Alaska Travel Adventures

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Holly

Trip to Alaska is an adventure in and of itself. From the moment you step off your doorstep: a trip to your airport, all the security hoops you have to go through, the seemingly routine flight to either Anchorage or Fairbanks, Alaska with flaky nuts and bubbly soda pops, right up to the moment you get off the plane inhaling the crisp northernly air even in summer, yes, adventure galore. If you consider getting up to Alaska an adventure, then you have seen nothing yet!

Here is the list of true Alaskan Adventures that you should not miss:

Redoubt Bay Bear Viewing Tour:

Redoubt Bay Bears

View Alaska black and brown bears in their natural habitat on a guided, fly-out Alaska bear watching trip at Redoubt Bay Lodge – a small rustic hand-hewn lodge situated in a 171,000-acre critical habitat area. Your will take an intimate, 50-minute scenic flight seeing tour from Anchorage to Redoubt Bay Lodge, where you will have an interactive experience with Alaska natural history guides looking for bears, flora and fauna via a covered pontoon boat. While you are at it all, you will also enjoy homemade lunch in the cozy, rustic Redoubt Bay lodge. Taking a morning flight in and returning in the late afternoon, you can make this a perfect one-day adventure out of Anchorage.

Kenai Fjords Wildlife Cruise:

Puffins Kenai Fjords National Park

This is a 55-mile roundtrip adventure cruise into the exciting world of Alaska’s wildlife. This half-day Alaska wildlife cruise travels throughout the pristine waters of Resurrection Bay to allow for up close encounters with wildlife, cruising alongside large bird rookeries and sea lion colonies, making plenty of stops for pictures and to view passing whales and sea otters. You will also have the opportunity to view several types of glaciers, including the enormous Bear Glacier, which is the largest glacier in the Kenai Fjords National Park. This cruise experience is further enhanced by the presence of a National Park Rangers who will provide expert insight into wildlife, glaciers, whale watching and natural history of the area. This cruise depart daily from Seward, a seaside town located 125 miles south of Anchorage on Alaska’s famous Kenai Peninsula. The highly scenic drive to Seward from Anchorage provides countless views of mountains, inlets, lakes, rivers, glaciers and more. If you want to sit back and relax while you gaze at the spectacular sights, you can take roundtrip transportation aboard Alaska Railroad. Definitely the best day adventure in Seward.

Denali Backcountry Adventure:

Denali Park Road

This is the most complete Exploration of Denali National Park in One Day. Denali Backcountry Adventure is a full day narrated exploration along the Denali Park Road to Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna, returning to the Denali Park entrance in the evening. This trip into Denali National Park travels the entire length of the restricted 95-mile Denali Park Road to Kantishna in a private bus. Trained naturalist Guide/Driver provides natural history interpretation along the way, helping guests search for bears, moose, caribou and other wildlife while pointing out the biology and geology of the region. The bus makes multiple stops along the way for photography, and takes several rest stops where guests can stretch their legs. Snacks, and drinks are provided aboard the bus and a lunch is provided at the exclusive Denali Backcountry Lodge.

Down South — Alaska

Posted on March 3, 2010 by Holly

Seward – some call it the Switzerland of Alaska although officially that title belongs to infamous Valdez but Seward is no less pretty. It is surrounded by Lush Mountain. The Resurrection Bay adds a lot to the beauty, Kenai fjords is the #2 most visited national park second only to Denali National Park. The town is quaint and all along the shoreline you can see these little shops selling the gift items arranging charters selling food and alcoholic beverages. Some of the nicer Hotels are right on the shore too, Holiday Inn Express, Breeze Inn and Best Western EdgeWater Inn to name a few.

Several boat charters; floatplanes, regular plane and Helicopters are available for various activities.

One of my favorite activities is Jeff King’s Iditarod dog Kennel. It is great; you get to see the Iditarod Huskies, play with puppies, learn about Iditarod and then get a ride thru a wilderness area on a vehicle on wheels pulled by the dog team. It’s a “do not miss”.

And if you can afford it, at over $300 or $400 per person, you can get a helicopter ride to Godwin glacier, get the real Iditarod slay ride on the glacier. Our budget did not permit us that luxury so I can not speak from the first had experience.

The exit...

Another activity that comes to mind is the Exit glacier. If you have your own transportation it costs very little by way of admission but you get to touch and feel the ice of the real glacier, see and walk about on the glacial moraine. It will dwarf you just standing there at the toe of the glacier and thinking of the mile and mile of that river of ice. There are couples of other places where you could get this close to a glacier (on land) but I believe, this one is the most beautiful and yet easy to get to. Don’t ask me why it is called Exit Glacier, because I don’t know. I know the town was named after William Seward who negotiated the purchase of Alaska from Russians and I know Resurrection Bay was so named by the Russians who got there on a Good Friday but no idea about the Exit glacier.

