The Great Wilderness of Alaska

Eleven days through Alaska from Anchorage, on a road network small enough that this itinerary covers a fair proportion of it. The scale of the place is the attraction and so is the emptiness.

Girdwood comes first by way of the Kenai Fjords, then a rest day at Talkeetna, the small town where Denali climbing expeditions assemble and fly out from. Fairbanks follows through Denali National Park. Denali is the highest mountain in North America at 6,190 metres and it generates its own weather, so it is hidden more often than it is visible, which makes a clear day memorable.

Tok comes next by way of North Pole and the Tanana valley, then a rest day at Valdez reached over the Thompson Pass, which gets some of the heaviest snowfall in the United States and where the road is walled by ice well into summer. Prince William Sound at Valdez is good for marine wildlife, though what any given trip produces is a matter of luck. The operator issues a genuine safety warning about moose and bears on the road, and it should be taken seriously: a moose is large enough to kill a rider and they step out of treelines without warning.

Edelweiss include a choice of BMW motorcycle, ten nights across middle-range hotels and motels, a guide and a tour book. Flights are separate and the inclusions are not itemised in full on the operator’s page. The price quoted is per person for 2027. At 8,870 euros it is one of the dearer tours in the range, and the riding season is narrow enough that dates need booking well ahead.