We
are pleased to offer multiple tour opportunities for conference
attendees. We understand that many of you will be visiting
ALASKA for the first time. With that in mind we have arranged
for many tour options to provide you with a trip of a lifetime
adventure
and opportunity.
Make your Travel Plans Now!
Tours, Hotels and Transportation book up fast during Alaska’s busy summer season.
Don’t delay, make your reservations ASAP!
To avoid disappointment, be sure to register and book your tours as soon as you have chosen the activities you wish to participate in. To book your tours please go to the Registration Page.
Portage Glacier Cruise and Alaska Wildlife
Conservation Center
Spend
your day enjoying the Portage Valley. After boarding the motorcoach
at the conference hotel, you will travel along the breathtaking
Turnagain Arm, famous for its unusual bore tide. This drive has
been voted one of the Top Ten Most Scenic Drives in America by
Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Watch for eagles, Dall sheep, moose
and perhaps beluga whales feeding on the hooligan in the Arm. Rustic
old buildings and ghost forests are visible signs of the 1964 earthquake
that flooded the area. Explore Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center,
Alaska's only drive-through wildlife viewing exhibit. This will
be your opportunity to glimpse many Alaskan animals such as grizzly
bear, black bear, reindeer, bison, elk, musk ox, moose, eagles,
or Sitka blacktail deer. Drive on to Portage Valley where you will
take a glacier cruise that will take you face to face (or face
to "toe") with an active fresh water calving glacier. Board the
M/V Ptarmigan for an unforgettable one hour cruise across iceberg-dotted
Portage Lake to the face of Portage
Glacier. Narrated by a forest service representative, the cruise
is informative and breathtakingly beautiful. Return to the conference
hotel by motorcoach. A box luncheon and refreshments will be provided.
At Lake Hood, America's largest float plane airport, you will
step aboard a floatplane for a spectacular flight that will take
you within six miles of Mt. McKinley's 20,320 foot summit. Fly
over foothills and spot wildlife while on your way to the Alaska
Range. You will get to view Ruth Glacier, the Great Gorge and the
massive south face of McKinley where climbers attempt their ascent.
You will make a floatplane landing on a lake at the base of Mt.
McKinley (weather permitting) before flying back to Anchorage.
Ground transportation to/from downtown hotels and Lake Hood is
provided by the air taxi operator.
Cab, carpool, or
walk downhill the three blocks from the conference hotel to the
train depot. Once there, step aboard the historic blue and gold
cars of the Alaska Railroad for a train ride to Grandview. Travel
deep into the Grandview Valley and the historic "loop district" where
you'll be surrounded by alpine meadows, wildlife, and wildflowers.
Enjoy great views of Trail, Bartlett, and Spencer Glaciers. A Chugach
Forest Service naturalist will join you onboard. This train ride
will take you through some of Alaska's most pristine and scenic
wilderness areas with rugged gorges, spectacular peaks, and a glacier-carved
valley that you can reach only by train. Final return leg to the
conference hotel in Anchorage is by motorcoach. Limited food service
available on the train (not included in tour price).
Wednesday All Day- $125
Fly-in Bear Viewing at Redoubt Bay
Enjoy a guided tour with the opportunity
to view Alaska's black
and brown bears in their natural habitat. Board a float plane at
Lake Hood for a six-hour tour that will take you about 70 miles
southwest of Anchorage to the entrance of Lake Clark Wilderness
Preserve. From Redoubt Bay Lodge at the entrance of the preserve,
you will board a covered pontoon boat to view resident brown bears
up close. Your naturalist guide will lead you to the bears in their
natural habitat. The bears follow the salmon, so the best viewing
is from June through August. You will also receive a checklist
of flora and fauna specific to this region. A homemade lunch served
in the lodge before you fly back to Anchorage is included. Ground
transportation to/from downtown hotels and Lake Hood is provided
by the air taxi operator.
Board the motorcoach at the conference hotel
for the Matanuska Valley, an area that was shaped by two mighty
rivers, the Matanuska
which flows between the Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains, and the
Susitna which flows from its headwaters in the Alaska Range. Our
first stop will be the Musk Ox Farm, a former colony farm that
is presently the country's only domestic musk ox farm. It is home
to about 70 musk oxen, shaggy animals that look like a cross between
sheep and water buffalo that were once contemporaries of wooly
mammoths. Alaska Natives knit their soft wool (Qiviut) into hats,
scarves and other clothing items. Qiviut is warmer than sheep wool
and lighter than llama yarn. After leaving there, we will drive
a short distance to Wasilla to visit the Iditarod Race Headquarters.
The Iditarod Headquarters offers movies, displays, photos and trophies
of the Last Great Race. Learn about the work of the volunteer pilots
of the Iditarod Air Force. There will also be dog sled rides available
for a small extra fee. Return to conference hotel by motorcoach.
