Alaska Highlights (Motorhome)

Eleven nights in a motorhome out of Anchorage, which is a short trip by Alaskan standards and covers the two things most people come for.

The Glenn Highway opens it, northeast through Eagle River and Chugiak to Palmer, with the Chugach and Talkeetna ranges on either side and Pioneer Peak above the valley. An airboat trip out to Knik Glacier is optional and worth considering.

The Parks Highway then runs north through the Matanuska-Susitna valley and Denali State Park to the national park itself. Denali covers six million acres crossed by a single road, and the vegetation changes from taiga forest to alpine tundra as it climbs. The mountain is the highest in North America at 6,190 metres, generates its own weather and is hidden more often than not, so a clear view is a matter of luck. The optional wildlife tour covers bear, caribou, moose, Dall sheep and wolves, all of which live there and none of which can be promised.

The Seward Highway returns south to Anchorage by way of Kenai Fjords, where the Harding Icefield feeds thirty-eight separate glaciers and an optional cruise goes out among them, with whales often about. Canadian Affair include the flights and the Cruise America motorhome, with campground fees, fuel, insurance and meals separate. The price is per person. Eleven nights is tight for Alaska and the distances are long, so this suits a traveller who would rather see two places properly than six briefly. The season is short as well, roughly June to early September, outside which the campgrounds and most of the tours simply close.