Backroads | Alaska Family Multisport

Alaska Family Multisport

Alaska's vibrant frontier spirit and overwhelming natural grandeur have the power to stagger the senses. Colossal mountains, sparkling glaciers, abundant wildlife, expansive tundra and wildflower-filled meadows all challenge your sense of scale. Hike through the Chugach National Forest, pedal beneath glacier-carved peaks on the Kenai Peninsula, paddle in the sheltered coves and lagoons off Yukon Island, float down the Kenai River and walk on an enormous ice field. Wildlife abounds on land and at sea.

Days 1-2 Seward

Meet in Anchorage Ride out of Anchorage on city bike paths before continuing on the gently rolling Tony Knowles Coastal Trail Travel to the Kenai Peninsula, a land of awe-inspiring mountains, lakes, glaciers and fjords Meet some of the famous Iditarod race's canine participants and experience the excitement of racing on comfortable wheeled dog sleds In Kenai Fjords National Park, kids hike to the face of Exit Glacier while adults embark on a once-in-a-lifetime hike with spectacular views of the vast Harding Icefield.

Day 3 Cooper Landing

During a leisurely float trip on the glacial waters of the Kenai River, you may spot such animals as moose, eagles, Dall sheep, beavers, salmon and a variety of waterfowl A pleasant hike along the Russian River brings you to a dramatic waterfall, where you can watch as salmon strive to swim upstream.

Days 4-6 Homer

Take in spectacular views of Cook Inlet and the volcanoes of the Alaska Range during a picnic lunch Bike a scenic route to a viewpoint overlooking the town of Homer, the Grewingk Glacier and the Homer Spit, a narrow finger of land in beautiful Kachemak Bay Stop at a local winery specializing in non-grape fruit wines Sea otters and bald eagles are common visitors at our hotel at the end of the spit Board a water taxi to Yukon Island before embarking on a kayak trip around Kachemak Bay, keeping watch for an array of wildlife Embark on a morning hike before shuttling to Anchorage.

NORTHERN NIGHTS: Casual Inns

Seward Windsong Lodge (2 nights): Nestled in the woods near the Exit Glacier with expansive views of the Resurrection River Valley.

Kenai Princess Wilderness Lodge (1 night): Bungalow-style rooms with vaulted ceilings and wood-burning stoves, set in the lush Kenai River Valley.

Land's End Resort (2 nights): You'll hardly believe the spectacular views at this charming hotel, perched at the tip of Homer Spit in the middle of Kachemak Bay.

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1

Levels 1 to 2 2 Route Options Available
Biking 10, 15 miles
0-500 feet elevation gain

Day 2

Levels 1 to 3 4 Route Options Available
Dog Sledding 1.5 hours
Hiking (Kids) 1.5 miles
500 feet elevation gain
Hiking (Adults) 4, 6, 8 miles
1500-3000 feet elevation gain

Day 3

Levels 1 to 2 1 Route Option Available
Float Trip on Kenai River 2 hours
Hiking 5 miles
500 feet elevation gain

Day 4

Levels 1 to 4 3 Route Options Available
Biking 9, 22, 32, miles
500 - 2000 feet elevation gain

Day 5

All-day Kayaking

Day 6

Level 1 1 Route Option Available
Hiking 2.5 miles
500 feet elevation gain

On this Family Trip, our routes follow rolling terrain. Liberal van shuttling is incorporated into the itinerary to facilitate our activities and mileage is kept moderate to enable you to spend more time exploring on your own.

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
Level 1	2-3 hours	10-20 mile	2-5 miles
Level 2	2-4 hours	21-30 miles	5-7 miles
Level 3	3-5 hours	31-40 miles	7-9 miles
Level 4	4-6 hours	41-55 miles	9-11 miles
Level 5	5-7+ hours	56-75+ miles	11-13+ miles

2009 DATES

FAMILY TRIPS

Reserve early for the best available price. Prices may change during the course of the year--if they do change, the best prices are available earlier. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed.

Recommended Kids Ages

Minimum Ages:

Recommended minimum age for the trip: 7 years

Minimum age restriction to ride own bike: 7 years

Minimum age restriction for float trip: 5 years

Minimum age restriction to kayak: 6 years

General Info on Minimum Ages:

We strongly encourage families to join our Family Trips, designed with kid- and adult-friendly features. Please note that we have a minimum age requirement of 1 year for all Inn trips and 2 years for all Camping trips. Other than that, we do not restrict trips to a minimum age except in the rare case of a hotel age restriction. We do, however, recommend minimum ages based on the following criteria:

12+ cultural appreciation, difficulty of activities and route
9+ difficulty of activities and route
6+ several long adult dinners; parent may not be able to pull a Burley and/or there may be multiple activity restrictions
3+ riding is on bike paths, making it great for young kids; Burley and Piccolos are available; there are few or no activity restrictions; and no long dinners (or we offer alternatives)

Please note that a trip may feature an activity with an older age requirement than the minimum age recommendation for the trip. Younger kids are still welcome on the trip and while they will not be able to participate in the activity, the leaders will suggest an alternate activity. For safety reasons, children under 7 may not ride their own bikes and are required to ride on a Piccolo or in a Burley. For certain destinations, children must be 9 or older to ride their own bikes.

Guest Trip Reviews

We had an absolutely wonderful time - the fabulous trip leaders made the trip extraordinary. Our children will remember this trip for the rest of their lives. In addition to just being great companions, examples of their extra effort were they secured a fantastic behind the scenes tour of the sea life center for the kids, gave my (substantial) 6 year old a mile + long piggy back when she refused to continue walking, and Allan literally took baby steps with me on the walk up to Harding Ice Field - as a result I made it to the top! We have told many friends about the trip and we plan to do another one soon.

Claire Hertan - Westport, CT

This was an awesome family trip. We loved every minute of it. Traveling with Backroads is always perfect. This was our 6th Backroads trip and we can't wait to plan our next one.

Debra Weinstein - Wellington, FL

We had an absolutely wonderful time - the fabulous trip leaders made the trip extraordinary. Our children will remember this trip for the rest of their lives. In addition to just being great companions, examples of their extra effort were they secured a fantastic behind the scenes tour of the sea life center for the kids, gave my (substantial) 6 year old a mile + long piggy back when she refused to continue walking, and Allan literally took baby steps with me on the walk up to Harding Ice Field - as a result I made it to the top! We have told many friends about the trip and we plan to do another one soon.

Claire Hertan - Westport, CT

Our Alaska vacation was all that we hoped for and more! All of the leaders were friendly, courteous, professional, fun, engaging and very accommodating! They all contributed in their own unique ways to making this vacation one that my son and I will both remember for the rest of our lives. For a family trip, there was just the right amount of activity for the kids. We met many fun, interesting and friendly people, and we took home with us many wonderful memories. I am already recommending Backroads to all of my family and friends back home. We will definitely be traveling with Backroads again!

Diana P. - Georgetown, MA