Choose this itinerary if you’d like to join a mixed-group departure. The program and inclusions remain the same as with all-women departures.
Eight days of Alaska done right: from Denali’s trails and Talkeetna’s dog sleds to glacier kayaking in Kenai Fjords, with wildlife encounters woven throughout. This Alaska hiking tour takes us through two national parks, stops at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, and gets hands-on with a six-time Iditarod champion’s dog team before finishing with one of the state’s most rewarding hikes above the Harding Icefield. Medically-trained naturalist guides, all accommodations, all meals, and all transfers included!
You’ll meet the guides at the airport before being transported toward Denali National Park, settling into cozy mountain cabins near the Nenana River. After getting the group together, we stretch our legs on the Nenana River Trail, a gentle riverside walk with strong first views of the surrounding mountains and glacial waters flowing below.
Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: Mountain cabins near Denali National Park
Today we take on Denali’s Triple Lakes Trail, a 15 km (9.5 mi) journey through pristine boreal forest, across crystal-clear streams, and along the shores of three alpine lakes framed by sweeping mountain panoramas. We keep an eye out for golden eagles overhead and Dall sheep navigating distant ridgelines as we stop for a trailside picnic with views that stretch to the horizon. Back at the cabins, a well-earned feast and, if the weather plays along, alpenglow on Denali’s peak.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Hiking: 15 km (9.5 mi)
Accommodation: Mountain cabins near Denali National Park
After breakfast, we leave Denali behind and drive to Talkeetna, a wonderfully quirky frontier town tucked beneath the Alaska Range and famous for its mountain views, colorful locals, and a cat that once served as honorary mayor. Here we get fully immersed in the world of dog mushing with a six-time Iditarod champion’s team, learning the history, the commands, and the technique before taking the reins ourselves on dryland racing rigs with an eager pack pulling us forward.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Talkeetna
Denali State Park tends to fly under the radar, and that is precisely why we are here. Fewer crowds, same jaw-dropping views of the 6,190 m (20,310 ft) summit and the full Alaska Range stretching across the horizon. We explore hidden trails through boreal forest and wildflower-filled alpine meadows, with our guides interpreting the glacier-carved landscape along the way. Afterward, we wander Talkeetna’s historic Main Street, poke around local shops, and take in the riverside viewpoints before dinner.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Hotel in Talkeetna
We leave Talkeetna for the four-hour drive south to Seward, with a stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center, where bears, musk oxen, wolves, moose, and other Alaskan icons roam in expansive natural habitats. It is a rescue and conservation facility, not a zoo, and the difference shows. We arrive in the picturesque port town of Seward in the afternoon and settle into yurt accommodations for the night.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Yurts in Seward
This is the day Alaska really shows off. We board a wildlife tour boat and cruise into Kenai Fjords National Park, scanning for humpback whales, sea otters, Steller sea lions, and seabird colonies along the way. At Aialik Bay, we don our gear and launch sea kayaks for an up-close glacier encounter, paddling among floating icebergs as massive chunks of ancient blue ice calve with a thunderous crack into the sea. Cold, loud, completely unforgettable.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Yurts in Seward
We start behind the scenes at the Alaska SeaLife Center, a marine science and rescue facility in Seward, with an aviary visit and a proper puffin encounter. Then we head out for the day’s main event: the Harding Icefield Trail, a climb through meadows, hemlock forest, and rocky alpine terrain to viewpoints over a prehistoric ice sheet spanning more than 1,813 sq km (700 sq mi) and feeding nearly 40 glaciers. We close the trip with a farewell dinner featuring local Alaskan delicacies.
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: Yurts in Seward
After a final breakfast together, we transfer to the airport for departing flights. As the plane lifts off over the Alaskan wilderness, the scale of what we just covered, two national parks, one glacier, an Iditarod dog team, and more wildlife than most people see in a decade, finally starts to sink in. Until next time, Alaska.
Meals: Breakfast
Included:
Add-ons (pricing shown at checkout):
Not included:
This Alaska hiking tour requires a basic fitness level. Expect moderate walking for up to 5 hours per day, covering up to 10 km (6 mi), mostly on easy trails with some uneven surfaces and minor elevation changes. Most of the week is accessible to beginners and those with some hiking experience.
Day 7’s Harding Icefield Trail is the most demanding of the trip, with longer distance and more elevation gain. The guides will calibrate the pace and turnaround point to the group’s ability and conditions.
Daytime temperatures typically range between 15 and 25°C (60s and 70s°F), while nights can drop to around 7 to 10°C (mid-40s to low 50s°F). Coastal Seward runs cooler than the interior near Denali and Talkeetna, and near glaciers and on the water it gets colder still, so layers are non-negotiable regardless of the forecast.
August generally brings clear skies and up to 19 to 22 hours of daylight, which means more time in the landscape, more wildlife activity, and more of Alaska doing exactly what it does best.
Here’s a list of the equipment you need to bring:
Required gear:
Required clothing:
Optional gear and personal items:
Optional clothing:
Dress comfortably and for the weather in clothes you can move in. We suggest bringing clothing appropriate for the season. Layers are best and don’t wear jeans.
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Group sizes and pricing
An Alaska hiking tour can be arranged for larger groups. Contact us to make arrangements.
Min. age requirements
If your group has participants under the age of 18, contact us prior to booking to make arrangements.
A single occupancy room is not available on this Alaska hiking tour due to limited availability in huts and specific types of accommodation (yurts).
The starting point of your Alaska hiking tour is Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC). Please plan to arrive at Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport by 1 pm AKDT (Alaska daylight time) on Day 1. From there, you’ll be transported to Anchorage, where the adventure begins.
Alternatively, if you choose to arrive a day early, your guide can collect you from your accommodation or another central location in Anchorage (within 30 minutes of the airport) by 1 pm AKDT.
We highly recommend that you cover all your bases with insurance. To make your booking and traveling experience as carefree as possible, you’ll be offered to simply insure your trip with Redpoint at checkout.
Redpoint—the official 57hours insurance partner—tailors protection packages for adventure travel, offering a comprehensive travel program, even in remote locations! Trip cancellation, natural disasters, pandemic coverage, medical evacuation, primary medical expenses—regardless of the travel interruption that may happen, Redpoint will have you covered.