2025 American Cruise Line's Great Alaskan National Park Tour

Days 1-3: Fairbanks

Running Reindeer Ranch

We arrived a day early in Fairbanks (the "The Golden Heart City" because of its gold-mining past), checked into the SpringHill Suites, and had dinner at a Moldovan restaurant called Soba - where we had our annual allotment of garlic!  The next morning we woke up and went to the Running Reindeer Ranch.  Interestingly, only when we looked at a tourist map did we realize how far north Fairbanks is - just  80 miles south of the Arctic Circle...

Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center

Before checking in with ACL, we wandered around Fairbanks and went to the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitors Center.  Due to Fairbank's long days, there are many colorful flower beds throughout the city as seen in the first picture.  The Antler Arch behind the Center includes more than 100 moose and caribou antlers collected from all over the Alaskan interior.  The Monument has three flag poles - US flag, Alaskan flag, and...the Russian flag has been removed! The Statue (behind the hotel) per the artist: "Portrays the family of all mankind, the family of Fairbanks, and the nuclear family; it symbolizes, for families present and future, the pride and dignity of this great land." We checked in with ACL at the hotel and then went to eat dinner at Salty's on 2nd.

Museum of the North

The official trip began with a visit to the Museum of the North, located at the University of Alaska. We could have spent the whole day!
"Learn about the rich cultural and natural history of the Arctic and subarctic regions. View indigenous artifacts, contemporary Alaskan art, and extensive displays about local wildlife and ecosystems. The architecture of the museum was designed to reflect the northern landscape and provide an inviting space."
We had lunch at the Cookie Jar.

Trans Alaska Pipeline

We stopped at a section of the Trans Alaska Pipeline where we learned how they cleaned the inside of the pipe ("pigs"!) and protected the pipeline from the vagaries of permafrost... 

"Visit this major oil transportation system that spans approximately 800 miles from Prudhoe Bay on Alaska's North Slope to Valdez, the state's southern port. Completed in 1977, the pipeline was a monumental engineering feat, designed to transport crude oil efficiently across rugged terrain in extreme weather conditions and plays a crucial role in the Alaskan economy."

Fountainhead Museum - Antique Autos & Fashion

We weren't really looking forward to visiting an antique car museum up in Fairbanks, AK, but the Fountainhead Museum was great! Every car was in pristine condition and they all work! We are not car people, but the technical innovation happening in the early 1900s was truly amazing.  The museum also features vintage clothing, exploring the ways that fashions have changed over the course of eight decades, as well as how the rising popularity of automobiles had an impact on fashion. I tried to take photos of all the amazing hood ornaments, but there was just too much shiny chrome for good pictures... 

"Dedicated to preserving the history of early automobiles, the museum houses a remarkable collection of vintage cars, many of which date back to the early 20th century, showcasing the evolution of automotive design and technology. In addition to the cars, the museum provides insights into the lifestyle and travel experiences of Alaskans during the early days of motoring."

We had dinner at the Pumphouse.

Days 4-6: Denali National Park & Preserve 

Nenana

We got up bright and early to put out our luggage for pickup (a constant challenge of the land tour portion of the trip).  We boarded the bus and headed south toward Denali National Park with a stop at Nenana - the home of the famous Nenana Ice Classic where you bet the exact date and time the ice will break in the Spring.  This year's jackpot was > $200,000!

Denali Visitor Center

We arrived at the shops outside the park in time for really good pizza at Prospector’s Pizzeria & Alehouse.  We then continued on to the Denali Visitor Center and took a short walk around.  Afterwards we check-in at the Denali Bluffs Hotel and had dinner at the Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre.

Tundra Wilderness Tour

We got up really early to get on a 5:30am bus to go on a 6 hour (3 hours in/3 hours out) guided Tundra Wilderness Tour into the heart of the Denali National Park & Preserve.  The tour went about 40 miles into the Park (limited by a landslide that washed out the road a few years ago) with the guide explaining the history of the Park and the various ecosystems we were traveling through.  We saw caribou, bald eagles, Dall sheep, a brown bear with two cubs, and lots of smaller animals and birds...The bus was equipped with a very high powered scope tied into video screens.
We had lunch (King Crab Grilled Cheese anyone?) at 49th State Brewing Company, which displays a replica of the bus from the Into the Wild movie (the original bus is stored at the Museum of the North).

