Spirit Of The Yukon

Spirit of the Yukon

Tours Starts: Anchorage, Alaska

Tours Ends: Fairbanks, Alaska

Day 1

Arrive in Anchorage

Today your adventure begins upon arrival in Anchorage. If you booked your flight with YMT, a representative will greet you at the airport and transfer you to your hotel. This picturesque city sandwiched between 5,000-foot peaks and the Cook Inlet is home to one of the world’s only urban beluga whale pods. As for humans, nearly half of Alaska’s population lives in Anchorage. You can always find great food like fresh-caught local salmon or reindeer sausage, and a killer cup of coffee. Just remember to keep your eyes peeled for wild moose, who have been known to wander through downtown. Relax this evening, because tomorrow the fun really starts!

Aspen Hotel or similar

OPTION: BREAKFAST PACKAGE:

Book our breakfast package and enjoy breakfast at your hotel everyday of your trip! $140 p/p. Please add this option at time of booking.

Day 2

Tok via Wrangell-St. Elias National Park

Today promises to be full of breathtaking natural beauty as you enjoy the Alaska Highway, one of the most scenic drives in the world. Travel via deluxe motorcoach past the treelined Matanuska River and the 27-mile-long Matanuska Glacier, a memento from the last ice age. Then stop at the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park Visitor Center. This National Park and Preserve is America’s largest. It covers more land than Yellowstone National Park, Yosemite National Park, and Switzerland combined. This rugged, isolated 13-million acre wilderness is home to dazzling blue glaciers, spruce forests, and nine of America’s 16 tallest mountains. Spend the evening relaxing in Tok, a small frontier town surrounded by dense forests. Tok was named after the husky pup the local Army Corps of Engineers adopted as their mascot while they built the nearby stretch of the Alaska Highway.

Youngs Motel or similar

Day 3

Whitehorse via Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge & Kluane National Park

Start the day with a scenic drive through the Tetlin National Wildlife Refuge. Tetlin's dynamic landscape is made up of forests, wetlands, tundra, lakes, mountains, and glacial rivers bounded by the snowy peaks of the Alaska Range. Next, have your passport at the ready and cross the border into Canada's legendary Yukon Territory. Continue past Kluane National Park, which consists of 24.2 million acres of ice fields, forests, pristine lakes, and towering peaks. Your day ends in Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon and the territorial headquarters of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.

Best Western Gold Rush or similar

Day 4

Whitehorse City Tour & Skagway

Start your day with a city tour of Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory. Nicknamed “Wilderness City,” Whitehorse is an oasis of civilization. Its historic buildings, public artworks, and independent shops and cafes are surrounded by some of Canada’s most isolated terrain. Take a fun day trip over to Skagway via the Trail of ’98. This is the same mountainous path that countless eager gold seekers scaled on foot during the Klondike Gold Rush.

El Dorado Downtown or similar

Day 5

Dawson City via Carmacks

Your journey continues northwest through Carmacks, current population 493. The tiny town was once an important supply station for gold seekers on their way to the Klondike. Stop at the Five Finger Rapids, a harrowing section of the Yukon River where islands divide the river into five narrow channels, only one of which is passable. The rapids were a formidable obstacle to the hordes of fortune seekers that passed this way—an untold number of whom were lost in the fast-moving current. Tonight, enjoy the high-flying entertainment of Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Saloon. This Dawson City institution promises a “whooping good time” with nightly ragtime music, can-can girls, and an old-fashioned casino.

El Dorado Downtown or similar

Day 6

Dawson City Tour

Take a tour of Dawson City, where old-time wooden boardwalks connect frontier-era buildings in the Yukon Territory’s original capital. Highlights on your morning sightseeing tour include Bonanza Creek, site of Claim #1 where the first gold strike was made, and the Robert Service Cabin and Interpretive Center. Enjoy a photo opportunity at the SS Keno, the last sternwheeler to run between Dawson and Whitehorse. Spend the evening enjoying Dawson City’s 19th-century charm on your own. Adventurous travelers can head on down to the Sourdough Saloon to try the infamous Sourtoe Cocktail. Joining the ranks of the Sourtoe Cocktail Club is simple: finish a single drink, of your choosing, garnished with a preserved human toe. If you’re concerned, don’t be. The digit was donated willingly

El Dorado Downtown or similar

Day 7

Fairbanks via Top of the World Highway

Take the Top of the World Highway back to Alaska. Have your camera ready for photo opportunities at Dawson Overlook and Top of the World Highway, where the motorcoach will re-enter the United States. For most of the ride, your coach will travel along the peaks and crests of mountains and hills, allowing you to look down at the valleys below and take in spectacular views of the Alaska Range. Visit one of the last surviving gold rush towns in Alaska, and enjoy a meal at an authentic Alaska Roadhouse before your evening arrival in Fairbanks. Spend the evening in the “Golden Heart City” of Fairbanks. Alaska’s second-largest city is found on the banks of the Chena River.

Springhill Suites Fairbanks or similar

Day 8

Depart for Home

Note: Most flights from Fairbanks are non-direct with at least one or two connections. Departure flights from Fairbanks to most cities are overnight and arrive the following day; some flights depart after midnight.

Please note that this is a proposed itinerary; the actual itinerary may vary due to season, special events, or weather. Hotels may differ depending on date. Because our tour arrangements are often made a year or more in advance, YMT Vacations reserves the right to alter the itinerary. Itinerary changes are made to improve your vacation experience, as well as respond to any unforeseen circumstances that mandate alterations. By their nature, all tour vacations involve a certain level of physical activity. While YMT tours have been designed with our guests in mind and are not physically demanding, this tour does include walking and periods of standing during the sightseeing visits. You will also encounter steps and some uneven ground along the way, particularly at older, historical sights. Please ask your Travel Consultant for more information.