Alaska National Parks Tour

June 14 – June 24, 2025
11 Days, 10 Nights

$4,150

Anchorage, Seward, Kenai Fjords National Park, Denali National Park, and Fairbanks

The $4,150 tour fee is based on double occupancy lodging. 

Overview

Anchorage

• Sunday service with the Anchorage UUs
• Alaska Native Heritage Center
• Welcome dinner hosted by Anchorage UUs
• Anchorage Museum OR nature walk
• 3 nights with Anchorage UU hosts

Seward / Kenai Fjords National Park

• Alaska Railroad to Seward
• 2 nights lodging in a comfortable Seward hotel
• Visit to Exit Glacier hiking trails and Visitor Center
• Alaska SeaLife Center
• 7 hour Kenai Fjords National Park boat tour: whales, glaciers, sea lions, etc.

Denali National Park

• First Class Alaska Railroad full dome car to Denali National Park
• 2 nights lodging in nearby cabins
• Interpretive 5-6 hour Tundra Wilderness Tour
• Optional Nenana River whitewater rafting ($140)
• Free time to enjoy Visitor Center, walking trails, sled dog demonstration, etc.

Fairbanks

• Alaska Railroad to Fairbanks
• 3 nights with Fairbanks UU hosts
• Riverboat Discovery cruise on the Chena River
• Alaska State Museum of the North (at UAF)
• Large Animal Research Station tour (“Musk Ox Farm”)
• Optional gentle canoe trip on the Chena River ($30)
• Sunday service with the Fairbanks UUs
• “My Fairbanks” custom afternoon tours led by Fairbanks UUs
• Goodbye dinner hosted by Fairbanks UUs

Optional Tour Activities:

• Whitewater Rafting ($140)
• Canoe Trip ($30)

Alaska National Parks Tour Slideshow 

Detailed Itinerary

Day One (6/14, Sat.)

The 2025 Alaska National Parks tour begins in Anchorage, Alaska’s biggest city. Each guest arranges (and pays for) their own flight. It is recommended that you arrive in Anchorage in the afternoon or early evening, so you can have some time to acclimate and get a good night’s sleep. You will be met at the Ted Stevens International Airport by an Anchorage UU greeter and spend the night with your UU host. Since most guests arrive later in the day, no meals or activities are included on arrival day.

Day Two (6/15, Sun.)

After breakfast with your hosts, you will go to the Anchorage UU fellowship for a tour orientation, then we will attend their Sunday service. Following the service, we will take a bus to the Alaska Native Heritage Center, where we will eat lunch and learn about the five Alaskan indigenous groups – Athabascan, Yupik, Inupiaq, Alutiiq, and Tlingit/Haida. Reconstructed Native Alaskan dwellings surround a small lake. Docents at each structure explain the traditions of their people. Contemporary artists, dancers, and storytellers put on performances every half hour in the main hall of the museum. Native craftspeople in another wing will be demonstrating their work and talking about their craft and heritage. You will be fascinated by the displays and performances such as Native dancing. We will travel back to the Anchorage UU Fellowship for a delicious welcome dinner feast in their wonderful sanctuary. You will spend the night again at your host’s home.

Day Three (6/16, Mon.)

This morning you will be treated to one of the most beautiful train rides in the world. The Alaska Railroad travels to Seward along the ocean, past glaciers, and over miles of unspoiled forest and tundra. We’ll watch for sure-footed Dall sheep. On one trip, a half dozen of them scampered gracefully down the steep cliff by the tracks. It was such a good sighting that the train stopped for a few minutes so we could watch them. After arriving in Seward, we will enjoy a delicious lunch at a local restaurant. In the afternoon, we’ll visit Exit Glacier, the only part of Kenai Fjords National Park that is accessible by road. You can walk the easy one mile round trip hike to the Glacier View viewpoint, or choose the longer two mile round trip hike to get a closer view of the glacier. You can also visit the Visitor Center. During the second part of the afternoon, we will visit the Alaska SeaLife Center, a unique cold water marine science facility. We’ll see arctic marine life in huge saltwater tanks and watch puffins and murres “fly” underwater. Dinner($) is on your own, with many local restaurants to choose from. (Note: whenever you see the ($) symbol, it means that you are responsible for the designated meal. Your tour includes an average of two meals per day.) Lodging will be at a hotel in Seward.