This is the only
tour that will take you to see Denali National Park and North America's
tallest mountain in one day. Cab or carpool to/from Merrill Field,
about one mile from the conference hotel. At Merrill Field, you
will board a 7-9 passenger Navajo for a 40-50 minute scenic flight
to Healy, AK. East person has a window seat. Once in Healy you
will be transported via van to the Denali National Park entrance.
At the Visitor's Center, you will board the Denali National Park
Service shuttle that will take you on the only road into the park
for a 6-8 hour guided bus trip. Watch for bears, moose, caribou,
wolves, foxes, wolverines, and Dall sheep. Many smaller animals
such as arctic ground squirrels, hoary marmots, pikas, snowshoe
hares, and beavers also inhabit the park. For those interested
in bird watching, there are approximately 150 species that live
in and around Denali in the summer. They include the arctic tern,
American golden plover, long-tailed jaeger, the surfbird, arctic
warbler, the wheatear, willow ptarmigan, golden eagles, and ravens.
By using the park's shuttle system, visitors
support the National Parks Service's mission of preserving and
protecting park resources while providing a high quality experience.
Riding in a bus enhances the chances of spotting wildlife with
all those extra eyes looking for them. A box lunch and transportation
are included. Upon completion of your tour, you will be transported
back to Healy for your flight back to Anchorage. Cost does not
include $10 Park Service Fee payable on site.
Wednesday All Day- $525
Thursday All Day-
$525
Talkeetna Day
Trip via Alaska Railroad
Cab, carpool, or walk the three blocks
to/from the conference hotel to the train depot. Step aboard the
historic
Alaska Railroad
for a four-hour ride north to Talkeetna. Railroad tour guides will
narrate the history of the railroad and points of interest. Talkeetna,
a "Northern Exposure" like village about 60 air miles from Mt.
McKinley, is the staging area for mountain climbers. The community
is near the confluence of three rivers - the Susitna, Chulitna,
and Talkeetna. Lunch on your own. Spend your afternoon in Talkeetna
exploring the village, shops, and museums or taking an optional
tour (see below). Level walking in Talkeetna at ~200' elevation
within a two-mile radius of the train depot, airport and village.
Wednesday All Day - $175
Thursday
All Day - $175
Additional
Talkeetna Activities (please add cost to basic $175
cost):
Denali Grand Flight seeing Tour
Your
1 ½-hour narrated flight with an air taxi service will depart
Talkeetna and enter a world of rugged high mountain peaks and
wide glacier-filled valleys. You will see the south side of McKinley's
west buttress, the Sheldon Amphitheater, Ruth Glacier and Great
Gorge. Fly over the continental divide and see McKinley's incredible
Wickersham Wall. Air taxi operator will provide local ground
transportation. Cost does not include $10 Park Service Fee
payable on site. $265
McKinley Experience
This
one-hour narrated flight with an air taxi service from Talkeetna
takes you within six miles
of McKinley's summit. As you fly over
the wide glaciers, sense the motion of the ice and see how it
has shaped the land. Visit the Sheldon Amphitheater; fly along
the
Ruth Glacier and through the world's deepest gorge. On your return,
watch for moose in the valley. Air taxi operator will provide
local ground transportation. Cost does not include $10 Park Service
Fee
payable on site. $190
Wilderness Jetboat Adventure
Be whisked away on a two-hour narrated
jet boat tour through the heart of the wilderness on the 51-passenger "Talkeetna
Queen." This
glass-domed and environmentally controlled jet boat is the most
technologically advanced in Alaska. You will have the opportunity
to view nesting bald eagles, beaver activity, moose and bear
in their natural habitat. At a mid-tour stop, you can take a
leisurely ¼ mile
walk to visit an authentic trapper's cabin with its rustic furnishings
to see how trappers lived at the turn of the century. Your guide
will display furs from the local area and demonstrate trapping
methods. Naturalists will acquaint you with the abundant local
wildflowers and plants. On a clear day, you will have a panoramic
view of Mt. McKinley. Tour operator will provide local ground
transportation. $55
Anchorage Aviation Highlights Tour
Join us for a guided motorcoach tour of
the highlights of Anchorage aviation. We will leave from the
conference hotel and spend time
in the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum on Lake Hood, the world's
busiest float plane base! As we drive through the airport complex,
you will see typical and unusual Alaskan airplanes as well as shared
use roads/taxiways. Next, we will take a brief photo stop at Earthquake
Park where you can view downtown Anchorage across Cook Inlet with
the Chugach Mountains in the background. Continue to Merrill Field,
Anchorage's first true airport and the 104th busiest
airport in the nation in 2000. Then return to the conference hotel
by motorcoach. This tour will be guided by your local 99s, so be
prepared for a tour filled with local insight, information and
aviation trivia.
