Welcome to Alaska. Plan to land at Anchorage Airport in time to meet the group at 4 pm, then check into the hotel and sit down to the first of many dinners together. At this time of year the sun dips below the horizon for only a few hours and it never really gets dark, so don’t be surprised if you’re still out wandering long past your usual bedtime. Arriving early? There’s a fun trolley tour of the city, and plenty to learn at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Anchorage covers 1,961 square miles, nearly the size of Delaware, and about 41 percent of the state’s population lives here.

Meals: Dinner
Accommodation: The Courtyard Anchorage Airport (or similar)

After breakfast we load up the vans and head for Talkeetna, a quirky town sitting at the confluence of three rivers. On the way we stop at one of Alaska’s hidden jewels, the Gold Mint Trail in Hatcher Pass. Home to the historic Independence Mine, this is lovely hiking through alpine tundra, with rugged peaks, glacial erratics, and lichen-covered boulders left behind as the glaciers retreated. We’ll have a picnic along the trail before carrying on. Dinner tonight is together in downtown Talkeetna, a National Historic Place and host to the annual Moose Dropping Festival and the Bachelor Auction and Ball.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Distance: 4 mi (6.4 km)
Elevation: +335 ft (+102 m)
Driving: About 3.5 hours
Accommodation: Talkeetna Cabins (or similar)

We spend the morning among Talkeetna’s lakes. Half the group takes to the water in kayaks for a calm (or playful) paddle while the other half hits the nearby trails, then we swap so everyone gets both land and lake. After lunch the afternoon is yours. It’s the perfect window to book a Denali flightseeing tour, jump on a jet-boat ride, rent a bike and cruise around, or simply poke through the shops and cafes downtown. Dinner is on your own tonight, so pick one of Talkeetna’s local favorites and spend the evening your way.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch
Distance: 3.2 mi (5.1 km)
Elevation: +632 ft (+193 m)
Accommodation: Talkeetna Cabins (or similar)

Breakfast on the patio first, then we load up the vans and point them north toward Denali National Park. We break up the drive with a hike on the Curry Ridge Trail, which climbs through forest to open views and gives us our first real chance to spot Denali itself, weather permitting. Keep the camera handy. Once we reach the Denali Grizzly Bear Resort and settle into our cabins, we head into the nearby town for a good dinner together and a first look at life on the edge of the park.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Distance: 6.5 mi (10.5 km) hiking
Elevation: +1,030 ft (+314 m)
Travel time: About 2.5 hours driving
Accommodation: Denali Grizzly Bear Resort (or similar)

The morning is yours to use however you like. You could rent a bike, head out on an ATV tour, go meet some sled dogs, or walk one of the local trails. After lunch we regroup at the cabins and swap boots for paddles. Our splash tour covers a scenic 11-mile stretch of river with class I, II, and III rapids, and everybody paddles. Bears, moose, sheep, and caribou all live along these banks, so keep looking up between strokes. Back at the resort we order pizza, stay in, and toast the day.

Meals: Breakfast, dinner
Distance: 11 mi (17.7 km) rafting
Accommodation: Denali Grizzly Bear Resort (or similar)

A hearty breakfast sets us up for the Triple Lakes Trail, a pretty route through thick forest and over gentle ridges. This is good country for wildlife, so keep your eyes peeled: a moose browsing in the trees or a fox trotting across the path are both real possibilities. In the afternoon we join the Denali Tundra Wilderness tour, which takes us deeper into the park for big views of the peaks and the open tundra rolling out below. Your guide shares plenty along the way about the ecology here and the animals that manage to thrive in it.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Distance: 4 to 7 mi (6.4 to 11.3 km) hiking
Elevation: +1,000 ft (+305 m)
Accommodation: Denali Grizzly Bear Resort (or similar)

Another full day in Denali National Park, starting with the park Visitor Center and the Murie Science Center, where we get the backstory on the area’s history, geology, plants, and animals. Then we lace up for the Rock Creek Trail, a lovely stretch through quiet spruce and birch forest with big views out to the Alaska Range. The trail connects the Visitor Center to the park’s famous sled dog kennels, which is exactly where we’re headed next. We’ll learn why these dogs matter so much up here, meet them, and watch the rangers and their four-legged coworkers put on a demo. Afterwards it’s back on the trail to keep exploring Denali’s forests.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Distance: 8-9.7 km (5-6 mi)
Elevation: +305 m (+1,000 ft)
Accommodation: Denali Grizzly Bear Resort (or similar)

Before we say goodbye to the “Great One”, we stretch our legs on the McKinley Station Trail for one last walk in the park. Then we point the vans north toward Fairbanks, stopping for lunch along the way. The drive takes us through several of Alaska’s ecological biomes and across the mighty Nenana and Tanana Rivers, so keep your eyes on the treeline. Moose, bears, and beavers all live out here, and with a bit of luck we’ll spot them. We settle in at River’s Edge Resort and sit down to dinner together in the Golden Heart of Alaska.

Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Distance: 4.8 km (3 mi)
Elevation: +134 m (+439 ft)
Accommodation: River’s Edge Resort (or similar)

Enjoy one final breakfast in Fairbanks before we pack up and head for Fairbanks International Airport (FAI). Book your flight for any time after 10 am. If you’d rather stick around and see more of the Golden Heart of Alaska, the lodging offers an airport shuttle, so staying on an extra night or two is easy to arrange.

Meals: Breakfast