Day Four (6/17, Tue.)

After breakfast at the hotel buffet, we board a 7.5-hour boat tour that takes us through Kenai Fjords National Park. Wear clothing in layers, since there can be a large range in temperature as we move about the ocean and along the shore. Our boat has two large heated cabins, but you’ll want to step outside on deck as soon as the first marine wildlife is spotted. That will probably be a sea otter before we get very far from the dock. They’re often seen floating on their backs in Resurrection Bay as we head towards the National Park. An orca breached next to the boat here during one trip, and a fin whale once surfaced in the middle of a pod of orcas. We often see humpback whales, sea lions, and seals —and perhaps a bear or mountain goat along the shore. There’s a chance we will encounter Dall’s porpoises playfully racing alongside our boat. There will be arctic birds as well—puffins, auklets, murres and others—and a tidewater glacier calving icebergs into the sea. A box lunch is included with the tour. Dinner($) is on your own at one of Seward’s many fine restaurants. You will again spend the night at the hotel in Seward.

Day Five (6/18, Wed.)

After your breakfast buffet at the hotel, you will take a scenic, narrated bus tour to Anchorage. Lunch will be at a local Anchorage restaurant. You will have a choice of two afternoon activities. One option is to visit the superb Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson Center. The museum has incredible collections of Native and contemporary Alaskan art exhibits on Alaska’s cultures from the earliest inhabitants to the 750,000 people living in the state today. The other option involves a nature walk to search for birds and maybe even a moose, as well as take in the scenic views. At the end of the afternoon, your Anchorage UU host will pick you up. Dinner($) is on your own. If you are so inclined, tonight would be the time to take your hosts out to dinner to thank them for their hospitality. You will stay at your host’s home tonight.

Day Six (6/19, Thur.)

After breakfast with your hosts, you will board the scenic Alaska Railroad train to Denali National Park. Our unforgettable journey takes us through the Alaska Range, along several wild and scenic rivers, and above breathtaking Hurricane Gulch. If it is clear, there will be stunning views of snow-capped mountains, including Denali. We will be traveling first class in a glass dome car. Breakfast and lunch in the dining car are included on this leg of the trip. It’s a delight to dine while you watch the scenery go by. We arrive in Denali at 4:00 pm. You can either go directly to the cabins, or spend some quality time in the park and shuttle to the cabins later. Choices include numerous walking trails, a free park bus that travels the first 12 miles along the park road, and interpretive displays at the Visitor Center. Dinner ($) will be on your own. There is a restaurant on site at the cabins, and many others just a short walk or a shuttle ride away. Our cabins are on the hillside just across the Nenana River from the park boundary.

Day Seven (6/20, Fri.)

We will have a to-go breakfast at our cabins this morning. Afterward, we board a Tundra Wilderness Tour bus to take us deep into the park. This 5-6 hour tour is a great way to see many animals – moose, caribou, sheep, grizzly bear, wolf, fox, unique birds, etc.—and get a feel for the sheer expanse of Denali National Park. It’s the size of Massachusetts. If we’re fortunate enough to see Denali, we’re in for something spectacular! Even if the mountain is not visible (it’s in full view only a few days per month), the wildlife and natural beauty is still well worth the trip. After your tour, you can take the rest of the day to enjoy the park. Dinner($) is on your own. Lodging is at the cabins.

Day Eight (6/21, Sat.)

After breakfast ($) on your own, either from the cabins or from a local cafe just a short walk away, you have until late afternoon to relax at the cabins or explore the park. You can visit the park sled dog kennel for an informative demonstration, walk/hike another trail, or join a ranger-led walk. For a more thrilling experience, you can opt for whitewater rafting (see below). Lunch($) is on your own. Late in the afternoon, we board the Alaska Railroad for a scenic ride to Fairbanks. The train passes through the deep Nenana River canyon, forested valleys, and the Alaska Native village of Nenana, before bringing us to Fairbanks. This “Golden Heart City,” began as a turn-of-the-century gold rush town. Surviving several boom and bust cycles throughout the past century, it ranks as Alaska’s second largest city. Dinner($) will be in the train cafe car. Your Fairbanks UU host will meet you at the depot and take you to their home for the night.