Saturday morning - $75
Nova Raft and Hike Combo
This is an excellent first-timers whitewater
trip that is also popular with experienced enthusiasts as well.
If you're looking
for thrilling whitewater views of a 27-mile long glacier, towering
peaks, glimpses of Dall sheep, hiking to a glacier, or just enjoying
your picnic lunch, this river trip is for you! The tour begins
in Chickaloon, about a 1 ½ hours drive north of Anchorage on the
Glenn Highway. To start the day, you will have a guided hike of
awesome ice formations on the Matanuska Glacier. At 27 miles long
and four miles wide, this glacier is the largest road-accessible
glacier in Alaska. After your hike, start your whitewater raft
trip on the upper reaches of the Matanuska River where the converging
Matanuska Glacier encounters Lion's Head, a massive rock wall.
There the resulting squeeze play has created several miles of exciting
class IV whitewater! Ice Crampons, boots, ski poles, helmets, life
jackets, dry suits, neoprene gloves, boots, and guided whitewater
rafting and glacier hiking included. You will need to furnish your
own lunch and transportation from Anchorage to Chickaloon. No physical
requirements or experience required.
Wednesday All Day - $175
To plan your
own activities around Alaska before or after our event, please
follow the links
below for tours and trip planning
information. These
sites are good for planning your trip to Alaska and for information
about traveling throughout the state.
Spend
your day enjoying the Portage Valley. After boarding the motorcoach
at the conference hotel, you will travel along the breathtaking
Turnagain Arm, famous for its unusual bore tide. This drive has
been voted one of the Top Ten Most Scenic Drives in America by
Conde Nast Traveler magazine. Watch for eagles, Dall sheep, moose
and perhaps beluga whales feeding on the hooligan in the Arm. Rustic
old buildings and ghost forests are visible signs of the 1964 earthquake
that flooded the area. Explore Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center,
Alaska's only drive-through wildlife viewing exhibit. This will
be your opportunity to glimpse many Alaskan animals such as grizzly
bear, black bear, reindeer, bison, elk, musk ox, moose, eagles,
or Sitka blacktail deer. Drive on to Portage Valley where you will
take a glacier cruise that will take you face to face (or face
to "toe") with an active fresh water calving glacier. Board the
M/V Ptarmigan for an unforgettable one hour cruise across iceberg-dotted
Portage Lake to the face of Portage
Glacier. Narrated by a forest service representative, the cruise
is informative and breathtakingly beautiful. Return to the conference
hotel by motorcoach. A box luncheon and refreshments will be provided. 
At Lake Hood, America's largest float plane airport, you will
step aboard a floatplane for a spectacular flight that will take
you within six miles of Mt. McKinley's 20,320 foot summit. Fly
over foothills and spot wildlife while on your way to the Alaska
Range. You will get to view Ruth Glacier, the Great Gorge and the
massive south face of McKinley where climbers attempt their ascent.
You will make a floatplane landing on a lake at the base of Mt.
McKinley (weather permitting) before flying back to Anchorage.
Ground transportation to/from downtown hotels and Lake Hood is
provided by the air taxi operator. 
Cab, carpool, or
walk downhill the three blocks from the conference hotel to the
train depot. Once there, step aboard the historic blue and gold
cars of the Alaska Railroad for a train ride to Grandview. Travel
deep into the Grandview Valley and the historic "loop district" where
you'll be surrounded by alpine meadows, wildlife, and wildflowers.
Enjoy great views of Trail, Bartlett, and Spencer Glaciers. A Chugach
Forest Service naturalist will join you onboard. This train ride
will take you through some of Alaska's most pristine and scenic
wilderness areas with rugged gorges, spectacular peaks, and a glacier-carved
valley that you can reach only by train. Final return leg to the
conference hotel in Anchorage is by motorcoach. Limited food service
available on the train (not included in tour price). 
Enjoy a guided tour with the opportunity
to view Alaska's black
and brown bears in their natural habitat. Board a float plane at
Lake Hood for a six-hour tour that will take you about 70 miles
southwest of Anchorage to the entrance of Lake Clark Wilderness
Preserve. From Redoubt Bay Lodge at the entrance of the preserve,
you will board a covered pontoon boat to view resident brown bears
up close. Your naturalist guide will lead you to the bears in their
natural habitat. The bears follow the salmon, so the best viewing
is from June through August. You will also receive a checklist
of flora and fauna specific to this region. A homemade lunch served
in the lodge before you fly back to Anchorage is included. Ground
transportation to/from downtown hotels and Lake Hood is provided
by the air taxi operator. 
