Alaskan Wildlife & Wilderness

Dwarfed by the tallest mountain in North America, you’ll see Denali National Park long before you arrive there. En route to the six-million-acre wilderness, you’ll stop off to try a local delicacy, reindeer sausage, and then your adventure really begins: spend two full days exploring the park at your own pace. Free hikes abound here, as well as a range of organised activities – we highly recommend a glacier landing helicopter flight. Perhaps give white water rafting, mountain biking or a dogsledding demonstration a try too. Whatever you choose, wildlife lovers should keep an eye out for Alaska’s answer to the Big Five: caribou, moose, grizzlies, wolves and dall sheep.

If it’s possible, this 400-mile-long mountain range is as secluded as Denali. In rustic surrounds, explore the beautiful valley, looking out for grazing caribou and a plethora of bird species as you go. There is also the chance to go canoeing here.

Home to the highest number of glaciers in North America, Wrangell-St Elias really is a special place. A mass of lofty peaks and ice, the scenery here is nothing short of spectacular – and on a vast scale. Spend your time exploring the town of Kennecott and just soaking up the landscapes; perhaps even take a scenic flight to get a bird’s-eye view of it all. Or, if you really want to experience it up-close, consider a cramponed hike around the Root Glacier.

The bustling seaside town of Valdez feels new – and that’s because it is; an earthquake destroyed the original settlement in the sixties. It has plenty of gold-rush history to learn about though, not to mention some stunning sights right on its doorstep. Have your camera at the ready when you stop at the Worthington Glacier, and take a stroll along Thompson Pass. You can even embark on a sea kayaking excursion to see the ice sheet up close.

Picturesque Seward has plenty to offer within its quaint streets, but it’s the nearby Prince William Sound that is the big draw here. Look out for harbour seals, sea lions and plenty more marine life on your way to this fishing town.

Today you can expect more sealife sightings as you cruise around Resurrection Bay and the Alaska Maritime National Wildlife Refuge. Travellers have been known to spot sea lions, otters, porpoise, puffins, eagles and – if you’re really lucky – orcas and humpback whales.

The Kenai Fjords are home to a plethora of wildlife, but perhaps its most magnificent site is the mammoth Harding Icefield – stretching across 300 square miles of Alaskan landscape. Weather pending, this will be the day when you have your most thrilling experience: the chance to walk from Exit Glacier to the icefield, gazing at crevasses and calving blocks of ice as you go. The hike is tough and not for the faint of heart, but the rewards when you reach the lookout point of the trail (900m) are huge: you’ll feel like you’re on top of the world.

This trip saves the best for last. Today you’ll head for Soldotna, the launch site for a floatplane ride across the Cook Inlet, in search of bears in the Big River Lakes. Here you’ll transfer from plane to boat, drifting through the water, on the lookout for grizzlies and black bears. Make sure you have your camera fully charged – this is where you’re likely to get that classic shot of bears catching and feeding on salmon as they push upstream.