Hiking in Denali

After lunch, Katie and I went back to the the Denali Visitor Center and went hiking by ourselves along the Rock Creek Trail for a couple of hours (looking at the map above, we took the trail straight west from the Visitor Center and hiked out to around where the blue arrow is).  On our way back to the hotel (which is seen across the valley in the second from last photo above), we saw a moose! Dinner was suppose to be at the hotel restaurant but we did laundry instead...

ATV Excursion

We woke up the next day and went on a 2.5-Hour Denali Wilderness ATV Adventure Tour (you can't ATV in the Park, but these trails are surrounded on three sides by the Park).  Very cool to drive up to overlook stops that have views of the Alaska Range, Otto Lake, and the Healy Valley. A lot of fun to navigate through rocky creek beds too - we even stopped and looked for gold!

Days 6: Denali-Talkeenta-Wasilla-Anchorage

Alaskan Railroad (from Denali to Talkeenta)

After ATVing, we met up with the rest of the tour group and went to the train station at the Denali Visitor Center to catch the noon train to Talkeenta.  This was Alaska Railroad's famous Denali Star route with  a Goldstar railcar: "glass-dome ceilings allow for panoramic views as Alaska unfolds along the tracks, an outdoor, upper-level viewing platform offers fresh air and an excellent vantage point for photos, and on the lower level, passengers enjoy a full-service dining room." We even had our own cocktail bar! The views were spectacular, including an especially clear view of Mt. Denali!

Bus to Anchorage with a stop for dinner in Wasilla

Once the train reached Talkeenta, we quickly boarded the bus for the rest of our journey.  On the bus, we continued to play "Two Truths & a Lie" and a game of "Moose Migration".  We stopped at the Chop House on Lake Lucille in Wasilla for dinner and drove right by the Palin compound...We arrived in Anchorage very late (but there was still daylight!) and checked-in at the Westmark.

Days 7-8: Kenai Peninsula & Seward

Seward National Highway

Woke-up very early for a 125 mile bus ride down the Seward Highway from Anchorage to Seward. It is an incredibly scenic drive by the shorelines of Turnagain Arm and the jutting peaks of the Chugach Mountains to the Kenai Penisula.

Kenai Fjords Cruise

We got to Seward in time for a 6 hours (3 hours out/3 hours back) cruise to the Aialik Glacier.  Along the way we saw Orcas, Seals, Sea Otters, Sea Lions, and lots of different birds (including puffins!).  The most amazing sight was a group of Humpback whales bubble-net feeding!  We got very close to the glacier and even got to hold some ice.  The crew used some of the ice to make Glacieritas!  It was a gorgeous day and we had an incredible time...

Seward

When we got back from the cruise, we went to Zudy's for a special dinner.  They are not usually open for dinner, but the tour arranged for them to serve us their special halibut with a macadamia nut crust with curry sauce and mango chutney.  The halibut had been caught the day before! We walked across the street and checked-in to the Hotel Edgewater.

Alaska Sealife Center

The next morning we walked down the street to the Alaska Sealife Center.  Lots of interesting exhibits - a cool one where you could touch various sealife, lots of birds (much better puffin photo ops here!), more seals and sea lions, and, of course, lots on salmon.  During the trip, we all learned how to use our fingers to name the five types of salmon! The bald eagle was just hanging outside the building looking down on the tourists...

Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center

After the Sealife Center, we got on the bus and went to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center ("an expansive sanctuary spanning 200 acres where injured and orphaned animals find refuge in spacious habitats, allowing them to thrive in a safe environment").  The big draw here were the bears - as you can see, they were very photogenic! But they had moose, wolves, elks, reindeer, musk ox, and more...  We had a box lunch from Zudy's to tide us over until dinner.

Anchorage & Farewell Dinner

After the Wildlife Center, we took the bus back up the Seward Highway to Anchorage.  We stopped at Alaska Wild Berry Products for chocolate & gifts and then traveled to the Ulu Factory (for thousands of years, the indigenous Eskimo and Indian tribes of Alaska have used this all-purpose knife).  Behind the Ulu Factory is one of the few salmon fishing sites right in the middle of a city - we saw several people parking in the public lot and taking their fishing poles down to the river)...Eventually we could check-in back at the Westmark.  Our farewell to Jade (the tour guide) & Jill (our bus driver) dinner was at O'Malley's at the Anchorage Golf Club.  And so ended the Land portion of our trip...

