Our popular Source to Sea Multisport adventure will allow you to sample the wonders of Alaska by hiking, kayaking, rafting, cruising and flying through it’s vast wilderness all while enjoying the comfort of nightly accommodations in some of Alaska’s most famous lodges and B&B’s. If you want to actively experience and participate in the “real” Alaska but would prefer not to camp, then this 12-day itinerary is the quintessential adventure.

Our trip will begin in Anchorage – Alaska’s largest city. On day two we’ll hit the road and head to Seward, a quaint fishing town located on the shore of Resurrection Bay. We’ll check into our hotel and will spend the afternoon exploring Exit Glacier. The next day we’ll kayak among whales, porpoises and sea lions in the spectacular waters of Kenai Fjords National Park.

Our next adventure along the journey includes a  seven hour cruise across Prince William Sound past the Columbia Glacier – Alaska’s largest tidewater glacier – and finally to Valdez, terminus of the Alaska pipeline. The following morning, we’ll boat to Shoup Bay and will spend the day sea kayaking among the icebergs of the stunning tidewater Shoup Glacier. We’ll then follow the Richardson Highway across Thompson Pass, the snowiest place in Alaska, and on to Chitina.

Airplanes will then whisk us through the Wrangell Mountains to the historic town of McCarthy, our home for two nights, where we’ll enjoy views of the 16,000’ peaks from the porch of the world famous Kennicott Glacier Lodge. After a day of hiking on a glacier and enjoying the rich mining history of the region with our experienced guides, we’ll return by air to Chitina and continue on our journey. We’ll cross the Glenn Highway and will spend the night in the historic Sheep Mountain Lodge’s log cabins as views of the mighty Chugach range dominate the horizon to the south.

Finally, we’ll make our way north to Denali National Park for three days of wonder that will include hiking, river rafting, wildlife viewing and, if the weather is kind, views of America’s highest peak. On day 12, we’ll return to Anchorage via the Alaska Railroad - a fitting finale to this wonderfully comprehensive introduction to adventuring in the “real” Alaska.

This trip originates in Anchorage, Alaska. Getting to Anchorage is a snap. Alaska Airlines, your travel agent, or the carrier of your choice can easily arrange roundtrip airfare from the lower 48.  Once you land in Anchorage, your adventure really begins.

Transportation: Alaska's sheer size requires the implementation of a wide variety of resources to reach it's most amazing destinations.  We'll travel by van, water taxi, ferry, small airplane, bus train during the course of the itinerary.  For the majority of the adventure, we will travel in Ford E350 passenger vans. These vehicles and are equipped with air conditioning, heat, and comfortable seats. Instead of using roof racks, like many tour operators in the state, we tow fully enclosed trailers. These trailers keep our gear and luggage accessible, clean and dry. 

Accommodations: We stay in a mix of hotels, modern cabins, and historic lodges. Lodging on night one will be at the Inlet Tower Hotel and Suites, which is located in downtown Anchorage: www.inlettower.com. This excellent hotel is clean, comfortable and very accommodating. All price are double occupancy. A single supplement fee of $900 will be added if you specifically request your own room for this trip.  Additional details regarding specific accommodation names and telephone numbers will be sent in your final packet.

The Experience: After breakfast you’ll meet your guide at 8am in the lobby of the hotel. Our first full day will allow us to collect our senses, gaze at the surrounding beauty, and get a feel for Alaska’s vastness. You will quickly become acquainted with our style of Alaska travel and etiquette. Meals are planned to be sumptuous, filling culinary adventures of their own. Because space in our trailers is critical, careful consideration is taken in planning and packing the ingredients. You can be assured every Alaska Alpine Adventures meal will be something you may never have experienced in the wilderness. We use gourmet products and the very best ingredients available.

What’s Included:

• 11 nights lodging
• 11 breakfasts, 11 lunches and 6 dinners
• Trekking poles
• Transportation:
  • Van transportation
  • Ferry to Valdez
  • Round-trip water taxi to Shoup Bay
  • Round-trip flights from Chitina to McCarthy
  • Train from Denali National Park to Anchorage
• Activities:
  • Guided hikes throughout the trip
  • Kayaking in Resurrection and Shoup Bays
  • Kennicott Copper Mill tour
  • 4 Hour Root Glacier Trek
  • Denali National Park bus tour
  • Nenana River rafting adventure
• Professional guide service at a maximum 6:1 client to guide ratio.

