Alaska Family Multisport - Backroads Printable Page

Alaska Family Multisport

Once upon a time, there was an outdoor-loving family seeking an action-packed vacation. A clever bunch, they decided on Alaska. And no sooner did they arrive and witness the dramatic peaks of the Alaska Range, they knew they’d chosen wisely. The kids hiked to the face of Exit Glacier; parents ascended to the Harding Icefield. They all raced through the woods on a thrilling dogsled ride, spotted moose and eagles during a river float trip, and watched salmon swimming upstream. And to this day, they all agree: it was the best family vacation ever.

Day 1 Alaska's dramatic landscapes on a single astonishing peninsula Bike paths lead you out of Anchorage and onto the gently rolling Tony Knowles Coastal Trail - keep your eyes open for moose! Journey south to the Kenai Peninsula, a wonderland of rugged mountains, glaciers, fjords and lakes.

Day 2 In Kenai Fjords National Park, kids hike to the face of Exit Glacier while adults embark on a once-in-a-lifetime trek with spectacular views of the vast Harding Icefield Meet some of the famed Iditarod race’s canine participants and experience the excitement of racing on comfortable wheeled dogsleds.

Day 3 Watch salmon defy gravity as they leap up a waterfall on the Russian River Got your camera ready? During a leisurely float trip on the glacial waters of the Kenai River, you stand a good chance of seeing a variety of waterfowl, eagles and larger creatures including moose and dall sheep.

Day 4 Homer, one of Alaska's most beautifully situated towns Take in spectacular views of Cook Inlet and the volcanoes of the Alaska Range during a picnic lunch A scenic bike ride leads to a viewpoint overlooking Homer, Grewingk Glacier and Homer Spit, a narrow finger of land in beautiful Kachemak Bay Stop at a local winery specializing in non-grape fruit wines, and featuring a circular swing for the kids.

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.

Trip Highlights

Mushing! An exhilarating dog sled ride through the forest
Bike to Homer, one of Alaska’s most beautiful towns
Hike right up to the face of a glacier
A float trip on the Kenai River
The chance to spot moose, eagles, dall sheep and even salmon swimming upstream

Casual Inns

Seward Windsong Lodge (2 nights): Nestled in the woods of the striking Resurrection River Valley.

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

Land's End Resort (2 nights): Commune with eagles, otters and seals where land meets sea on Kachemak Bay. (spa)

Daily Mileage Options & Cumulative Elevation Gain

Day 1

Level 1 1 Route Option Available
Biking 9 miles
200 feet elevation gain

Day 2

Levels 1 to 5 4 Route Options Available
Walking/Hiking 1.5, 4, 6, 8 miles
100 - 3200 feet elevation gain

Day 3

Level 2 1 Route Option Available
Walking/Hiking 5 miles
230 feet elevation gain
Float Trip 2 hours

Day 4

Levels 1 to 3 3 Route Options Available
Biking 10, 23, 33 miles
300 - 1600 feet elevation gain

Day 5

All-day Sea Kayaking

Day 6

Level 1 1 Route Option Available
Walking/Hiking 5 miles
100 feet elevation gain

Please note: 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.

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.

Activity Level	Average Time	Biking Average	Walking Average
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

2012 Dates & Pricing*

FAMILY TRIPS

Plus 6% Kenai Peninsula tax

*Prices may change. Once you book your trip, your price is guaranteed.

Recommended Kids Ages

Minimum Ages:

Recommended minimum age for the trip: 6 years
Minimum age restriction to ride own bike: 9 years
Minimum age restriction to raft: 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+ amount of cultural appreciation, difficulty of activities, routes
9+ difficulty of activities/activity age restrictions, routes
6+ several longer dinners; routes are difficult for pulling a Burley and therefore not appropriate for younger children; difficulty of activities/activity age restrictions

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

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

I wasn't sure I was going to get the value relative to the price, but I did. The real value-added difference here came from your two trip leaders. I could have done a comparable trip for much less without Backroads, but the leaders really added to the overall experience. They were such a pleasure to be around and to get to know.

Michael Aviles - Austin, TX