Iditarod Race Head Quarters & Talkeetna Riverboat Safari
Our representatives will meet you at the Anchorage Visitor’s center (or a downtown hotel, depending on how many clients we have to pick up that day) at 9:00 AM. Begin your Alaskan adventure with additional guests and a meet & greet. Upon leaving the Anchorage area, we will travel north to the Matanuska Valley, the farming belt of Alaska. We will then pass the “Palmer Hay Flats” and the Knik Arm of the Cook Inlet. This tundra-covered lowland is home to wildlife and several species of birds. Keep an eye out for wildlife, as moose can be quite plentiful throughout this area.
Next, visit the home of the Iditarod. Race Headquarters expose you to the lure of the dog sleds of the past. Meet an Iditarod musher and dog team and share in the thrill of the race, as you take a brief ride on a summer dog sled around a quarter acre track. A film will be presented for your viewing pleasure and education. Learn about the life of a musher, the team he calls family and the lone trail nights from Anchorage to Nome.
Today will present a highlight of your Alaska Adventure. Talkeetna is a local town sporting the most photographed scenes in our state, the towering peaks of Mt. McKinley & the Alaska mountain range. Only 1 ½ hours north, this town is a hub of international mountain climbers.
This afternoon, enjoy lunch (on your own) and time in this quaint town to shop for local arts and trinkets.
INCLUDED ACTIVITY: 2-Hour Riverboat Adventure
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 jetboat in Alaska designed to safely navigate rivers that were previously inaccessible. It is glass-domed, environmentally controlled, and has an onboard 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 moose and you just might see black bear and grizzly bear roaming the shore. Wildlife, folklore, artifacts and a panoramic view of Denali in the Alaska Range combine to make this an unforgettable Alaskan river adventure.
OPTIONAL ACTIVITY UPGRADE AVAILABLE: Denali Flightseeing
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!” Land on the Sheldon Amphitheatre glacier beneath Mt. McKinley, The aircraft is 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. Upgrades to a glacier landing are available.
Return back to the visitor center or your hotel at approximately 6 to 7 PM.
ANCHORAGE VISITOR CENTER PICK- UP: 9:00 AM
ANCHORAGE VISITOR CENTER DROP-OFF: 7:00 PM
