It feels like the end of the Earth... a place that few humans have seen. Glaciers plunge down mountains to waters brimming with sea life. You marvel at Kachemak Bay's dramatic weather. And at the wildflowers and rushing waterfalls on the Kenai Peninsula. Your sense of the wilderness will never be the same after this.
Day 1 Homer, known as The End of the Road, is one of Alaska's most picturesque towns | Hike with a naturalist along bluffs overlooking Kachemak Bay, famous for its extreme tides | Settle into our comfortable waterfront accommodations located at the tip of the world's second-longest natural spit.
Day 2 Trek to Grewingk Glacier, where you may spot caribou and Dall sheep | En route to Glacier Lake, you're surrounded by Kachemak Bay State Park's 400,000 acres of wilderness, reachable only by air and sea | Sea otters, porpoises, loons and bald eagles may say hello.
Days 3-4 Enjoy the wildflowers and spruce forest on a trail to Skilak Lake, fed by a nearby glacier | Wander in scenic Seward | The hike of a lifetime along Exit Glacier leads to amazing views of Resurrection River Valley and Harding Icefield, a glacier spanning more than 900 square miles and concealing an entire mountain range under several thousand feet of ice | Keep your eyes out for mountain goats, moose and black bears in Fjords National Park.
Days 5-6 Hike to Crow Pass for a closer look at the Raven Glacier | Experience Alaska's extreme temperatures as you climb to snow-laden heights | The sound of rushing water accompanies you to Winner Creek Gorge, where the creek passes through a narrow granite passage and becomes a deluge.
Very well organized trip with great leaders- Summit NJ
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception. Read the Straight Talk
We want to make sure you're on the right trip and that you have the best experience possible. Every Backroads trip is unique and this one is no exception.
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Accommodations may vary based on departure date. Any difference from what is listed below can be found by clicking on your desired date on the Dates & Prices tab.
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Commune with eagles, otters and seals where land meets sea on Kachemak Bay. (spa)
Nestled in the woods of the striking Resurrection River Valley.
This stylish hotel with an aerial tram to the top of Mount Alyeska has earned accolades from Travel + Leisure. (pool, spa)
There's no better way to find out about Backroads than by hearing it from the people who have traveled with us. For more about the Backroads Experience, read our Guest Testimonials.
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REVIEW SNAPSHOT®
by PowerReviews(based on 6 reviews)
Ratings Distribution
100%
of respondents would recommend this to a friend.
Reviewed by 6 customers
Displaying reviews 1-6
Comments about Alaska Walking & Hiking Tour:
Very well organized trip with great leaders
Comments about Alaska Walking & Hiking Tour:
Friendly, outgoing, accommodating, and organized describes the trip leaders. They displayed an authentic show of servant-leadership.
The daily hikes offered ample options for length of hike. We were allowed to walk at our own pace either with others or solo. Natalie and Sydney made sure we were all accounted for along the way.
There wasn't any lack of food. We were well-fed and the post-hike beverages were a plus.
The accommodations were top-rate.
At the end, I felt stronger as a result of hiking up those mountains and very satisfied with my accomplishments. I conquered a personal goal.
It was a great experience!
Comments about Alaska Walking & Hiking Tour:
It exceeded my expectations. The natural beauty of the areas we visited was so breath taking! Our amazing leaders Dirk, Sydney, & Kia made it a fun & informative adventure. Do some hiking before your trip to enjoy it to the max!
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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Crow Pass
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Comments about Alaska Walking & Hiking Tour:
Spectacular - amazing hiking, great food, first rate accommodations , epic guides!!!
Comments about Alaska Walking & Hiking Tour:
Phenomenal sites and amazing guides. Erica and Dirk were outstanding. All 3 of our kids...ages 17, 26 and 28...said it was the best family vacation ever!
Comments about Alaska Walking & Hiking Tour:
Trip leaders Eli and Whitney helped to make this a trip of a lifetime. Every detail for every group member was attended to making the experience memorable for all regardless of experience, fitness level, or expectation. Accommodations and meals were superb. Lets' do it again!
Bottom Line Yes, I would recommend this to a friend
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Lakeside bliss
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Eli explains
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Displaying reviews 1-6
The earlier you book, the more choice you'll have and the lower your price. And you can always change your mind—you won't be charged to transfer to a different trip before your final payment is due.
Please click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
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AVAILABLE TO BOOKi GOING FASTi CONTACT USi PRIVATE TRIP - RESERVEDi
Interested in a Private Trip? Check out the Make It Private tab for private dates available, or call us at 800-462-2848.
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.
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| Daily Route Options | ||||||||||
| Day | 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 | 2 | 100 | ||||||||
| 4 | 200 | |||||||||
| 2 | 5 | 500 | 7 | 600 | 8 | 900 | ||||
| 3 | 3 | 400 | ||||||||
| 4 | 3 | 1500 | 4 | 2000 | 8 | 3000 | ||||
| 5 | 4 | 700 | 5 | 1200 | 6 | 2100 | ||||
| 6 | 3 | 300 | ||||||||
| 5 | 500 | |||||||||
Note: The terrain on this trip includes meadow and forest paths and alpine trails, ranging from lightly rolling to hilly with several steeper climbs. The hike to Harding Icefield is especially rigorous due to its steep rocky terrain and the possibility of encountering snow. Operating under Special Use Permit in the Chugach National Forest. Backroads is an Equal Opportunity Provider.