Board the motorcoach at the conference hotel
for the Matanuska Valley, an area that was shaped by two mighty
rivers, the Matanuska
which flows between the Talkeetna and Chugach Mountains, and the
Susitna which flows from its headwaters in the Alaska Range. Our
first stop will be the Musk Ox Farm, a former colony farm that
is presently the country's only domestic musk ox farm. It is home
to about 70 musk oxen, shaggy animals that look like a cross between
sheep and water buffalo that were once contemporaries of wooly
mammoths. Alaska Natives knit their soft wool (Qiviut) into hats,
scarves and other clothing items. Qiviut is warmer than sheep wool
and lighter than llama yarn. After leaving there, we will drive
a short distance to Wasilla to visit the Iditarod Race Headquarters.
The Iditarod Headquarters offers movies, displays, photos and trophies
of the Last Great Race. Learn about the work of the volunteer pilots
of the Iditarod Air Force. There will also be dog sled rides available
for a small extra fee. Return to conference hotel by motorcoach. 
This is the only
tour that will take you to see Denali National Park and North America's
tallest mountain in one day. Cab or carpool to/from Merrill Field,
about one mile from the conference hotel. At Merrill Field, you
will board a 7-9 passenger Navajo for a 40-50 minute scenic flight
to Healy, AK. East person has a window seat. Once in Healy you
will be transported via van to the Denali National Park entrance.
At the Visitor's Center, you will board the Denali National Park
Service shuttle that will take you on the only road into the park
for a 6-8 hour guided bus trip. Watch for bears, moose, caribou,
wolves, foxes, wolverines, and Dall sheep. Many smaller animals
such as arctic ground squirrels, hoary marmots, pikas, snowshoe
hares, an
d beavers also inhabit the park. For those interested
in bird watching, there are approximately 150 species that live
in and around Denali in the summer. They include the arctic tern,
American golden plover, long-tailed jaeger, the surfbird, arctic
warbler, the wheatear, willow ptarmigan, golden eagles, and ravens.
By using the park's shuttle system, visitors
support the National Parks Service's mission of preserving and
protecting park resources while providing a high quality experience.
Riding in a bus enhances the chances of spotting wildlife with
all those extra eyes looking for them. A box lunch and transportation
are included. Upon completion of your tour, you will be transported
back to Healy for your flight back to Anchorage. Cost does not
include $10 Park Service Fee payable on site. 
Your
1 ½-hour narrated flight with an air taxi service will depart
Talkeetna and enter a world of rugged high mountain peaks and
wide glacier-filled valleys. You will see the south side of McKinley's
west buttress, the Sheldon Amphitheater, Ruth Glacier and Great
Gorge. Fly over the continental divide and see McKinley's incredible
Wickersham Wall. Air taxi operator will provide local ground
transportation. Cost does not include $10 Park Service Fee
payable on site. $265 
This
one-hour narrated flight with an air taxi service from Talkeetna
takes you within six miles
of McKinley's summit. As you fly over
the wide glaciers, sense the motion of the ice and see how it
has shaped the land. Visit the Sheldon Amphitheater; fly along
the
Ruth Glacier and through the world's deepest gorge. On your return,
watch for moose in the valley. Air taxi operator will provide
local ground transportation. Cost does not include $10 Park Service
Fee
payable on site. $190 
Join us for a guided motorcoach tour of
the highlights of Anchorage aviation. We will leave from the
conference hotel and spend time
in the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum on Lake Hood, the world's
busiest float plane base! As we drive through the airport complex,
you will see typical and unusual Alaskan airplanes as well as shared
use roads/taxiways. Next, we will take a brief photo stop at Earthquake
Park where you can view downtown Anchorage across Cook Inlet with
the Chugach Mountains in the background. Continue to Merrill Field,
Anchorage's first true airport and the 104th busiest
airport in the nation in 2000. Then return to the conference hotel
by motorcoach. This tour will be guided by your local 99s, so be
prepared for a tour filled with local insight, information and
aviation trivia. 
This is an excellent first-timers whitewater
trip that is also popular with experienced enthusiasts as well.
If you're looking
for thrilling whitewater views of a 27-mile long glacier, towering
peaks, glimpses of Dall sheep, hiking to a glacier, or just enjoying
your picnic lunch, this river trip is for you! The tour begins
in Chickaloon, about a 1 ½ hours drive north of Anchorage on the
Glenn Highway. To start the day, you will have a guided hike of
awesome ice formations on the Matanuska Glacier. At 27 miles long
and four miles wide, this glacier is the largest road-accessible
glacier in Alaska. After your hike, start your whitewater raft
trip on the upper reaches of the Matanuska River where the converging
Matanuska Glacier encounters Lion's Head, a massive rock wall.
There the resulting squeeze play has created several miles of exciting
class IV whitewater! Ice Crampons, boots, ski poles, helmets, life
jackets, dry suits, neoprene gloves, boots, and guided whitewater
rafting and glacier hiking included. You will need to furnish your
own lunch and transportation from Anchorage to Chickaloon. No physical
requirements or experience required.