The major activity that most folks come to Seward for is the trip of Kenai Fjords National Park. You can get a half day or a full day ride or if you prefer you can have a romantic dinner cruise. Remember the days are looooong so the dinner time also will feel like middle of the day. There are three good companies that provide these tours. Major Marine, Renown Tours and have of course the Kenai fjord tours. For several reasons, my personal favorite is Major Marine full day with nice meal included.

The folks at the Alaska Denali Tours did a great job booking us. In Alaska the distances and the logistics of getting from place to place is a little challenging. So the guidance of some one like the Alaska Denali Tours is highly recommended. 1-888-808-8068 They are so patient. They know that more than likely this is your first trip to Alaska, so they give you all the time you need to grasp the complexities. An hour-long conversation, I was told, was not unusual.

Alaska Travel, Tours and Destinations!

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Holly

Alaska Denali Tours. They offer you vacation packages that include; hotels, tours, cruises, Alaska Railroad and bus trips that are all-inclusive. The most popular areas to visit in Alaska are Seward, Anchorage, Denali Park, Talkeetna , Fairbanks, Denali National Park, and The Kenai Fjords.

Visit Today!

Start here to purchase Alaska vacation packages that come with Alaska vacation and travel information from the best Alaska source. Get your Alaska tour & travel information from Alaska Denali Tours provided Alaska travel and vacation information about Alaska that your tour & travel through the “Last Frontier” will be a dream vacation come true. Vacation transportation packages, Alaskan adventures, hotels, tours, one day cruises, Alaska Railroad and bus trips that are aboard a very spacious Motorcoach. You’ll have plenty of transportation options to choose from with Alaska Denali Tours. Packaged trips include popular destination cities such as Seward, Anchorage, Denali Park, Talkeetna and Fairbanks. The contact phone number for Alaska Denali Tours is 888-900-1992 & is open 7 days a week from 7am to 7pm.

Alaska hotel and lodging information that can easily be found and booked online for cities around Central and South Central Alaska. Seward, Anchorage, Denali Park, Talkeetna, Fairbanks and other Alaska destination accommodations provide great hotels and lodges like the Denali Backcountry Lodge, the Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge and the Seward Hotel Edgewater.

Tom S

Alaska Adventure Travel

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Holly

There are many reasons people travel to Alaska, one of the main being to get the sense of adventure in the last frontier. There are many tours and activities that you can do while in Alaska to get the feel of wilderness. Here are top five the most popular Alaska Adventure Tours:

Denali Backcountry Adventure:

This full day narrated bus trip explores the entire 92-mile restricted access Denali Park Road, offering you the most wildlife opportunities. Ask about the optional Drive-in Fly-out option.

Denali ATV Adventures:

It is fully guided Denali National Park ATV tours available only during summer from June till September. Add an adventure to your Alaska travel itinerary: the 2-hour Otto Lake tour and 4-hour Stampede Trail tour.

Full Day Kenai Fjords National Park Cruise:

This 120-mile full day cruise travels into Kenai Fjords National Park and to the Cherwell Islands National Wildlife Refuge, and is hosted by a uniformed National Park Ranger. One can also do the shorter version of this dedicated just for wildlife viewing, and is considered one of the best adventure trips out of Anchorage for those with limited time.

Prince William Sound Cruise:

In addition to witnessing glacier events like calving and icefalls, you’ll also see breathtaking scenery, towering waterfalls and wildlife. This day tour out of Whittier works out with perfect train connection from Anchorage, and can be made into a great day tour.

Redoubt Bay Bear Viewing Tour:

Fly via floatplane from Anchorage to Redoubt Bay and land at the doorstep of a remote wilderness lodge in prime Alaska bear viewing country. This tour is best done between late June through August.

Experience the Alaska Dream

Posted on March 2, 2010 by Holly

Alaska summers happen so fast that it’s hard to take it all in. Serious planning must be done to ensure an efficient Alaskan vacation. Searching the web for any ideas proved fruitful. Getting to Alaska was easy, though the flight time was something I did not expect so two extra days allotted for flight time. The day tours available for the attractions where accommodating. Once we got to Alaska, the dreams come true, the midnight sun, a mountain seen over 300 miles away, crab legs longer than my arm. The fresh air alone begs me to live here.

Easier done then said!

We start in Anchorage and take a motor coach to Seward for a couple of days of cruise excursions, whale watching, glaciers, fishing, bear viewing. It really can be done in a couple of days!

Next stop is the grand mountain of Denali, or some still refer to it as Mt McKinley. We stayed at the park entrance and “survived” river rafting in Alaska (I got the shirt), flight seeing and some of the most pristine hiking adventures you could imagine. We also took the Backcountry Adventure bus trip into the park, a true American safari, unbelievable!

Yes, we did it; we took the Alaska dream vacation. It was not as hard as we presumed. However, we did not get enough; we will be back next year.

Donna H.