Days 9-10: Juneau

Fly from Anchorage to Juneau

We all took a commercial flight from Anchorage to Juneau and checked-in at the Hotel Baranof.  On the way from the airport, we saw four(!) enormous cruise ships already docked in Juneau.  We had the afternoon to explore Juneau, but were really, really tired.  I walked around some (notice how almost all the buildings have extensions over the sidewalks to protect you from all the rain...), but was focused on getting more ibuprofen! Before dinner, we went to the Narrows Bar and had a nice cocktail.  Andrew, the ACL Adventure Guide for the Land portion, hosted a farewell dinner at Salt - it was excellent!  Then it was time to go back to the hotel and join the rest of the cruise members...

Alaska State Museum (Juneau)

In the morning, on the way to the cruise ship (being a smaller ship, our ship was not docked in downtown Juneau), we stopped at the Alaska State Museum in Juneau where they have not only lots of historical items, but a lot of more modern Alaskan art.  Another museum where we could have spend an entire day!

Mendenhall Glacier

Then we stopped at an overlook of the famous Mendenhall Glacier - a very pretty photo op!

American Constellation

And then we (and our luggage) finally made it to the American Constellation (maximum capacity only 170 guests!) and we immediately started relaxing (in the 3rd picture, Katie is enjoying our room's balcony)!  People always ask about the food, so I have included a few menus.  And then off we went cruising toward Glacier Bay...

Days 11: Glacier Bay National Park

Margerie Glacier & Bartlett Cove

When researching Alaskan cruises, one "must do" experience was to cruise up Glacier Bay and ACL is one of the few cruise lines granted access to the bay.  We stopped at Bartlett's Cove (but did not disembark) to pick up a National Park Service ranger and a Huna Tlingit Cultural Interpreter (Kevin) - they provided a geological history of the bay, the human history and family stories of Glacier Bay’s native clans and people, and an interesting discussion about the off-again, on-again relationship between the Park Service and the local tribes.  We traveled all the way up the bay - seeing lots of wildlife and drinking lots of hot cocoa - to the Margerie Glacier.

Days 12-13: Haines

Haines

From Glacier Bay we cruised over to Haines.  The area was originally settled by the Chilkat group of the Tlingit.  It is the only town in Southeast Alaska to have been named after a woman (Francina Haines).  With the discovery of gold in the Yukon, Haines became the supply center for prospectors traveling the Dalton Trail to the Yukon.  With lots of hiking, kayaking, and wildlife viewing opportunities, there were many interesting excursions (we chose kayaking & rafting).   But we missed the world famous Hammer Museum! I added a picture of Katie, who was our resident naturalist/historian during the cruise, keeping us up-to-date on the history and interesting sites of each town we visited...

Kayaking on Lake Chilkoot

We chose to go kayaking in the morning and had a great time - only 8 kayakers and 2 guides.  Regardless of the the cloudy pictures, it was quite a nice morning and we saw lots of salmon and many bald eagles. And, more importantly, I was able to get into and out of the kayak twice! The last two pictures are of a Salmon Weir at the lake - The Alaskan Fish & Game Department stations a 2-person team on the weir to count the type/number of salmon running into lake (I am thinking some bright kid should be able to build an AI tool for this!)...oh, and the bears have their own method of counting salmon!

Chilkat Bald Eagle Preserve Raft Excursion

As much fun as was kayaking in the morning, rafting in the afternoon was...miserable! It started to rain, it was gloomy, it was cold, and did I mention the rain?  Not only was I cold and wet but I couldn't stop thinking about my rain pants that I left on the cruise ship!  Also, the rafting was kind of boring - not much to see, not going very fast, and did I mention the rain?  Now we were going through a bald eagle preserve, which, in the fall, will have up to 4,000 eagles congregating, but we were there in August and saw one eagle.  I am not so sure the rafting trip is worth it even without the rain unless you go in the fall...On the other hand, I got this picture of Katie which made the whole experience worth it!

Days 14-15: Sitka

Sitka

We had a gorgeous day cruising to Sitka. The pictures and video are of a humpback whale right off our balcony!  Sitka was settled by the Russians and it was the site of the Alaska Purchase's transfer ceremony in 1867.  You can still see the Russian heritage through street names, geographical names, and sites like St. Michael's Cathedral. We did find a new cocktail!

