TOUR ROUTE - CLICK TO ENLARGE
HIGHLIGHTS:
Observe the Brown Bears of Admiralty Island
Explore Stunning Hikes in Temperate Rainforest
Trek Yukon Tundra Hikes
Take in the Majesty of Glacier Bay National Park
Photograph Chilkat Valley Bald Eagles
WHO IS THIS FOR?
We have designed the tours to fit all kinds of travelers:
Casual Sightseers Who Want to Just Shoot with their iPhones
Relaxed Travelers
Adventurers
Professional Photographers
ITINERARY
DAY 1: NAVIGATE THE TRACY ARM FJORD
We launch this epic week with a journey up the Tracy Arm Fjord just out of Juneau. The deep fjord with wooded sheer cliffs will be a pleasure to your lens as will the stunning pale turquoise water.
Accommodations: Best Western Country Lane Inn, Juneau
DAY 2: BROWN BEARS OF ADMIRALTY ISLAND
Then we jump right into densely packed bear territory on Admiralty Island where the world’s densest population of brown bears is running around on the river trying to tackle as many salmon as possible. Additionally there is limited permits issued for the island, so there will be maximum nature and only a few people outside of our group!
Accommodations: Best Western Country Lane Inn, Juneau
DAY 3: HIKING IN HAINES
This day starts with the scenic Alaskan Water Highway ferry to Haines where you pass the iconic Eldred Rock Lighthouse. Haines is a tiny little dream village in Alaska, the kind you may romanticize about because it retains it’s truly Alaskan feeling. The Chilkat native tribe community is still intact, and it is incredible to learn about their history and culture as well as see their authentic monuments around town. Haines is chuck full of stunning hikes where we will look for bears, eagles, and a million other critters along the muted turquoise rivers and pine covered hills. There are so many animals sometimes they pass in front of you when you’re not even ready! Can’t say enough about Haines….love it!
Accommodations: Captain’s Choice, Haines
DAY 4: YUKON HIKES, DALL SHEEP, MOUNTAIN GOATS
Haines is dreamy, but so is Day 4. On this day we cross into Canada and drive through the Chilkat Range into the Yukon Territory where we will take a hike in the high tundra over rolling hills that oppose the jagged mountain scape. Beyond epic. Check the ICS Alaska “Anthem” video for this view. Then we will drive up to Haines Junction where you really feel the isolation of the Yukon. We will look for Dall sheep, bison, caribou, and/or mountain goats.
Accommodations: Raven Motel, Haines Junction
DAY 5: HAINES SCENIC HIKES
Back in dreamy Haines we will explore additional areas that we didn’t hit the first time. We will wind through Sitka Spruce trees, Douglas fir, Red Cedar and Western Hemlock over a forest floor covered with ferns, mosses, and lichens. Scientists say there is more biomass in a temperate rainforest than any other biome on earth - that’s a lot of biomass for your pictures!
Next we move on and make our way by flight to an equally charming and even smaller town of Gustavus (there’s one intersection).
Accommodations: Captain’s Choice, Haines
DAY 6: GLACIER BAY NATIONAL PARK
Gustavus is the hometown of Glacier Bay National Park which we will spend Day 6 in contemplating glaciers and hopefully see whales, sea lions, and otters. Glacier Bay was the original home to the Tlingit tribe who was driven from their land by the rapidly advancing glacier during the Little Ice Age of the mid 1700s. It plowed forward so fast they said it advanced at the pace of a running dog! It is so interesting to hear about their story, how they were displaced, Glacier Bay was carved, and then the retreat that left us with what we see today.
Accommodations: Cotton Wood Cabins, Gusdavis
DAY 7: GUSTAVUS TEMPERATE RAINFOREST HIKE
Gustavus also has the incredible hiking trails that temperate rainforests offer, covered in moss and loaded with wildlife. But sadly we will need to wrap up in Gustavus and fly home … hopefully to see you again next year :)
