A TAILOR-MADE HOLIDAY DESIGNED BY SPECIALISTS
At The Ultimate Travel Company, every holiday is tailor-made. Use our Alaska and Yukon self-drive itinerary as inspiration or a starting point for a luxury fly-drive holiday through the USA and Canada. Whether you prefer luxury lodges and cabins, want to prioritise Denali National Park, glacier cruises and wildlife viewing, or would like to add extra stops, our specialists will design a bespoke Alaska and Yukon road trip shaped entirely around you.
ABOUT THE ITINERARY
A wide-loop self-drive that threads Alaska and the Yukon together, this itinerary is built around big landscapes, long road views and a handful of genuinely worthwhile experiences rather than constant box-ticking. It begins with an easy run from Anchorage to Talkeetna, a small river town with a clear sense of place and a front-row position for Denali on a good day. From here you choose how you want to meet the mountain: by jetboat into backcountry channels, or from the air on a flightseeing route that skims glacier basins and steep-walled valleys.
Two nights at Denali keep the pace sensible. You can take a guided tundra tour along the park road to look for wildlife, or switch to something more hands-on with a self-drive 4×4 excursion, or upgrade to a flight or glacier landing. Then the journey leans into interior Alaska with a classic sternwheeler cruise in Fairbanks before the road turns remote: Tok, and on to Dawson City via the Top of the World Highway, where the Klondike story is still visible in the streets, dredges and riverboats. Whitehorse adds a livelier stop with a visit to the Yukon Wildlife Preserve, before you continue into Kluane country for icefields, wide skies and the kind of scale that makes even short drives feel cinematic.
The return to Alaska brings a final shift in scenery, from tundra and mountain passes to the coast. Valdez delivers the payoff with a full-day cruise through Prince William Sound to Columbia Glacier, scanning for puffins, sea lions and otters as the ice comes into view. The last night at Sheep Mountain Lodge is a quiet, high-country contrast before you roll back into Anchorage with time for glacier stops and short walks on the way.
ANCHORAGE TO TALKEETNA
Pick up your hire car and drive the Glenn Highway north to Wasilla and on to Talkeetna. Stops can include a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Centre. Talkeetna is located at the confluence of the Talkeetna and Susitna Rivers and is a popular base for Denali climbers.
Stay: Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge – Main Lodge Room
TALKEETNA
Today you can personalise your day by choosing one of these excursions.
Option 1: Wilderness Excursion Jetboat Tour
Embark on a narrated river cruise into Alaska’s wilderness, with views of Denali. Travel 20 miles as a naturalist shares insights on local history, wildlife and Denali, then explore a Dena’ina Indian encampment and a historic trapper’s cabin, learning about trapping and edible plants used by Native communities.
Option 2: Upgrade option, Denali Flightseeing Experience (small aircraft)
This flightseeing tour brings you within 6 miles of Denali’s north (19,470 ft) and south (20,320 ft) summits, over rugged peaks and glacier-filled valleys, with views of the south and east faces. Highlights include the dramatic rise from 2,000 ft to 20,320 ft, the Ruth Glacier, Sheldon Amphitheatre, the Great Gorge, and blue meltwater pools.
Option 3: Upgrade option, Denali Flightseeing with Glacier Landing (small aircraft)
Fly within 6 miles of Denali’s north and south summits (19,470 ft and 20,320 ft) over snow-capped mountains and glacier-filled valleys, taking in the south and east faces and the mountain’s rise from 2,000 ft to 20,320 ft. Highlights include the Ruth Glacier, Sheldon Amphitheatre, the Great Gorge with mile-high granite walls, and striking blue meltwater pools.
After your excursion, drive the Parks Highway north to Denali National Park. You can spend as much time as you like taking in Denali scenery along the George Parks Highway, or arrive near the park entrance for an optional activity or a visit to the Denali Visitor Centre.
Stay: Denali Cabins – Standard Cabin
DENALI
Choose one of the following experiences.
Option 1: Denali Highway Jeep Excursion (self-drive guided 4×4, 4 hours)
Travel along a 135 mi (217 km) gravel road and go off the beaten path by 4×4 for scenic views of Denali, the Alaska Range, glaciers and wildlife.
Option 2: Tundra Wilderness Tour (coach tour, half day)
A narrated tour of the park road with opportunities to view wildlife. Scenic highlights include Cathedral Mountain, wildlife-rich Sable Pass, and the braided wash of the East Fork River.
Option 3: Upgrade option, Denali Summit Flightseeing (small aircraft)
Fly over snow-covered peaks, jagged ridgelines and glacier-carved valleys, with guide commentary via headset, getting within half a mile of the mountain peak.
Option 4: Upgrade option, Denali Glacier Landing (helicopter)
Be immersed in the Denali National Preserve en route to the massive Yanert Glacier, with your pilot as guide through this glacially carved landscape. Look out for caribou, moose, bear and Dall sheep, with snow-capped peaks and glaciers before you set down on a river of ice.
Stay: Denali Cabins – Standard Cabin
DENALI NATIONAL PARK TO FAIRBANKS
Continue on the George Parks Highway north to Fairbanks via Healy, Nenana and Ester. In the afternoon, board the Riverboat Discovery III for an unforgettable 3-hour cruise into the Alaskan Interior, travelling the Chena and Tanana Rivers on the only authentic sternwheeler riverboat operating in Alaska. This narrated tour provides background on the area’s natural history and Athabascan Indian culture.
