted Stevens International Airport in town, where you return your rental car and begin the journey back home.