Fortress of the Bear

In the morning, we went to the Fortress of the Bear which is a non-profit sanctuary for orphaned bears based in an old pulp mill's silos (so not exactly glamorous). It has an interesting back story as it was founded by a hunter concerned with orphaned bear cubs.  But Alaska has no mechanism for reintroducing the bears back into the wild (since they are not endangered), so the bears are essentially at the center for their entire life.  There are 4/5 brown bears and 3 black bears and to help veterinarians track their health, the bears have been taught certain behaviors like standing up with their arms outstretched.  Oh, and I found a great old man tourist hat!

Alaska Raptor Center

In the afternoon, we went to the Alaska Raptor Center which takes in and treats hundreds of injured birds each year, with the goal of releasing them back into the wild. They have a massive indoor Bald Eagle Flight Training Center. We explored a path that went into the surrounding temperate rainforest and found a pool filled with spawning salmon.  And yes, I really am smiling inside!

Historical Sitka Tour

This excursion was so bad and so many people complained about it that ACL ended up not charging us.  We were suppose to go to several historical sites - The Sheldon Jackson Museum, the Sitka Historical Society and Museum, the Russian Bishop's House, and the Sitka National Historical Park to get a great overview of the history of Sitka.  But all it was was a bus ride to the Sitka Historical Society and Museum inside Harrigan Centennial Hall - now the museum was great and we got a personal tour from the Executive Director, but the excursion was not what we all expected. We did harangued the bus driver on the way back to stop quickly at the Historical Park to at least see the famous totem poles there. Oh, and the infamous "photo op" where we were taken to a boat ramp in a big parking lot? Turned out they expected our ship to be on the other side of the channel (get it? a picture of us with our cruise ship behind us...), but we were docked at a different location that day!

Days 16: Petersburg

Petersburg

So interesting that cities in SE Alaska were founded by such a wide array of countries - our next stop, Petersburg, was founded by Norwegians!  It is a vibrant fishing town with a Norwegian heritage, located on the northern tip of Mitkof Island in Southeast Alaska. It is known as the "Little Norway" of Alaska and is a major port for commercial fishing. And that culture is still very prevalent - we had a Norwegian dance troop come on board to entertain us.  That reminds me, I haven't mentioned it before, but to supplement our regular evening entertainers, Gosia & Ali, ACL brings on-board local bands in most of the towns we dock at.

Le Conte Glacier Jet Boat

You might think by now "oh, another glacier...", but to tell you the truth, they all were a little different - some are tidal, some aren't, some a moving quickly, some aren't, some have lots of calfing, some don't...Le Conte was probably our favorite.  First, it was a very foggy day so these huge icebergs just appeared out of the gloom.  Second, once we got near the glacier, the weather just turned into a gorgeous day.  Third, the scenery - mountains, waterfalls, canyon walls, etc. - was beautiful. Fourth, we saw seals! Fifth, because we were in such small boats, we were able to get really close to the icebergs and the glacier.  Sixth, did I mention how big the icebergs were?!? Seventh, we got a great video of a very large calving.  This was one great excursion (and the only time we took the tender to disembark the ship).

Guided Tour of Mitkof Island

This was a very fun excursion - we had two local tour guides who live in Petersburg (one grew up there) and they really gave us a good feel of what it was like to live in small town Alaska.  We went to Sandy Beach Park, where the first Native Americans on the island settled.  There is a great view of the "Devil's Thumb" peak across the bay.  Then we continued down the island to Falls Creek Waterfall, a beautiful waterfall and salmon fish ladder, where we learned more about the life cycle of salmon, their role in the local environment, and their importance on the local economy.

Days 17-18: Wrangell

Wrangell

The cruising to Wrangell was very interesting - not in the middle of a large expanse of water, but rather very close to shore navigating between various islands.  We arrived in the morning and ended up having almost two full days in Wrangell with unbelievably great weather.  Wrangell was founded by Russians and is one of the oldest non-Native settlements in Alaska.  We walked around the town in the morning and saw a lot of totem poles - some in, you guessed it, Totem Park and a lot at the Wrangell Cooperative Association (WCA), where Tlingit master carvers and apprentices are working to revitalize the legacy of totems by carving new poles and repairing existing ones.  We then went to the Nolan Center - another really nice visitor center and cultural museum. 