(Option: Whitewater Rafting, $140)

Saturday morning, you have the option of a thrilling whitewater rafting trip on the Nenana River. No experience is necessary, since your professional guide will help navigate the rapids. You will be issued a drysuit to keep you comfortable. The $140 cost includes an action photo of each rafting group plus all gratuities. 

Day Nine (6/22, Sun.)

You have a choice about how to spend the first part of your Sunday morning. After breakfast with your hosts, you are invited to join the local UUs for a gentle canoe trip on the Chena River (see below), ending at the UUFF sanctuary for their morning service. No experience is necessary. They try to match novices with experienced locals. We might see beaver or moose. If you would rather sleep in, that’s just fine. Your host can drive you directly to the 10:30 am service. The UUs will host us for lunch. After lunch, the local UUs will treat us to a special afternoon in their hometown. We call this program, “My Fairbanks.” They will offer a variety of unique tours tailored to their own knowledge and interests. Examples may include nature walking, hiking, local history, gold mining, fishing, cabin living tour, etc. You might even venture to a nearby spring, lake, organic farm, or rock formation. Fairbanksans are passionate about their community, and selecting just one of these offerings will be difficult indeed! Dinner($) is on your own. This would be your opportunity to take your hosts out to dinner if you are so inclined. You will again spend the night at your host’s home.

(Option: Canoe to Sunday Service, $30)

You have the option of a gentle canoe trip down the Chena River to the UUFF building for their Sunday Service. No experience is necessary, and they will pair experienced paddlers with those who haven’t canoed before. You will likely see beavers and beaver lodges as you paddle downstream for about 1.5 hours.

Day Ten (6/23, Mon.)

Another fine summer day in Fairbanks! After breakfast, your host will drive you to the riverboat dock. The Riverboat Discovery, Alaska’s last sternwheeler paddleboat, will cruise the Chena River. Along the way, we’ll stop at a sled dog kennel, where an Iditarod veteran educates us about the sport of dog mushing. We’ll even get to see the dogs enthusiastically pull a dogsled on wheels. Later, an Athabascan woman will welcome us to her fish camp to show us how she catches salmon in a fish wheel, cleans them, and smokes them. We’ll meet her again in the reconstructed village and learn about their gorgeous parkas from different furs. Native Alaskan young people, home from college for the summer, are docents in the village. This is a fascinating window into Athabascan culture. Following our cruise, we will eat lunch overlooking the Chena River. Our afternoon will feature a tour of the UAF Large Animal Research Station (locals call it the “Musk Ox Farm”), where we’ll see musk ox, caribou and reindeer. Our docent, who is specially trained in the biology of the large mammals, will tell us about them. The musk ox lived through the last ice age – the only successful large terrestrial mammal to continuously occupy the arctic for the past 10,000 years. We will also visit the magnificent University of Alaska Museum of the North. The building is exciting inside and out, and its art and exhibits are outstanding. It includes interesting exhibits on Alaskan animals, Alaska history, and the arctic environment. One permanent exhibit by Fairbanks composer John Luther Adams is in a room titled “The Place Where We Go To Listen.” It creates music from data streams measuring the rhythms of night and day, the phases and positions of the moon, the changing sky conditions, seismic readings, and disturbances in the Earth’s magnetic field. Our last evening together will feature a delicious dinner hosted by the Fairbanks UUs in their beautiful sanctuary followed by a slide show, using pictures contributed by you and your fellow guests. It will be a sweet, nostalgic ending to our delightful experience together. You will spend the night at your host’s home. 

Day Eleven (6/24, Tue.)

You will have breakfast with your hosts. Your tour ends today, when your hosts bring you to the airport for your morning flight. Guests are responsible for arranging and paying for their return flight home from Fairbanks. If your flight departs after 12:00 noon, you will be responsible for your own transportation to the airport. One option would be to ride with your hosts downtown in the morning, experience some Fairbanks attractions and activities, and take a bus or taxi to the airport to catch your flight. You might also consider remaining one or more nights in Fairbanks and arranging to stay at a local hotel to continue your adventure. There are many fine additional activities and attractions in or near Fairbanks that are well worth the extra time. We hope you will have enjoyed a unique and wonderful adventure with WhaleCoast Alaska!