Learn more about how we determine our activity levels and fully support a range of abilities and interests.
Please note that our distance and elevation figures come from Ride with GPS. Other sources (such as Map My Ride and Garmin devices) may give differing elevation figures due to different GPS and mapping technologies. Readings from a Garmin or a smart phone are influenced by other factors such as air pressure.
While many active travel companies include scenic Seward in their itineraries, with Backroads you start by leaving the crowds behind and exploring Homer, fondly known as "the end of the road." This seldom-visited fishing town, beautifully set beneath snowcapped peaks on the Kenai Peninsula, is your home base for wildlife-spotting adventures out on Kachemak Bay and an unforgettable hike on Grewingk Glacier. This is how Alaskans see their world.
On our Alaska trips we have an extra leader supporting you along the trail—for a total of three, compared to the industry standard two. So we can be in more places at once, giving personal attention to guests traveling at their own pace. Here's more on our Trip Leaders.
We design and support our Alaska trips to suit mixed abilities and varied interests—so you can set your own pace, then change things up as the day unfolds. And all guests are free to do the same, traveling together or apart, with no one cramping anyone else's style. Which sounds easy in theory, but it's hard to pull off. Here's more on how we do it.
In Alaska you head off each morning after choosing among several expertly designed routes—all with detailed directions, mileage and shuttle options. Unlike trips with one fixed daily route (or worse, one guide that everyone's obliged to follow), you're free to enjoy the best of the region at your pace, stopping wherever you want to explore further.
In addition to the ideal balance of comfort and hospitality in our choice of lodgings, this trip featuring Casual Hotels includes nearly all of your meals, plus everything from cocktail receptions to the best snacks along the road. So there's rarely a need to reach for your wallet – we've got you covered.
Since 1979, Backroads Founder and President Tom Hale has shown that staying #1 means constantly evaluating our performance using the best possible source of information: our guests. As we systematically analyze your feedback on our trip consultants, leaders, hotels, meals and on-trip activities, we never stop working to make a great company even better.
Under our Book with Confidence policy, your Backroads trip will run even for one or two people (or a family of three or four), subject to a nominal extra fee. Or transfer to another trip, and we'll give you a credit. It's all part of our trademark commitment to treating guests with integrity, transparency and total accountability. Read all the details.
Backroads is the only active travel company providing two support vans in Alaska—because we know it's essential to ensure a truly great travel experience. It doubles our ability to be there when you need us to offer hydration, lighten your load or give you a lift if it's time to take a break. Read more on why two vans make all the difference.
Backroads has the best-qualified people to lead your trip in Alaska, and our guests back that up, rating our Trip Leaders an average of 9.75 out of 10 for all-around quality of performance. Get the facts (and no fluff) on how we recruit and develop the very best people for your trip.
Guests rave about our picnic spreads. Enjoy a welcome break in a scenic spot, or a quick refuel stop if you don't want to lose momentum. And because we have two vans, one can host lunch while the other is out providing support along the route.
For nearly four decades we've worked to earn and maintain our right to call Backroads the world's #1 active travel company. In pursuing that vision on behalf of our guests, we believe we've set the standard for our industry—captured in the Backroads Quality Guide, which clearly sets out the benchmarks of excellence, choice and support that we live by
With Backroads you won't end up with kids on what you thought was an adult trip; we have exclusive departures for families, so they're off having their own adventures. As you browse our unrivaled selection of trips and dates, you can count on finding a trip in Alaska that's geared exclusively to your choice of traveling companions.
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Gather your favorite people to share a Backroads adventure on a ready-to-book Private Trip - featuring all the legendary Backroads hallmarks from expert leaders to unforgettable activities. You can pick from the selection of dates below for your group; some dates are only available for 16 or more guests while other dates are available for 8 or more guests. If your party has fewer than 8 guests, or your preferred date is not available, we'll create a departure just for you. Call or email us to reserve your date.
Click on a date below for specific pricing and possible itinerary variations.
8 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 8 OR MORE GUESTS 16 AVAILABLE TO BOOK FOR 16 OR MORE GUESTS RESERVED
Don't see your ideal travel date? Make a Date! i
Invite your family and friends on an adventure that's entirely your own - for your group of 8 or more. Find out more
I simply can't imagine a better way to immerse yourself in the life of a region, to explore hidden corners and appreciate nuances while enjoying the benefits and enormous satisfaction of traveling under your own power. These are experiences you cannot have behind the wheel of a car, or on a train or a tour bus. Active travel is, at its heart, a way of connecting more authentically with the world. Sure, Backroads provides amazing leaders, superb accommodations and meals, and opportunities you could never arrange on your own. But all of our comprehensive planning and support is aimed at something far simpler: bringing you the immediate, highly personal satisfaction of discovering a new world on your own terms.
— Tom Hale, Founder & President