What’s Not:

• Lodging in Anchorage prior to and after your adventure.
• Personal gear (sleeping bags, packs, rain gear, etc.) please see gear list
• Trip cancellation insurance
• Alcoholic beverages
• Guide gratuities

Everyone asks:

What about the mosquitoes?
In case you've heard horror stories... the number of mosquitoes is greatly dependent on hatching season and annual weather conditions. While we are bound to encounter some mosquitoes during the course of our adventure, their numbers have not generally presented major problems on past trips in these specific areas. That said, please arrive prepared with insect repellent and a head net to fend off any mosquitoes that are present.

Will bears be a problem?
Alaska is bear country! There are both grizzly and black bears in most of the wilderness areas of Alaska we visit. We love seeing bears in the wild and it really is one of the most thrilling experiences common in Alaska backcountry travel. With that said, traveling safely and taking precautions to minimize a negative encounter are things we take very seriously. In addition to being subject to our thorough bear safety orientation, you’ll also see that we take many precautions when traveling in Alaska’s wilderness – 1 all of our food has been packaged to minimize odors – we vacuum seal most of our fresh ingredients and sauces, we pack our food in bear resistant food canisters, and we store our food well away from camp. 2 We make noise when we’re hiking in thick brush or when we’re hiking in windy conditions to minimize surprise encounters.  3 Our guides carry bear spray on all of the hikes throughout the adventures.

What kind of food might we expect?
Our food is excellent – in fact it is something that clearly differentiates us from our competitors. We have spent the past decade fine tuning our backcountry menu. Breakfasts include pancakes, scrambles, various homemade granolas and cereals, French pressed coffee, assorted teas and hot drinks. For lunch we enjoy foccacia sandwiches, bagels and Alaska lox, hummus and toasted pita chips, and assorted wraps. We also have homemade snack mixes both salty and sweet and energy and candy bars available throughout the day. Dinners could include lasagna, pad thai, beef mole’ tacos, penne pasta with a roasted red pepper pesto, wild mushroom risotto, etc. And we ALWAYS enjoy one of Derek’s home baked desserts after dinner.

When would you require a deposit? and how much? Trip cancellation insurance? Can we get it through you?
We require a deposit of $1000 per person to officially reserve a trip. Really the deposit is due as soon as you’d like to book. That way, we have the trip inked in on the schedule and can begin the effort to coax others into joining the adventure. When you decide to book, we then generate an invoice that we send by email. You’ll then have the option to pay the deposit by mailing us a check, calling us with a credit card number or by using a Visa, Master Card, or American Experss on our secure online payment system. As for trip cancellation insurance, Alaska Alpine Adventures is licensed to sell Travel Guard - an industry leading insurance product designed specifically for adventure travelers. Please contact us for details, or click here to obtain a quote.

Alaska Multisport:

Why have you chosen these specific destinations for your Multisport Adventures?
Alaska Alpine Adventures has been hiking, kayaking, rafting and exploring Alaska's national parks and wildlife refuges for over 10 years.  We feel that our Alaska Multisport Adventures visit the best of Alaska's road accessible destinations, giving our guests a fantastic sampling of Real Alaska has to offer.

What national parks will we be visiting?
You will visit Kenai Fjords, Wrangell-St. Elias and Denali National Parks.

There is a significant distance between each destination, how will we get there?
Alaska's sheer size requires the implementation of a wide variety of resources to reach its most amazing destinations.  We'll travel by van, water taxi, ferry, small airplane, bus and train during the course of the itinerary.  For the majority of the adventure, we will travel in Ford E350 passenger vans. These vehicles and are equipped with air conditioning, heat, and comfortable seats. Instead of using roof racks, like many tour operators in the state, we tow fully enclosed trailers. These trailers keep our gear and luggage accessible, clean and dry. 

Is transportation included in the price of the trip?
Absolutely, our trips are all inclusive from Anchorage. All you need to do is get yourself to Anchorage on Day 1 of your itinerary.

Where will you meet us?
Your Alaska Alpine Adventures guide will meet you at 6 PM at the B&B on the evening of night 1 for an orientation dinner and gear check.

Are we likely to see wildlife on our Multisport Adventure?
Absolutely.  Wildlife viewing is a major component of all of our adventures, and the destinations visited durning our Multisport Adventures are home to grizzly, coastal brown, and black bears, dall sheep, caribou, moose, wolves, as well as dall porpoises, harbor seals, sea lions, whales and tremedous seasonal populations of migratory birds.

Itinerary:

Day 1: Today you are free to arrive in Anchorage on your own. We’ll be staying at the Inlet Tower Hotel, which is located close to the airport and adjacent to downtown Anchorage. Meals on your own.

