At a little more than 125 miles from the Arctic Circle, Fairbanks truly can be considered, “the end of the road.” After breakfast at your hotel, take a brief tour of historical Fairbanks and to the campus of the University of Alaska Fairbanks to pay a visit to the new highly acclaimed museum. Newly completed expansion of the museum has created one of the finest collections of artifacts from Alaska’s rich history, explanations of the indigenous cultures and displays of the natural wonders of this part of the world. You’ll be greeted at the door by Otto, the 8-foot, 9-inch-tall grizzly bear that is the museum’s mascot. You won’t want to miss the mummified remains of Blue Babe, a 36,000-year-old Alaska steppe bison on display.

We’ll take an authentic sternwheeler ride of the Chena River before getting back into our motorcoach and heading off to the mountains. We’ll be following the George Parks Highway on our way to Denali. Finished in 1971, the highway links the major communities of Anchorage with Fairbanks and presents picture-postcard views at nearly every bend. En route you’ll enjoy spectacular sweeping vistas.

When we reach Nenana, a large village at the confluence of the Tanana and Nenana Rivers, you will see how the river systems of Alaska’s Interior are comparable to highways, considering the amount of freight that is moved on barges to the small villages. We’ll climb the rolling hills north of the Alaska Range. These imposing mountains create a rain shadow in this area as the moisture that blows inland from the Gulf of Alaska precipitates on the south side of the mountains, leaving this area relatively cold and arid. You may notice the stunted and scattered vegetation and learn of the significance of the great expanse of permafrost. Those short, sickly looking trees you’ll see are actually hundreds of years old.

Just past the town of Healy we will follow the Nenana River as it cuts through Healy Canyon and then it’s up to the village of Denali. Enjoy a privately catered dinner and hear an exclusive presentation by the Denali Foundation, a non-profit organization devoted to the education and preservation of the natural wonders of Denali National Park. The Denali Education Center naturalists will provide you with an exclusive presentation on the Sub-Arctic Climate.  Enjoy a Denali Dinner Dine Around and overnight at your Denali Hotel.

Breakfast at your Denali Hotel before boarding a bus to the Denali Depot.  One of the many highlights of this day is the opportunity to take in the breathtaking scenery aboard your luxury domed railcar. This segment of the Alaska Railway is considered by far the most scenic portion of the trip and takes travelers farther away from the Parks Highway and deeper into the virtually untouched wilderness. Moose, bears and bald eagles can often be sighted along the route and at certain times of the summer the salmon can be seen spawning in the streams. Of the many spectacular sights along the way, perhaps the most magnificent is Hurricane Gulch, where a bridge spans 914 feet and rises 296 feet above the creek below.

Alaska’s capital city is in the northern heart of the United States’ largest National Forest. Juneau is the only state capital that is inaccessible by roadways. Even though it is located on the mainland, the surrounding imposing mountains and massive icefield create a community accessible only by air or water. And it takes only minutes to cruise along Gastineau Channel into the wilderness.

Some of the best optional excursions in Alaska are available in Juneau. Perhaps a flightseeing trip over the famous Juneau Ice Field, exploring the impressive Mendenhall Glacier.