Stay: River’s Edge Resort – Garden Cottage
FAIRBANKS TO TOK
Head south on the Richardson Highway through White birch and Black spruce, often alongside the Tanana River, with views into the central Alaska Range and sections paralleled by the Alaska pipeline.
Stay: Fox ’n Fireweed Cabins – Cabin (breakfast included)
TOK TO DAWSON CITY
Travel the Top of the World Highway (partly gravel), passing backcountry landscapes and historic gold mining areas. Before Dawson City, cross the Yukon River on the government-run ferry.
Stay: Aurora Inn – Standard Room
DAWSON CITY
A full day to visit the historical sights of Dawson City, including the SS Keno, the Jack London Interpretive Centre with the poet’s original cabin, and the city museum with audiovisual presentations. Visit Dredge No. 4 (built in 1912 on Bonanza Creek), and enjoy evening entertainment at the Grand Palace Theatre (home of the “Gaslight Follies Show”) or Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Casino with legal gambling tables and can-can floor shows. Do not miss the short drive along Ridge Road to the top of Midnight Dome for views over Dawson, the Ogilvie Mountains, and the Yukon and Klondike Rivers.
Stay: Aurora Inn – Standard Room
DAWSON CITY TO WHITEHORSE
Continue south to Whitehorse, with a stop at Five Finger Rapids and time to walk down to the Yukon River. Arrive in Yukon’s capital by late afternoon.
Stay: Best Western Gold Rush Inn – Deluxe Room
WHITEHORSE
Time to explore the region and take advantage of all that Whitehorse has to offer. Visit the Yukon Wildlife Preserve (included), a wildlife-viewing property featuring 10 species of northern Canadian mammals in their natural environment. Encompassing over 700 acres with various natural habitats, it offers standout wildlife viewing and photo opportunities.
Stay: Best Western Gold Rush Inn – Deluxe Room
WHITEHORSE TO HAINES JUNCTION
Depart Whitehorse for an easy two-hour drive along the historic Alaska Highway to Haines Junction. This town is the only thing not huge in Kluane country, with a population of 800 residents, fewer than the number of grizzly bears in Kluane National Park. The park is home to Canada’s highest peak and the world’s largest non-polar icefields behind the façade of mountains that provide the town’s dramatic backdrop. For a truly unforgettable experience, take an air tour over the park to appreciate the scale of some of the planet’s largest glaciers.
Stay: The Raven Hotel – Standard Room (continental breakfast included)
KLUANE NATIONAL PARK
Leaving along the Haines Highway, the road climbs from the Chilkat River Valley to the windswept Chikat Pass. You skirt the boundaries of Tatshenshini-Alsek Provincial Park (British Columbia) and Kluane National Park (Yukon), part of the largest contiguous protected wilderness area on earth, and a United Nations World Heritage Site.
Stay: The Raven Hotel – Standard Room (continental breakfast included)
HAINES JUNCTION TO TOK
Take time for a short hike before driving north along Kluane Lake. Stop at Sheep Mountain and look out for Dall sheep on the slopes, then continue on the Alaska Highway through wilderness landscapes to Tok.
Stay: Fox ’n Fireweed Cabins – Cabin (breakfast included)
TOK TO VALDEZ
Continue on the Glenn Highway for Wrangell Mountains views. Stop at Copper Centre to see native fish wheels on the Copper River, then visit Worthington Glacier where a boardwalk leads towards the glacier’s toe, before arriving in Valdez.
Stay: Best Western Valdez Harbor Inn – Standard Room (continental breakfast included)
VALDEZ
Discover the magic of Alaska on this 7-hour Columbia Glacier cruise from Valdez. A local captain and crew will guide you through the Trans Alaska Pipeline Terminal and Columbia Bay before arriving at Columbia Glacier, the largest tidewater glacier in South-central Alaska. Look out for wildlife along the way, you may spot porpoises, puffins, sea lions and sea otters. (Lunch included.)
Stay: Best Western Valdez Harbor Inn – Standard Room (continental breakfast included)
VALDEZ TO SHEEP MOUNTAIN LODGE
Drive north from Valdez through dramatic Thompson Pass, known for towering peaks and cascading waterfalls. Stop at Worthington Glacier to explore the glacier up close, then continue along the Richardson Highway through the Chugach Mountains. Visit historic Copper Centre, a former supply hub during the Klondike Gold Rush, and the local museum showcasing Native Alaskan artefacts and Gold Rush memorabilia. Stop by the Gulkana River viewpoint to watch for salmon or spot bald eagles, before continuing to Sheep Mountain Lodge for colourful mountains and glacial valleys.
Stay: Sheep Mountain Lodge – Premier Cabin
SHEEP MOUNTAIN LODGE TO ANCHORAGE
Continue to Anchorage with optional stops including Matanuska Glacier and Independence Mine State Historical Park near Hatcher Pass, as well as short walks and viewpoints along the Glenn Highway. You may also choose to finish with a visit to the Alaska Native Heritage Centre before your onward journey.
PRICE INCLUDES
- Car hire
- Private transfers
- B&B accommodation and activities as stated
- Based on two people sharing
PRICE EXCLUDES
- International flights
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