Day 2: This morning, you will meet your guides for breakfast and an orientation at 8am. We’ll then drive south from Anchorage through Turnagain Pass to Seward. The drive along the Seward Highway has been called one of the most scenic drives in the world. Beluga Whales cruise the waters of Turnagain Arm and glaciers cling to the rugged mountains of the Chugach Range. Our destination, Seward, a small port town on the shores of Resurrection Bay, is the gateway to Kenai Fjords National Park. Upon arrival, we’ll check into our hotel and will then head for a hike at Exit Glacier and the Harding Icefield. Our accommodations for the two nights in Seward are the Harborview Inn. All meals included.

Day 3: Today we’ll kayak in Kenai Fjords National Park. Kenai Fjords encompasses almost 1 million acres of tidewater glaciers, jagged peaks, deep fjords, the vast Harding Icefield, wildlife including whales, sea lions, eagles, puffins, bears and Mt. Goats. Breakfast & lunch included.

Day 4: We begin the day with a drive to Whittier along the Seward Highway. Along the way we’ll make a short visit to the Portage Glacier Visitor Center. Upon our arrival in Whittier, we’ll board an Alaska State Ferry for the trip to Valdez. Our crossing of Prince William Sound sails right along the face of the Columbia Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in North America. Tonight, we stay at Brookside B&B in Valdez. All meals included.

Day 5: Today we spend the day kayaking in Shoup Bay. We’ll squeeze into sea-kayaks and paddle up near the foot of this ancient tidewater glacier as it cracks, grumbles and calves massive blocks of ice into the bay. Sea kayaking among the floating miniature icebergs makes for a fun obstacle course to test our paddling skills as does riding the swift current of the connecting stream on an outgoing tide. We’ll also paddle past the largest Black Legged Kittiwake rookery in Prince William Sound. Breakfast & lunch included.

Day 6: We drive the Richardson Highway to Chitina. We’ll stop for a hike and picnic near the Worthington Glacier. The Worthington, a Natural Historic Landmark, is a spectacular glacier that tumbles from the Chugach Mountains. Our hike will take us up a sweeping moraine and we’ll enjoy stunning views of the blue ice and crevasses of the glacier and magnificent vistas of the mighty Chugach. From Chitina, we’ll make the 40 minute flight through the Wrangell Mountains to the historic town of McCarthy. We’ll check into the Kennicott Glacier Lodge, our home for two nights. This lodge has quite possibly the best view in Alaska and its historic charm, great food and warm hospitality make it one of the premier destinations in the state. All meals included.

Day 7: After breakfast, we’ll join St. Elias Alpine guides for an interpretive walk through the historic Kennicott Copper Mill before strapping on a pair of crampons and heading out on to the Root Glacier for a full four hours of glacier hiking. If time allows, we’ll take an afternoon hike to the Jumbo Copper Mine. Our glacier hike is suitable for beginners and children and is an amazing adventure on a real moving glacier. All meals included.

Day 8: We return by air to Chitina by noon. We then make our way north and west along the Glenn Highway. Views of Alaska’s Chugach Mountains, the Wrangell Mountains and the Alaska Range will accompany us along the way. We’ll check into Sheep Mountain Lodge where we’ll sleep in log cabins. Sheep Mountain Lodge, nestled in the Talkeetna Mountains, is a favorite destination for Alaskans and tourists alike. Its views and real Alaskan charm make for an unforgettable stay. Breakfast & lunch included.

Day 9: Today we make the drive past the mighty Matanuska Glacier and through the fertile Matanuska/Susitna Valley. We’ll stop along the way for a picnic in Denali State Park. If the weather is kind, we may enjoy our first views of Denali (Mt. McKinley) and the rest of the mighty Alaska Range. That evening, we will check into our hotel along the Nenana River near Denali National Park. All meals included.

Day 10: Today we’ll board the shuttle bus for the 60 mile ride through the heart of Denali National Park. Along the road corridor, keep your eyes peeled for Denali’s famous furry inhabitants carving out their existence amidst the some of the most amazing scenery in North America. We’ll look for caribou, moose, wolves and grizzlies. If the weather is kind, we’ll have a numerous chances to view Mt. McKinley – North America’s highest peak at 20,320’! Breakfast & lunch included.

Day 11: We’ll spend a half day rafting the mighty Nenana River. The Nenana is an exciting whitewater river and our expert guides will take us through canyons and rapids as we enjoy spectacular views of dall sheep grazing the peaks of the Alaska Range.  The rest of the day can be spent exploring more of the park and its facilities, or simply relaxing to the sights and sounds of this magnificent place.  All meals included.

Day 12: After a leisurely morning enjoying the sights of McKinley village, we’ll board the Alaska Railroad’s Denali Star for our eight hour rail cruise back to Anchorage. A highlight of the journey, the trip south by rail offers wonderful photographic opportunities and amazing views of this vast wilderness. Please schedule homebound flights for after 10pm. Breakfast & lunch included.