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Yukon Territory & Alaska Camping Holiday
Hiking & Camping Guided Van Tour |
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Alaska is a territory of immense beauty and startling contrasts: sweeping glaciers feed turquoise green lakes, towering mountains frame open vistas of orange moss tundra, grizzly bears casually fish for salmon along raging rivers.
In this last frontier our camping adventure tour of Alaska takes us into four national parks, areas that contain the highest mountain ranges in North America: Kluane, St.Elias-Wrangell Range and Mt. McKinley. We'll travel past sweeping glaciers that meet the road, often seeing wildlife, and travel on famous stretches of road such as the Alaska Highway, the George Parks Highway, the Top of the World Highway and the Klondike Highway.
North of Fairbanks, Alaska, we connect with the Dalton Highway, a desolate stretch of gravel that crosses the vastness of the Arctic Circle and terminates at the Arctic Ocean. We make camp just north of the Arctic Circle, keeping a lookout for herds of caribou or grizzlies. Turning south, we head for a soothing soak in the natural hotsprings at Chena. On this adventure vacation of Alaska, you'll discover the spectacular is normal!
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Day 01 Whithorse - Tok, AK.
The tour begins in Whitehorse, which is just a short 2-hour drive from Kluane NP. We travel west along the Alaska Highway and through Kluane National Park, reaching the Sheep Mountain trailhead in the late morning. Here your guide will lead you on a half-day hike up Sheep Mountain, which provides great views of the area and is often, a place for spotting wildlife. In the late afternoon we continue our drive to Tok, where we set up camp for the night.
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Day 02 & 03 McCarthy/St-Elias-Wrangell
We reach the town of McCarthy via a gravel road that was once an old railway bed. Along route we make a number of picture stops including the abandoned super structures of railway bridges. After we set up camp we head out to explore the village of McCarthy. On Day 3 you have the option to go for a guided glacier ice-walk on the Root Glacier or for the more adventurous you may want to try ice climbing.
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Day 04 & 5 Valdez, AK.
We drive over Thompson Pass and stop at the Worthington Glacier. Valdez is located on the north shore of Port Valdez, a deepwater fjord in Prince William Sound. It is the southern terminus of the Trans-Alaska oil pipeline. The Richardson Highway, Alaska's first road, passes through the magnificent scenery of the Chugach Mountains. On route we visit Keystone Canyon. On Day 5 travellers have the opportunity to do a cruise out into Prince William Sound or to try some great sea-kayaking among the glaciers and “iceberg bits” known as “burgies”.
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Day 06 Anchorage, AK
The drive to Anchorage is punctuated by numerous scenic stops, including the Matanuska Glacier and the Palmer Valley. Anchorage is the largest city in Alaska and is situated at the headland of Cook Inlet. Surrounded by mountains on all sides, Anchorage makes a great stop to re-furbish our supplies before we head out to Denali. While in Anchorage passengers can visit the world famous “Chilkoot Charlies” rustic saloon, and sample a bit of the traditional Alaskan nightlife.
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Day 7 & 8 Denali National Park
We drive the scenic George Parks Highway with spectacular views of Mt McKinley and stop at the village of Talkeetna, the starting point for some of the great climbers of the Alaska Range. Later we visit the information centre at Denali National Park and pick up our park and bus tickets. Our tour leader orientates the group to the park area. On Day 8 we spend a full day in the park. This tour includes bus tickets to Eielson visitor centre. From here we can explore the vastness and true wilderness of Denali National Park.
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Day 09 Arctic Circle
From Denali we head north through the city of Fairbanks and along the Elliot Highway (a single lane gravel road) to the isolated tundra of the Arctic Circle, en route we stop at the village of Nennana. At the Arctic Circle we will experience almost 24 hours of daylight. Our campsite is very rustic, and passengers should be prepared to really “get away from it ALL.” Great views of the Brooks Range.
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Day 10 & 11 Chena Hot Springs
From the Arctic Circle we drive southeast to the scenic resort of Chena Hot Springs. Your tour includes entrance to Chena Hot Springs where passengers can enjoy a soak after their night on the tundra. These mineral based hot springs include two indoor whirlpools and large swimming pool, and a large outdoor rock lake pool and whirlpool. Optional activities include, bike and ATV rentals, horsebackriding, or pampering yourself at the resort with a relaxing massage.
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Day 12 Delta Junction
Leaving Denali National Park we make our way to Fairbanks where we visit downtown and the University of Alaska. After touring Fairbanks we drive east to Delta Junction, the official ending of the Alaska Highway
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Day 13 Dawson City
After the descent from the Top of the World Highway we reach the Klondike gold rush boomtown of Dawson City. Our camp overlooks the Yukon River and Dawson City. In Dawson City passengers have the option to visit the abandoned Gold Dredge #4, pan for gold and enjoy the nightlife at Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Saloon. Free time is given to explore local hiking trails, a sternwheeler graveyard, the Palace Grand Hotel, Gaslight Follies and the Klondike Goldrush Museum.
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Day 14 Whitehorse
We leave Dawson City to make our way south to Whitehorse. At Moose Creek Lodge, an original roadhouse built during the gold rush years, we visit an authentic trapper's cabin. We also stop at Five Finger Rapids for a short hike down to the Yukon River, where dangerous rapids made it difficult for the sternwheelers to plough the waters. We arrive in Whitehorse at approximately 5:00 pm.
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