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Route Rating Level 3 to Level 5

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Casual Inns
  • From $3,398
    To $3,498 pp dbl. occ.
  • (+$1,060 for sgl. occ.)
  • Internal Flights: $210

Reserve early for the best available price. More Info

8 DAYS, 7 NIGHTS
ROLLOVER DATES BELOW FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
2008 DATES
CLASSIC TRIPS
SINGLES+SOLOS TRIPS
ROLLOVER DATES ABOVE FOR SPECIFIC PRICES
TRIP NOTES

All meals inlcuded except 1 dinner.

Cancellation Policy

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Meet / Depart

Anchorage, Alaska

Special Interest

Boat, Geological Wonders, Natural Beauty &/or Wildlife, Raft, Spa

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Contact Us

Call: 800-462-2848
or 510-527-1555
Fax: 510-527-1444
E-mail us

801 Cedar St.
Berkeley, CA 94710

Business Hours:
7 days a week
from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Pacific Time

Or contact your travel agent

Alaska Biking Vacations

Alaska Biking

The Vast Southern Wilderness

Explore Alaska's rugged untamed wilderness by land, water and air, and come face-to-face with nature's grandeur. Pedal through forests of quaking aspen and cottonwood, hike across a glacier, raft the rapids and fly into the country's largest - and one of its most remote - national parks, Wrangell St. Elias. While the biking is challenging, with long distances and hills, the routes are breathtaking and well worth the effort. It's no wonder the Aleuts call this "the Great Land." Prepare to experience how vast and undeveloped Alaska really is.

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Day 1 wasilla

Meet in Anchorage   Shuttle north to Wasilla, headquarters of the 1,150-mile Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race  After lunch on the shores of Big Lake, enjoy views of the surrounding Chugach Mountains and Cook Inlet on a warm-up ride to our hotel.

Day 2 sheep mountain

Ride over rolling hills through the fertile Matanuska Valley, the site of a New Deal farming project  Rafting down the Matanuska River is a great adrenaline rush Gather for a home-cooked meal this evening and take in beautiful views from your cabin's porch.

Day 3 copper river

Pedal along the scenic Glenn Highway into a wilderness of spruce forests and alpine meadows, perhaps spotting a moose or bald eagle Descend into the rugged and remote Copper River Valley in the shadow of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, home to nine of the highest peaks in the United States.

Days 4-5 kennicott

After a challenging morning ride, view Wrangell-St. Elias' mountains, glaciers, rivers and forests during a spectacular flight to the abandoned gold-mining town of Kennicott  Join expert mountaineering guides for an exhilarating hike on the Root Glacier or opt for a day of ice climbing and experience remarkable glacial formations firsthand.

Day 6 valdez

Fly once again across the vast Alaskan wilderness to Chitina Ride above timberline to the top of Thompson Pass, through tundra and past thundering waterfalls to the port town of Valdez.

Days 7-8 girdwood

Enjoy a scenic cruise across Prince William Sound Keep an eye out for orcas, seals and bald eagles Dine at the top of Mount Alyeska and enjoy dazzling views.

Route Rating What's this? Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. Each offers options for more or less activity, so you can decide exactly how much you want to do day by day.

Lodging What's this? Our lodgings are divided into three different categories.

Premiere Inns:These lodgings possess both elegance and authentic regional flair.

Casual Inns:These lodgings are comfortable and appropriate to the areawith such characteristics as authenticity, scenic settings and proximity to our activities.

Deluxe Camping:We set up the tents (and take them down), handle every camp chore and perform culinary magic.

Detailed Itinerary

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Trip praise

The experience was beyond my expectations. The leaders were extremely helpful and wanted everyone to have a great vacation. I cannot wait to take my next Backroads trip! I felt a part of the Alaska experience and not just a tourist.
Sandy Stevens - Wichita, KS

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For more than 29 years, Backroads has been perfecting the art of active travel. We are the Alaska tour experts. For biking tours in USA, trust our in-depth connections. To see all our USA biking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning USA walking and hiking tours click here. For our selection of award-winning USA multisport tours click here.

Alaska Biking

Mountain Comforts : Casual Inns*

Lake Lucille Inn

Wasilla (1 night): Guest rooms feature vistas of picturesque Lake Lucille and snowcapped peaks.

Sheep Mountain Lodge

Sheep Mountain (1 night): Co-owned by two-time Iditarod competitor Zack Steer, this inn offers individual wooden cabins in a beautiful wooded setting.

Copper River Princess Wilderness Lodge

Copper River (1 night): Enjoy views of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park from the picture windows of this blufftop lodge.

Kennicott Glacier Lodge

Kennicott (2 nights): Nestled in the backcountry of Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, in the abandonded gold-mining town of Kennicott, this lodge features a sprawling front porch that overlooks the glacier and mountains beyond.

Valdez Harbor Inn

Valdez (1 night): Watch the harbor activity from this comfortable waterfront hotel.

Alyeska Resort

Girdwood (1 night): At the base of Mount Alyeska, with a pool, hot tub and an aerial tram to the top of the peak.

* With 1 Premiere Inn night

Alaska Biking Alaska Biking

Alyeska Resort

Alaska Biking

Route Rating

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1
  • Level 2  1 Route Option Available
  • 25 miles
  • 500 - 1500 feet elevation gain
Day 2
  • Levels 2 to 4   2 Route Options Available
  • 26, 41 miles
  • 1000 - 2000 feet elevation gain
  • Rafting 2 hours
Day 3
  • Levels 3 to 5  5 Route Options Available
  • 38, 59, 74, 87, 100 miles
  • 1500 - 3000 feet elevation gain
Day 4
  • Levels 2 to 4 2 Route Options Available
  • 30, 50 miles
  • 1000 - 2000 feet elevation gain
Day 5
  • Levels 1 to 2   2 Route Options Available
  • Glacier Hike 5 miles
  • 0 - 500 feet elevation gain  
  • Optional Ice climbing
Day 6
  • Levels 4 to 5 2 Route Options Available
  • 43, 62 miles
  • 1000 - 2000 feet elevation gain
Day 7
  • Ferry Ride 3 hours
Day 8
  • Level 1  1 Route Option Available
  • 20 miles
  • 0 - 500 feet elevation gain
Alaska Biking Alaska Biking

Trips For All Abilities

Every Backroads trip is designed to appeal to a wide variety of interests and fitness levels. We know your pace may vary from one day to the next-and your traveling companion's may differ somewhat from yours. So we present a range of mileage options, and each day you decide exactly what and how much you want to do.

Activity Level Average Time Average Distance
    Biking Walking
& Hiking
1 2-3
hours		 10-20
miles		 2-5
miles
2 2-4
hours		 21-30
miles		 5-7
miles
3 3-5
hours		 31-40
miles		 7-9
miles
4 4-6
hours		 41-55
miles		 9-11
miles
5 5-7+
hours		 56-75+
miles		 11-13+
miles