Your Tour Director will welcome you to Alaska! Transfer to your downtown hotel and get your first taste of Alaska in the nearby shops and museums.

Today you’ll board our McKinley Explorer, the largest domed railcars on the historic Alaska Railroad route, an Alaska Scenic Byway. Upon arrival at Denali National Park, transfer to the finest lodge and spend your afternoon and evening at leisure.

Your EXTRA DAY at Denali National Park begins with an early morning departure for the Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour. Enjoy 6-8 hours of narrated touring with a driver-guide as you travel 53 miles of the Park Road for great wildlife viewing. Caribou, moose, grizzly, wolves and Dall sheep are frequently sighted. And dramatic Mt. McKinley viewpoints are afforded from several lookouts including Stony Hill Overlook. Later, return to your lodge to relax or take your choice of optional activities.

This morning, sip an espresso by the fire. Relax over breakfast at your choice of eateries and browse the wildlife exhibits and souvenirs at the Gift Shop. Later, reboard the McKinley Explorer, en route to Fairbanks. Then check into your downtown hotel and enjoy a relaxing night in Alaska’s second largest city.

We have a full day planned — lunch included. Start your adventure aboard the sternwheeler Discovery III for native culture, gold rush history, and local color. You’ll even meet Susan Butcher of Iditarod fame, or members of her family, and watch a bush pilot demonstration. At Gold Dredge No. 8, you’ll browse the mining exhibits and pan for gold during an informative tour. Tonight, explore under the Midnight Sun on a choice of optional tours.

You’re off along the Alaska Highway where scenes of the Tetlin Wildlife Refuge blend with the distant peaks of the Wrangell Mountains. A pause at the famed Rika’s Roadhouse along the original wagon road echoes the past and offers tempting homemade pies. Today’s discussion will focus on gold mining and the local natural history. We welcome you to remote Beaver Creek, Canada’s westernmost settlement, with our famed Yukon Rendezvous Dinner Show (included).

Enjoy more sights along the Alaska Highway past the peaks of the St. Elias Mountains and the sparkling waters of scenic Kluane Lake. Today’s discussion by your driver and Tour Director will focus on native history and culture in the Yukon as well as the history of the Alaska Highway. Arriving in Whitehorse, the capital of the Yukon Territory, you’ll check into your downtown hotel.

This UNESCO World Heritage Site encompasses the second tallest mountain in North America — Mt. Logan — and

numerous other titanic peaks. Designed exclusively for Holland America guests, local interpreters lead you on your choice of optional hikes from easy to strenuous. And all feature rich wildlife habitat and superb scenery.

Today’s travels take you to an amazing tapestry of every-changing scenery. Discussion by your driver and Tour Director will focus on the region’s natural and gold rush history. Next, board the nostalgic White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad and descend through some of Alaska’s most spectacular country. In Skagway, you’ll transfer to your Holland America cruise ship and say "Good-bye" to your Tour Director.

Calving glaciers are the star features as you spend a full day exploring Alaska’s best glacial attraction, with a backdrop of 15,000-foot mountains. On board today will be a National Park Service ranger and a local Huna native storyteller to explain the significance of this protected wilderness.

Besides the main attractions – Creek Street, the Tongass Historical Museum, Totem Bight State Park and Saxman Village – there’s one other thing we highly recommend you do. A flightseeing trip to breathtaking Misty Fjords National Monument is essential.

Steep coastal mountains and marine wildlife will be the backdrop to a relaxing day at sea. Whether with a massage in the Greenhouse Spa, a cooking lesson in the Culinary Arts Center or a game of chance in the casino, you’ll discover exciting daily activities and elegant service.

The National Park Collector: Alaska and the Yukon’s best wilderness parks are included on this tour. You’ll have extra time for exploring Denali, Kluane and Glacier Bay national parks plus Klondike National Historical Park in Skagway.

The History Buff: You will travel the famous AL-CAN Highway. An engineering marvel during WWII, you will learn of Gold Rush history, its fascinating construction story and the lore of the local First Nations people between Whitehorse and Fairbanks.

The Railroad Lover: Between Holland America Line’s new McKinley Explorer luxury domed railcars and the White Pass & Yukon Route’s narrow gauge trip back in time, this tour includes 3 days riding the rails

Alyeska Resort Pre-CruiseTour Option: The only Alaska hotel to be included on Condé Nast’s Gold List, Alyeska Resort is nestled in the Chugach National Forest. Including a four-diamond restaurant with a view of seven nearby glaciers, extending your CruiseTour here will be a most relaxing journey.

Anchorage & Portage Glacier: Add an extra night in Anchorage plus a 7-hour tour including a cruise to Portage Glacier aboard Holland America Line’s mv Ptarmigan. Traveling by deluxe motor coach, you will also see the wilderness of the Chugach and Kenai Mountains as you look for beluga whales in the scenic Turnagain Arm of Cook Inlet.

Denali National Park: Horse-Drawn Covered Wagon. Journey into the wilds of Alaska while being pulled by draft horses in a comfortable covered wagon. Learn about the history of the mining areas and wilderness near the park and enjoy a freshly prepared meal.

Fairbanks: Mary Shields Tails of the Trail. This is a memorable opportunity to visit with Mary Shields, the first woman to complete the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race. Tour her home while she shares her adventures of 40 years of dog mushing and living the pioneer lifestyle plus meet her friendly huskies.

Kluane National Park: Tatshenshini Whitewater Adventure. Exhilarating rapids, canyons, soaring mountains and big game all combine to make this a world-class rafting river. This scenic paddle trip features class II to IV rapids and includes all gear and a shore lunch.

Ketchikan: Misty Fjords Wilderness Cruise & Flight by Floatplane. Cruise on a high-speed catamaran through the national monument, surrounded by cliffs towering thousands of feet and cascading waterfalls. Then transfer to a floatplane and cross this 2-million acre wilderness with a bush pilot.