Welcome to Anchorage! After your flight make your way to your hotel where you’ll stay for the night, before picking up your motorhome the next day.

Depending on your arrival time, you can spend the rest of the day exploring Anchorage.

Hilton Anchorage or similar

Collect your Cruise America motorhome from the depot in Anchorage and head up the Glenn Highway through the townships such as Eagle River and across the Knik River to your RV campground in Palmer. On your way stop at the Alaska Native Heritage Centre, located just outside Anchorage to learn about Alaska’s 11 major cultural groups.

Anchorage > Palmer | 45 miles

Today head to one of the highlights of your trip, Denali National Park. Stop at the funky hamlet of Talkeetna which used to be a gold-mining centre and with its dirt roads and wooden sidewalks, has managed to keep much of its original flavour.

Continue towards Denali and your stop for 2 nights allowing you a full day to enjoy this magnificent natural spectacle. During the summer months, private vehicles are not permitted to drive the full length of the Denali National Park road, so we suggest researching your options to use the many organised bus tours available.

Spend a day in Denali National Park. Covering six million acres, the tallest peak in North America and wildlife big and small, this is wilderness at its untamed best.

Palmer > Denali | 200 miles

Head north along the Parks Highway accompanied by incredible forest and mountain landscape and through the communities of Healy, Nenana and Ester to Fairbanks.

The largest city and transport hub in interior Alaska, Fairbanks welcomes over 22 hours of daylight in the summer months and is a great place to base yourself if you plan to enjoy a day trip or multi-day trip up to the Arctic Circle.

Visit the Museum of the North and learn about the culture, history and geology of the region.

Denali > Fairbanks | 115 miles

Follow the Tanana River southeast along the Richardson Highway with views of the snow capped mountains of the Alaska Range to your south.

After Delta Junction, turn onto the famous Alaska Highway and drive towards Tok for the night. On your way stop at North Pole, the home of North America’s Santa Claus. Visit the Sullivan Roadhouse Historical Museum in Delta Junction to give you a fantastic flavour of 19th century Alaska

Fairbanks > Tok | 190 miles

Although Tok is a small town, do stock up on fuel and supplies and get an early start for your drive today.

After Tetlin Junction, turn onto the Taylor Highway and head north deep into the Alaskan wilderness with its stunning scenery and old mining towns.

Take a break at the isolated hamlet of Chicken before continuing across the border into the Yukon Territory, Canada, and along the Top of the World Highway.

Cross the Yukon River by state ferry into Dawson City and your campground for two nights. You can enjoy the next day exploring one of the most historic and atmospheric towns in Canada and learn why for a short period during the Klondike gold rush, it became one of the most famous and wealthiest places on earth.

Spend some time visiting the many heritage buildings scattered throughout the town, many of which are managed by Parks Canada, including the SS Keno riverboat and the Court House.

Stop in at the famous Diamond Tooth Gertie’s Gambling Hall which was the first legal casino in Canada and tells the story of some of the town’s more dubious characters.

Take a tour of the Klondike Gold Fields and visit the rugged peaks of Tombstone Provincial Park – Due to the condition of the roads, we suggest visiting as part of an organised tour from Dawson City as opposed to taking the RV.

Tok > Dawson City | 170 miles

After your break in Dawson City, today’s drive takes you along the Klondike Highway to Whitehorse, the capital of The Yukon.

The scenery is at its best at the start of the drive as you head through sweeping valleys towards the tiny town of Stewart Crossing. Take a break at the 50km-long Lake Laberage with its small beach before continuing towards Whitehorse.

Whilst in this area, stop at Five Finger Rapids near Carmacks on the Yukon River which is another stunning viewpoint (and mentioned in Jack London’s novel The Call of the Wild which was released as a Disney movie starring Harrison Ford). Just a few kilometres outside of town, enjoy some relaxation at the Takhini Hot Springs with its 36⁰C pools.

Visit the SS Klondike, one of only two surviving paddle steamers in the Yukon. See a full sized woolly mammoth skeleton at the Yukon Beringia Interpretive Centre and enjoy a beer and/or a tour of the very popular Yukon Brewing Co. Visit the Kwanlin Dun Cultural Centre for its First Nations history.

Dawson City > Whitehorse | 300 miles

After the longer drive yesterday, you will be glad its just a short drive of 100 miles across the border again into Alaska and to the coastal town of Skagway.

