Day Three: Talkeetna
Talkeenta: Today you will visit the home of the Iditarod. Race Headquarters expose you to the lure of the dog sleds of the past. Meet an Iditarod musher with his dog team and share in the thrill of the race, as you take a mini-ride on a summer dog sled buggy around a quarter acre track. Pet the newly born puppies or enjoy a brief 20-minute film about the race, highlighting the life of a musher, and his relationship with his dogs.
Then traveling on, Talkeetna is a local town sporting the most photographed scenes in our state, the towering peaks of Mt. Denali & the Alaska mountain range. Only 1 ½ hours north, this town is a hub of international mountain climbers. A lunch stop is provided here, before or after your choice of the below tours. Enjoy one of the following tours of your choice:
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Denali Flight seeing & Glacier Landing
The BEST adventure in Alaska…this magnificent flight takes you within six miles of Mt. McKinley’s summit. As your flight departs Talkeetna, you begin to see how the last ice age has shaped the land. Moments later you enter a world of rugged high mountain peaks and wide glacier filled valleys. Listen as your pilot describes the natural wonders of Denali National Park. See the Sheldon Amphitheater, beautiful Ruth Glacier and the Great Gorge (the world’s deepest – almost 2 miles from top to bottom). “No visit is complete without this experience!”
Consider an optional glacier landing upgrade on the Sheldon Amphitheater glacier beneath Mt. Denali. The aircraft are equipped with skis, floats, and voice activated headphones. Passengers, each with comfortable window seats, enjoy narration by an experienced pilot-guide highlighting points of interest including geology, wildlife, and history. Flight time is 1 hr and add optional 30 min glacier landing for $100.00 per person*.
2-Hour Riverboat Adventure
If small planes are not for you, then your exciting trip will begin aboard the fifty-one passenger “Talkeetna Queen” as it whisks you into the heart of the wilderness in comfort. This is the most technologically advanced river jet boat in Alaska designed to safely navigate rivers that were previously inaccessible. It is glass-domed, environmentally controlled, and has an on-board restroom for your comfort. You will visit an authentic trapper’s cabin and view how trappers lived in “Bush” Alaska at the turn of the century. Your experienced guide will display raw furs from the local area and demonstrate trapping methods. Naturalists will acquaint you with the wildflowers and plants that grow in abundance along the river system and you will learn about the edible plants that were used by the Native Indians for cooking and medicines. As you travel ten miles of river you will have opportunities to view nesting bald eagles, beaver activity, and maybe moose, black bear or grizzly roaming the shore. Wildlife, folklore, artifacts and a panoramic view of Denali in Alaskan river adventure.
This evening, enjoy dinner on your own at one of many restaurants. Overnight at your Talkeetna accommodations.
View our preferred accommodations for this area:
Talkeetna Area Lodging
