Fairbanks is referred to as the Golden Heart City. With 30,000 people, Fairbanks is the hub of the interior, the second largest city in the state. The area has been home to Koyukon Athabascan for thousands of years. The founding of the city is a story of luck. In 1901, E.T. Barnette established a trading post on the bank of the Chena River after his steamboat ran aground and his hired steamboat captain refused to travel any further up the shallow river. Barnette had fortunate timing, as gold was discovered a year later by Felix Pedro, just 16 miles north of the trading post. The town was named after Indiana Senator Charles Fairbanks, who later became vice-president. The town's population increased with the addition of government offices, a jail, district court, a post office, and various private companies. Other booms in the economy include the construction of Ladd Airfield in 1938, the construction of the Alaskan Highway in the 1940's, and building of the Trans- Alaska oil pipeline in the 1970's. The town's economy is currently driven by federal, state and local government services, communication, and financial and medical services.

You will have a full day of sightseeing and fun in Fairbanks. Your day will include a trip to the Trans-Alaska pipeline, a visit to the University of Alaska Fairbanks Museum, a river boat ride along the Chena River, and a city tour of downtown Fairbanks and its surrounding residential areas.

Denali National Park and Preserve was founded by Charles Sheldon in 1917. An astute hunter and naturalist, Sheldon was drawn to the region in his search for Dall sheep. Following his second expedition to Denali in 1907, he feared that the Dall sheep would be hunted to extinction. The population of the animal was being decimated by the poaching and sale of sheep meat, along with other wild game to nearby miners and trappers. It was this concern of game management that led Sheldon to become politically involved, lobbying to protect the delicate habitat and wild animals. After ten long years of hard work, Sheldon personally delivered the bill for President Woodrow to sign, creating Mt. McKinley National Park, protecting 1.4 million acres of habitat. In 1980, President Jimmy Carter signed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) into law. This act allocated an additional four million acres to the national park, and renamed the park Denali National Park and Preserve, calling the great mountain of North America its Athabascan given name, meaning, “ the high one.”

Adventurous men and women of all ages set their sights on the peak of Mt. McKinley, hoping to scale its 20,320 foot incline. It is a climb that takes serious determination, strong physical and mental strength, and above all the ability to reason and make safe decisions during expeditions. If dangerous weather is setting in, and the summit is a mere hour trek away, climbers have to decide if they should push ahead, possibly suffering dire consequences, or retreat, leaving the summit for another year.

Many climbers will tell you that it is the journey that is the most memorable and rewarding aspect of their climb. Roughly half of those who climb Denali do not reach the summit, yet take pride in their success of challenging their mind and body, gaining personal growth. Other adventurers may choose to go on a back-country trek within the park. These individuals must obtain a permit through the Park Service and select a unit in which to explore, providing personal descriptions and outdoor gear color so officials can track the hikers if necessary.

Open fires are not allowed in the Park, nor are open food canisters, and any material that an animal might find tasty, such as toothpaste, or lotion. These items, along with all food, stove fuel, and trash, must be stored in bear-resistant canisters. This system has allowed for a safe coexistence between humans and wildlife, and there has never been a fatal encounter between a human and animal in Denali. Backpackers enjoy the solitude and peaceful scenery as they visit a region that truly belongs to the wildlife.

 Glacier Bay Park and Preserve is reportedly the most sought after park to visit in the United States and it is no wonder. Where else will you find a 25 mile-long river of ice still carving the land just as it has for the past several thousand years? When Captain Cook and George Vancouver sailed by in 1879, they saw a 20-mile wide glacier where today the entrance of the park lies, as well the wilderness lodge and park headquarters. Over the past 200 years, this wall of ice has retreated an astonishing 65 miles north, splintering into a vast number of tributaries spaced throughout the entire park. Each glacier has its own name and character; our captain will decide which to visit for the day depending on ice conditions and wildlife sightings.

