This is the start of the report about our 4-week adventure in Alaska in 2013. Lou planned this trip for my 60th birthday. It was amazing. Don’t be put off because this trip was over ten years ago – not much has changed in Alaska and most of the report is relevant today. The first three weeks were spent aboard an UnCruise small ship, and they called this itinerary “Ultra Alaska.” We added on a 4th week of land touring to experience the Alaska Railroad and Denali National Park. This report is divided into 4 sections, one for each week of the trip. Clicking on the photos or links below will take you to that week’s report.
UnCruise Adventures is a small ship company that started out in Alaska. They now do cruises in Hawaii, Baja, and the Galapagos. The ships we were on hold about 70 passengers. While there is a set itinerary, the Captain will modify as needed if there is a special wildlife sighting. Instead of just visiting large port cities, the Alaskan UnCruise Adventure will often anchor in small coves, and there are usually two opportunities a day to get off the ship and go for a hike, skiff tour, or paddleboard outing. Snorkeling is even a possibility on some trips.
Navigation Tip – To go through the posts for each week, click on the link at the bottom of the LEFT side of the page to go to the next post.
Week 1 – We flew to Juneau, Alaska, where we boarded the Wilderness Discoverer for a one week UnCruise through part of the eastern side of inside passage. This took us from Juneau to Ketchikan, with amazing stops at Tracy Arm Glaciers and Misty Fjords National Park.
Posts for this trip start HERE.
Week 2 – During the second week we continued exploring the Inside Passage, this time navigating through the western side. We made our way from Ketchikan back to Juneau, taking in the wonders of Chatham Strait, Dawes Glacier and many hidden coves along the way.
Click HERE to join us for Week 2 of this incredible journey.
Week 3 – The final week of the uncruising portion of our Ultra Alaska adventure took us from Juneau to Glacier Bay, ending in Sitka. For this leg, we switched from the Wilderness Discoverer to the Wilderness Explorer.
Click HERE to follow Week 3.
Week 4 of this epic adventure was all about the land. We flew from Sitka to Fairbanks where we boarded the Alaska Railroad for a journey to Denali National Park. We spent 3 nights at the Kantishna Roadhouse which is located deep in Denali NP. We finished with a one day flying excursion from Anchorage to try and see a bear…
Click HERE to hop on board as we head to Denali National Park, truly one of the wonders of the world.