by Scott Miller
Anchorage, Alaska Land Tour Options

With an Alaska cruise, you have some great optional land tours that you can add on either before or after your actual cruise. In the Anchorage area, which includes the ports of Seward and Whittier, you have some wonderful pre- or post-cruise land Alaska land tour options.

Two of the best tour packages are the Kenai Fjords tour and the Denali Tour. The Kenai Peninsula tours generally run about 2 to 4 days. The Denali tours run between 4 and 5 days. There are also week-long tours that include both locations.

While it is possible to take a guided tour, many of the tours are self-guided rail or bus excursions, allowing you to visit the sights at your own pace, yet without worrying about driving, so that you to relax and enjoy your trip.

Kenai Fjords Tours: See the Breathtaking Kenai Peninsula

The Kenai Peninsula is located about three hours south and southwest of Anchorage. The peninsula is home to the scenic ports of Seward and Homer, along with the breathtakingly beautiful Kenai Fjords National Park.

Pre-cruise Kenai tours generally start in Anchorage, then follow the road or train lines along the Turnagain Arm to Seward. The Turnagain Arm is a long, narrow bay that is home to many beluga whales, so keep an eye out for them when you pass alongside this bay.

Seward is a quaint fishing village that is located on the Gulf of Alaska, home to many great little shops, galleries, restaurants, and museums. Seward serves as your home base for exploring the peninsula and Kenai Fjords National Park.

Since the vast majority of Kenai Fjords is accessible only by water, you will take a day cruise from Seward into the park, exploring its amazing fjords and glaciers up close. The park is a truly beautiful place, with abundant sea life and wildlife, and many breathtaking views.

You generally spend the next day exploring the town of Seward, including the Alaska Sea Life Center, a world-class marine research and educational facility, where you can see and learn about the area's amazing sea life.

The tour then heads by bus or rail back to Anchorage, before taking you on to your cruise at the port of Whittier.

Mt. McKinley and Denali National Park Tours

As beautiful and scenic as the Kenai peninsula is, if I had to pick one of these two tours to add on to my Alaska cruise, I would select the Denali tour. The reason is that this tour allows you to see and experience much more of the great interior of Alaska, a perfect compliment to your cruise along Alaska's coastline.

Your Denali park tour will begin in Anchorage, heading along the wonderfully scenic Alaska Railroad. The trip takes a little more than 7 hours by rail, and along the way you pass some absolutely beautiful scenery, including, on clear days, some breathtaking views of the 20,320 foot Mt. McKinley, North America's tallest peak.

Some tours whisk you off for a whitewater rafting adventure, an incredible experience along one of the beautiful, wild rivers in the Denali area.

The next day you will likely take a tour of Denali Park itself. Bear in mind Denali National Park is the size of Massachusetts, so you could take a month and still not see it all. The 95 mile long Kantishna Wilderness tour is one of the more popular Denali trips. It is a twelve hour long journey through some of the parks' most scenic roadways.

The wildlife viewing in Denali is beyond compare, including black and brown bears, wolves, caribou, Dall sheep, and moose.

After Denali, most tours generally head back south to the village of Talkeetna. After some shopping and lunch in this quaint town, you might head off on a jet boat cruise along one of the area's wild and scenic rivers, often with the massive and spectacular Mt. McKinley as a backdrop.

Finally, on the last day, you head from Talkeetna to the port of Seward or Whittier, where you board your Alaska cruise.

This Denali land tour is really full of excitement, thrills, and breathtaking scenery. It gives you a great feel for the interior of this amazing state.

Whether you take the Kenai Fjords tour, the Denali tour, or a combined tour of both, you will have a great experience that perfectly compliments your Alaska cruise and gives you a greater appreciation of the vast and varied natural beauty of this incredible state.


About the Author
Scott Miller is editor of the Alaska Cruise Advisor, a guide to Alaskan cruise vacations which, in addition to information on cruises, has sections on Alaska shore excursions, inland tours, and Alaska fishing.