Alaska's Northern Lights

Your journey starts in Anchorage, a city on the edge of the snowcapped Chugach Mountains and 60 sparkling glaciers. This is your gateway to wilderness and adventure. Due to varied arrivals, there are no group activities planned for today.
Hotel Name: Hilton Anchorage

Experience a captivating introduction to Anchorage before embarking on a journey along the Seward Highway, following the stunning shorelines of Turnagain Arm, considered one of the most picturesque highways in America. Then, visit the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center with a guide to explore this sanctuary dedicated to preserving Alaska’s wildlife through education, research, and quality animal care. In the evening, gather with new friends for a welcome dinner in a local restaurant.

Breakfast Included
Lunch Included
Dinner Included

Visit Area: Anchorage
A young city founded in 1915, Anchorage is a vibrant city of just over 300,000 people. From its humble origins as a railroad town for the Alaska Railroad, the largest city in Alaska maintains its frontier history in an idyllic mountain setting.

Take a step into the past when you visit Musk Ox Farm. Learn about the Musk Ox project – a sustainable domestication effort that has worked to preserve, protect, and increase awareness for these wooly creatures since 1954. Continue on to Talkeetna as Denali, North America’s tallest mountain, looms large over the landscape. Perhaps you will take an optional flightseeing tour and experience a breathtaking perspective of Denali (weather permitting). Check into the iconic Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, perched on a ridge offering unforgettable views of Denali (when conditions allow). Later, perhaps you will spend some time on the lodge’s expansive deck, a great place to search for the northern lights, or just enjoy some hot cocoa by the roaring fireplace in the great room.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included
Hotel Name: Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

Admittance: Northern Lights Excursions
Search for the Northern Lights (aurora borealis), and wait to witness the sky erupt in a riot of ethereal colors. Alaska is an ideal place to seek out the legendary northern lights. The best time to catch them is after 10:00 p.m. and before 2:00 a.m., with an expert guide and a mug of hot chocolate.

Begin your day with a lecture on the down-to-earth Alaskan lifestyle before hopping on Alaska Railroad’s Aurora Winter Train for a full-day journey to Fairbanks. Sit back and relax as you are whisked away, through snow-covered mountains and striking valleys. Have your cameras ready – the train conductor will point out wildlife as you pass by. Dinner is included in the train’s dining car. This evening you arrive in Fairbanks, your home for the next three nights and one of the best places in Alaska to see the northern lights.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included
Hotel Name: Pikes Waterfront Lodge

Admittance: Alaska Wildlife Conservation Area

Enjoy a full day at leisure in the city of Fairbanks. Take this opportunity to relax or flex your sense of adventure with optional excursions: consider flightseeing to the Arctic Circle. Late this evening, chase the legendary northern lights, considered to be one of the most amazing natural spectacles in the world. Walk out in the snow under an unspoiled bed of stars and search for the shimmering hues of green.

Breakfast Included

Visit Area: Talkeetna
This historic village is the go-to travel destination for avid mountain climbers. Situated at the bottom of Denali, the highest mountain peak in North America, Talkeetna serves as a base for climbers. Aside from its athletic draw, visitors can browse art galleries, local trades, and even the historic Nagley’s General Store (almost 100 years old!) With a population of less than 900 people, Talkeetna is a genuine Alaskan small town.

Feel the brisk air and discover Fairbanks, the perfect combination of nature and civilization. Look into the past at the Antique Auto Museum, where vintage cars sit between timely artifacts and fashionable designer dresses from times gone by. Hop in a car and pose for a perfect souvenir snapshot. In the afternoon, embrace the Iditarod spirit as you step into a sled with an expert guide and glide over the snow with a pack of sled dogs. Stay for dinner at the kennel owner's home and learn more about what the life of a musher is like. Later in the evening, enjoy a final chance to spot the northern lights.

Breakfast Included
Dinner Included

Admittance: Alaska Railroad
The Alaska Railroad offers a scenic journey through the rugged landscapes of southern Alaska. Have your camera ready as you pass by snowcapped mountains and dramatic valleys – your conductor will point out wildlife as you travel from Talkeetna to Fairbanks. The historic railroad has operated since 1914.

Enjoy a relaxing morning before heading to the Museum of the North, the University of Alaska’s collection featuring 2.2 million years of biodiversity and thousands of years of human history. The remainder of your day is at leisure. Your hotel room is available for your use whether your flight is today, tonight, or tomorrow morning.

Breakfast Included

Visit Area: Fairbanks
A home rule city in the state of Alaska, Fairbanks is the largest city in the Interior region. The city of Fairbanks was founded by Captain E. T. Barnette in August 1901 while headed to Tanacross, where he intended to set up a trading post. Fairbanks has a history of gold mining, which dates back to when it was founded. In 1939, major infrastructure in the territory occurred for the first time, in part of a larger effort by the federal government during the New deal and World War II, which fostered an economic and population boom in Fairbanks. The city of Fairbanks is home to a number of attractions and events which draw visitors from outside of Alaska throughout the year.