Denali National Park and Talkeetna

Welcome to Fairbanks! Upon arrival at the Fairbanks International Airport, you will pick up your rental vehicle and drive approximately 5 to 15-minutes to your Fairbanks hotel.

Today you will drive approximately 2-hours, 30-minutes from Fairbanks to Denali National Park. The northernmost section of the Geroge Parks Highway takes you through small towns and stretches of wilderness while weaving along the Tanana and Nenana Rivers, the latter of which marks the eastern border of Denali National Park and is also notably the most popular rafting destination in Alaska. Be sure to stop in Nenana, Mile 411, which was the ter­mi­nus of the Alas­ka Rail­road in 1923 and where Pres­i­dent Hard­ing drove in the ?“Golden Spike." Also along this route, you will pass through Healy, the Coal Capital of Alaska.

The incomparably beautiful Denali National Park is the pinnacle of many travelers' Alaskan visits. The park holds six million acres of spruce forests, glaciers, lakes, peaks, tundra, and wildlife that includes grizzly bears, caribou, Dall sheep, moose, and wolves, and is dominated by North America's highest peak, the 20,310-foot high Denali. Popular activities inside the park include backpacking, biking, hiking, mountaineering, sightseeing, and wildlife viewing. Nearby activities include the Alaska Cabin Nite Dinner Theatre and various whitewater rafting and river float options.

Today you will drive approximately 3-hours from Denali National Park to Talkeetna. En route you will travel through Broad Pass, the highest point on the Geroge Parks Highway at 2116-feet and also traverse the Hurricane Bridge, an engi­neer­ing mar­vel for the day and age it was con­struct­ed nearly 100 years ago. For nature lovers ensure you stop at Byers Lake in Denali State Park where you can partake in a kayak tour or stroll along the shoreline trail.

Talkeetna, one of Alaska's funkiest little towns, whose character was shaped by a wild and wooly past of gold mining and trapping, and by a feisty bunch of independent locals boast an authentic pioneer feeling. Downtown offers a collection of historic buildings and old miner cabins that are still very much in use today. Art is this town's passion: artisans selling their creations in Main Street's shops, musicians playing in the pubs, and live theater productions. Adventure is in the blood of Talkeetna, and here you will have the opportunity to enjoy world-class fishing, gorgeous flightseeing including glacier landings, jetboating, and river floats. It is also the staging ground for many climbing expeditions including Denali.

Today you will drive approximately 2-hours, 30-minutes from Talkeetna to Anchorage. En route you will traverse the Sustina River Bridge; the river is known as the Big Su by Alaskans. You will pass through Willow, the official starting location of the Iditarod, where mushers head out on "The Last Great Race," and Wasilla, the location of the Iditarod Museum. Lastly, a short detour is either Happy Trails Kennels, Martin Buser's Iditarod Champions near Big Lake, or the Musk Ox Farm in Palmer.

After breakfast, you will check out of your hotel and drive approximately 20-minutes to the Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport where you will return your rental vehicle and check-in for your onward flight.