Botanical Walk

In the afternoon, we took a very interesting excursion - a Botanical Rainforest Walk which is along the Wrangell Nature Trail in the Tongass National Forest.  The walk was designed by a 14 year old with Tlingit ancestry, who, now 16, was our guide.  As she led us along the  nature trail, she identified various native plants and explained how her people used them.  For example, she pointed out bunchberries which are not very tasty by themselves, but they do contained a lot of pectin, so are often mixed with other berries to extend their shelf life.  A lot of the area was Muskegs - a peat forming wetlands kind of like a bog - very wet since the drainage is poor, often due to underlying permafrost.

On the way back, we learned about Wrangell's long history with garnets and Katie bought a necklace from an outdoor store on the dock.  We also bought a miracle salve made out of one of the plants we saw on the excursion - Devil's Club.

Wild Bears of AnAn

Best excursion on the whole trip!  We took a small boat to the Anan Bear and Wildlife Observatory in the protected waters between Wrangell Island and the Mainland. Upon arrival, we were greeted by US Forest Service ranger, who provided a brief orientation, and then our guide took out a shotgun (!) and led us about half a mile into the forest to the observation deck.  Only a few companies are permitted to guide small groups here and they limit how many at one time since we are sharing the forest and path with the bears (the other group from our ship had to stop and wait because of a bear on the trail)...Once we got to the observation deck (which is kind of like a fort in the middle of Indian country), we quickly realized how special this was!  There were bald eagles everywhere, the salmon were spawning, and bears where just feet away gorging on fish.  A mother bear came by with two cubs to "oohs" and "aahs".  And there was a two-story photo blind to get even closer...hated to leave!

Stikine River Jet Boat Adventure

In the afternoon, we took our last excursion - a jet boat ride up the Stikine River, the fastest navigable, free-flowing river in North America.  The scenery was spectacular and we ended up at the Shakes Glacier (it is connected to the same ice field as the LeConte Glacier).  The boat ride was fun and the views great, but we didn't see any wildlife except for one bald eagle (and by now, we had seen lots of bald eagles!)...We did get off the boat at a very cool stream bed (you can see the water coming down from a glacier above...)

Days 19: Tracy Arm-Ford's Terror Wilderness Area & North Sawyer Glacier

Tracy Arms

We left Wrangell and headed back to Juneau to end our cruise. Depending on the time of the year, the weather, and the icebergs from the glaciers in the area, the Captain decides today's itinerary (the ACL brochure stated Endicott Arm/Dawes Glacier but we went up Tracy Arm to the North Sawyer Glacier).  It was kind of a dreary day inside the Tracy Arm-Ford's Terror Wilderness area, but there were lots of icebergs, of course, and a surprising amount of wonderful multi-tiered waterfalls.  While the hole-in-one putting contest had to be cancelled due to the rain, we did have a great hot apple cider bar!  I did take a picture of another cruise ship by the South Sawyer Glacier and you can see the guests kayaking around the icebergs...

BTW, our on-board naturalist explained that "Ford's Terror"  is named after a naval crew member who, in 1889, rowed a dinghy into the narrow entrance of the fjord at slack tide. The tide began to rise, forcing its way through the bottleneck entrance into the fjord, and Ford was trapped in the turbulent currents for the next "terrifying" six hours.

Days 20-21: Juneau

Juneau

After breakfast, time to disembark the ship - most people headed home but we stayed in Juneau an extra day to have one last special memory - flying to the top of a glacier and getting to drive a dogsled...unfortunately, it was rained out! So we walked around Juneau looking for souvenirs and went to the Sealaska Heritage Institute which tells the story of Southeast Alaska’s Native people.  We really enjoyed walking through the hand-adzed cedar clan house and the exhibits on the Raven in native culture and the history of the halibut hook.  Plus, the guide was a big Boston sports fan and took out his replica Red Sox World Series ring to show me!

We stayed at the Silverbow Inn (which was kind of a funky, modern, Scandinavian boutique hotel with no elevators!) and had dinner at In Bocca Al Lupo (named one of the country's 50 best restaurants by the New York Times a couple of years ago) next to the hotel.

We woke up bright and early to fly back to Boston (after a 5 hours layover in Seattle) and got to bed exhausted around 2am! What a wonderful time!!!!!