Alaska Multisport
- Alaska's dramatic landscapes in one astonishing peninsula
- Hike Harding Icefield Trail, a spectacular route alongside Exit Glacier
- Homer, one of Alaska's most beautiful towns
- Circumnavigate Yukon Island by kayak
From Seward to Homer on the Magnificent Kenai Peninsula
From land to water to ice. Alaska was made for multisport. You need all the tools you can get - a bike, a kayak, your hiking boots - to understand and experience the incredible terrain. Journey to an extraordinary ice field on the hike of a lifetime. Bike on one of the area's few roads. Kayak along the coast amid a gorgeous jumble of volcanoes and glaciers. Move through the landscape quietly, and "the locals" may show their faces: eagles, moose, sea otters, bears. Even if they don't, you know they're there, and somehow that's enough.
Days
1-2 Alaska's dramatic landscapes in one astonishing peninsula 
Kick off the trip with a spin alongside Turnagain Arm, the site of extreme high and low tides Spend the afternoon hiking through a lush coastal forest or enjoy an exhilarating tram ride to the top of Mount Alyeska for unparalleled views of mountains and hanging glaciers Journey south to the Kenai Peninsula, a wonderland of rugged mountains, glaciers, fjords and lakes Wildflowers line the trail to Carter and Crescent Lakes.
Day
3 Hike the spectacular Harding Icefield Trail alongside Exit Glacier in Kenai Fjords National Park Got your camera ready? Unrivaled vistas of vast Harding Icefield and the Resurrection River Valley await Keep an eye out for mountain goats, moose and marmots!
Day
4 Bike to Homer, one of Alaska's most beautiful towns Take in spectacular views of the Cook Inlet, the volcanoes of the Alaska Range, the Grewingk Glacier and the Homer Spit, a narrow finger of land in picturesque Kachemak Bay Fruit wines made from local berries are yours to taste at the Bear Creek Winery Harbor seals and sea lions make frequent appearances outside our waterfront hotel.
Days
5-6 Circumnavigate Yukon Island by kayak, watching for bald eagles, harbor seals, porpoises and sea otters After our naturalist-led hike through fields of wildflowers, we sit down to a bounteous picnic at the Carl Wynn Nature Center, set on the bluff above Homer.
Guests Reviews About This Trip
A recent article in The New York Times about traveling through the Kenai Peninsula captured the basic itinerary of this trip and the remarkable beauty of Alaska. It also became clear that Backroads knows a great deal more than did the author of the article about how to design an excellent trip, taking advantage of the best a region has to offer. The hikes to the Harding Icefield, to Ptarmigan Lake, and up the Heritage Trail were particularly fine and varied. The kayaking trip to Yukon Island was an exceptional experience. We saw more wildlife in six days than all our years of hiking put together, partially because of where Backroads took us.- Waban, MA
Overall, a fantastic trip with great leaders, a well picked intinerary and flawless logistics. It doesn't get any better than this. The pleasure factor was high, the hassle factor low and the wow factor was off the scale. The accomodations in Seward and McKinley were quite nice and the accommodations at the Alyeska were even better. Don't change a thing.- Seattle, WA
THE best trip ever! I wanted to burn my return ticket and stay in Alaska!- Houston, TX
Casual Inns
Alyeska Resort
Girdwood (1 night) This stylish hotel with an aerial tram to the top of Mount Alyeska has earned accolades from Travel + Leisure. (pool, spa)
Seward Windsong Lodge
Seward (2 nights) Nestled in the woods of the striking Resurrection River Valley.
Land's End Resort
Homer (2 nights) Commune with eagles, otters and seals where land meets sea on Kachemak Bay. (spa)
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This Trip Is Rated Level 1-3
Routes 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.
| Daily Route Options | |||||||||||
| Day | Activity | EASYGOING | ACTIVE | AVID | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Level 1 | Level 2 | Level 3 | Level 4 | Level 5 | |||||||
| miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | miles | feet gain | ||
| 1 | Biking | 10 | 200 | ||||||||
| Walking | 2.5 | 300 | |||||||||
| 2 | Hiking | 7 | 1000 | ||||||||
| 3 | Hiking | 4 | 1500 | 6 | 2200 | 8 | 3200 | ||||
| 4 | Biking | 22* | 500 | 32 | 1600 | ||||||
| 5 | Kayaking | On Kachemak Bay (all day) | |||||||||
| 6 | Walking | 5.0 | 100 | ||||||||
On Day 2 the steep, rocky and snow-covered terrain, exposure and often-challenging weather conditions make these routes feel much more difficult than the mileage suggests.
* Includes a shuttle
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For 34 years, Backroads has been perfecting the art of active travel. We are the Alaska tour experts. See our award-winning USA multisport tours, USA biking tours and USA walking and hiking tours.