Visiting Glacier Bay Park is also like visiting a wildlife park. Here bears, goats, moose, whales, sea otters, and all the creatures of the water and forest flourish, completely protected from man. A National Park Interpreter will join us on this day for our entire journey. He or she will explain the park's geology, glaciology, wildlife, and its deep roots in Tlingit culture, bringing the park alive on a level that will keep you engaged the entire time we are there.
 

 Tracy Arm quickly becomes a favorite place for those who visit. It is perhaps one of the most dramatic locations in all of North America. This fantastic fjord rivals if not surpasses the fjords of Norway and New Zealand. Completely protected within the Tongass National Forest, this fjord stretches some 25 miles up into the Coastal Range Mountains. These snow- and glacier-filled mountains over 7,000 feet tall drop immediately to sea level. We will be surrounded by sheer 1,500-to 2,000-foot walls of granite falling into the extremely narrow passage, creating countless waterfalls and strange rock formations covered in forest, and trees hanging onto precipices at impossible angles. Bears, mountain goats, and other fur-bearing animals live here, on a terrain you would think has to be devoid of such large animals. You might spot a bear in a spot that does not look possible.

Twisting and turning, not being able to see what is around the next corner, you will be presented with a continual flow of scenery that could only be compared to Yosemite National Park but filled with over 1,000 feet of water! Here killer whales come to prey upon harbor seals who think they have safely hauled out on the ice to give birth or molt their fur. Each turn will present a new view of waterfalls and “u”-shaped valleys, carved out by ice in the not-so-distant past.

At the head of the arm is our true destination, the two Sawyer glaciers that carved out the fjord. As we make our way to the head of the fjord, we will pass through a field of icebergs that will bump into the ship as we push them out of the way. We will be entering a surreal world you could not imagine, with ice more blue than the sky itself. When we arrive at the face of the glaciers, we will no doubt see hundreds of harbor seals laying on the ice. If we are fortunate, a building-size piece of ice will break off the glacier's face only to crash and thunder into the water below, creating massive waves that will rock our ship as our guests cheer.

 Frederick Sound is a body of water approximately 45 miles wide in the central part of Southeast Alaska, at the confluence of Portage Bay (West), lower Stephens Passage (North), and Chatham Strait between the communities of Juneau (North) and Petersburg (South). Frederick Sound is only accessible by boat or air.

Abundant krill (small, shrimp-like crustaceans), zooplankton and herring thrive in the glacially fed waters of Frederick Sound, making it one of the premier places in Alaska to observe feeding humpback whales. It is estimated that over 500 of the 1,000 humpbacks that migrate annually to Alaska from Hawaiian breeding grounds head particularly to Frederick Sound to feed in its super nutrient-rich waters. Marine mammals in the sound also include orcas (killer whales), Steller's sea lions, Dall’s porpoise, and harbor seals. A variety of seabirds thrive in this region as well and can be observed flying overhead or flocking after the whale’s watery leftovers, creating a great clue to where the humpbacks might be. Surrounding the sound are the majestic craggy snow-covered mountains of the Coast Range rising from the sea to grand heights of 10,000 feet.

Although Juneau is the state capital of Alaska, it seems to be situated in the middle of nowhere. Juneau is only reachable by plane or boat. This small, isolated city must be the most picturesque state capital in North America, with mountains and waterfalls visible right behind downtown and the Capitol building. Only a few minutes walk from the Capitol building and you are in the woods on a mountain slope. Bears have been spotted in downtown Juneau at night--note that all the downtown garbage receptacles are “bear proof.”

There is much excitement in Juneau as it is the hub for state politics, cruise ships, and still has the taste of an old mining frontier town. This allows a number of services to exist in Juneau like no other town you will visit. Kayaking, hiking, nature walks, salmon bakes, and flightseeing combined with ice climbing, glacier trekking, dog mushing, and bear viewing are just some of the things you can explore. Or perhaps you would like time on your own to visit one of the many museums, cafes, and bookshops downtown. If you want to get away from it all, the tram up Mt. Robert's will whisk you out of town to the mountain tops. There is so much to do in this small city in the middle of the Alaskan wilderness.