The scenery will look different as you head south into the coastal mountain ranges and the lakes and inlets that dot this stunning region. In the afternoon, catch the short (approximately 50 mins) but beautiful ferry journey from Skagway through the Taiya Inlet to Haines. The town is located on the edge of North America’s longest and deepest fjord and appeals to the outdoor enthusiasts with multiple options for day trips into the wilderness. Your campground for the night is just a short walk into town.

Stop in Carcross for some epic mountain-biking in the nearby mountains. Spend time at Emerald Lake for its startling aqua colours caused by the minerals on the lake bed.

*Please note, this ferry is not daily, so it is very important you check the sailing schedules so they coincide with your travel plans. Alternatively, it is a 350 mile drive between Skagway and Haines.

Whitehorse > Haines | 120 miles (including ferry)

After the quick trip into southeast Alaska, it’s time to hop back across the border into Canada. Before you do, you will be driving north along the Haines Highway, also known as the Valley of the Eagles Scenic Byway as this area along the Chilkat River is the largest known gathering of bald eagles in the world!

Once back in the Yukon, you will be travelling along the eastern edge of the spectacular Kluane National Park. This park has been designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and home to Canada’s tallest peak. It contains the wonders of the St. Elias Mountains and its icefields, glacial lakes, wild rivers and pristine forests. It’s the greatest accumulation of glaciers outside the polar regions and home to bears, caribou, moose, wolves and foxes.

Day hikes range from an hour to a full day and can take you along rivers, through forests or up mountains. Haines Junction is the headquarters of the park and as you cannot access the park by road, this is a good place to explore other options such as flightseeing trips over the world’s largest non-polar icefields or raft past calving glaciers on the Alsek River. Overnight at the beautiful Kathleen Lake campground which is part of Kluane National Park and is located south of the town.

Stop at the Chilkat Bald Eagle Reserve to see these amazing animals and the national bird of the United States.

Haines > Haines Junction | 140 miles

Today you will get the chance to experience the famed Alaska Highway as you head northwest beneath the towering peaks of the Kluane front range. Along the way take the short trail up to Soldiers Summit where the Alaska Highway was officially opened.

Stop and take in the jaw-dropping views of Kluane Lake as you will drive most of its 50 miles length making it the largest lake in the Yukon. This is your last border-hop as you head back into Alaska for the last time and your overnight stop in Tok.

Stop at the Kluane Museum of History to learn about the First Nation people from this region and the world’s largest gold pan at nearly 6.5 metres in diameter.

Haines Junction > Tok | 280 miles

Travel south along the Tok Highway towards Glennallen. Although it is a detour from your drive back towards Anchorage, we would certainly suggest you head deep into the Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and to the tiny town of McCarthy. This town is literally the end of the road and about as remote as it gets. Whilst the campground is basic, it does sit right on the Kennicott River and at the foot of the magnificent Kennicott Glacier. Once parked up, you can walk across the bridge and into McCarthy and learn more about this remote town.

From the town there are a number of outfitters offering a range of activities from glacier trekking, white water rafting and flightseeing into the heart of the largest National Park in the United States and home to 9 of the 16 highest peaks in the country. Also take the shuttle van 5 miles up the road to explore the historic mining ruins at Kennicott. From here you can hike up to the surface of the Root Glacier.

Tok > McCarthy | 240 miles

Time to head back towards civilisation and the way you came in along McCarthy Rd to Glennallen. Although it is only 126 miles, a lot of the road is unpaved so you will need to manage your time accordingly.

Stop off in the small and scenic town of Chitina which sits near the confluence of the mighty Copper River & Chitina River. Perhaps try some amazing salmon fishing on the famed Copper River.

McCarthy > Glennallen | 120 miles

Head along the iconic Glenn Highway towards Palmer for your last overnight stop. Your drive will take you through the spectacular Matanuska River Valley and past the Matanuska Glacier.

Go glacier trekking or ice-climbing on the breath-taking Matanuska Glacier or park the RV at the car park and walk for 20 minutes to the foot of the enormous wall of ice.

Glennallen > Palmer | 137 miles

Just a short 40-mile drive back to the Cruise America depot. However, if you do have the time, we would certainly suggest continuing south for a few days to Seward via the stunning Seward Highway where you can book day trips to Kenai Fjords National Park for views of glaciers and marine wildlife including sea lions, orcas and humpback whales.

Palmer > Anchorage | 40 miles