Alaska: Anchorage, Kenai Fjords & Denali — Expert-Led

Gateway to the Great Land

Touch down in Anchorage, Alaska’s largest urban hub, set against the dramatic backdrop of the Chugach Mountains. Settle into your hotel and spend the afternoon adjusting to the subarctic summer light. Stroll down the coastal trail or explore the downtown grid before preparing for the overland journey ahead.

Along the Turnagain Arm to Resurrection Bay

The journey south follows the Seward Highway, a route carved between the steep cliffs of the Chugach Range and the dramatic tidal flats of Turnagain Arm. Watch for the bore tide, a massive wave generated by extreme tidal fluctuations that surges into the inlet. Upon reaching the Kenai Peninsula, head directly to Kenai Fjords National Park to hike the Glacier Overlook Trail. This moderate 2.2-mile loop climbs through dense alder forests to a viewpoint overlooking the terminal face of Exit Glacier, where markers show the rapid retreat of the ice sheet over the past century. Continue to the coastal port of Seward, a historic fishing community on Resurrection Bay, where the afternoon is free for harbor walks or sea kayaking.

Glacial Calving and Marine Biomes of Kenai Fjords

Begin the morning at the Alaska SeaLife Center, a premier cold-water marine research facility dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation and subarctic ecological study. Afterward, board a catamaran to navigate the deep glacial carved fjords of Kenai Fjords National Park. The vessel charts a course past towering granite walls where nearly forty glaciers descend from the Harding Icefield. Reach the face of an active tidewater glacier to witness and hear the thunderous process of ice calving directly into the sea. The nutrient-rich waters of the fjord serve as a critical summer feeding ground for humpback and killer whales, Steller sea lions, sea otters, and harbor seals, while the steep cliffs host nesting colonies of horned and tufted puffins.