John Hall fell in love with Alaska in his youth, when his father hauled a truckload of eggs from their home in Minnesota to eager buyers in Fairbanks. The two-week journey took father and son along the Alaska Highway, dodging potholes and witnessing moose and other unique wildlife.
In 1982, Hall started his business sharing that love. Today, John Hall’s Alaska tours bring visitors to the Last Frontier on numerous upscale packages, including the 14-day National Parks of Alaska tour in which visitors tour six parks, many not accessible by car. Tours are all inclusive, from delicious meals to having luggage delivered to every accommodation. It’s an ideal way to view the majesty of Alaska without worrying about a thing.
Here’s a peek into the tour’s six parks visited throughout the nation’s largest state. For more information on John Hall’s Alaska, visit KissAlaska.com.
Lake Clark and Katmai National Parks
The tour begins from Anchorage, flying to both parks only accessible by plane. Lake Clark, one of the least visited parks in Alaska, requires a short flight and offers the lime green waters of Lake Clark, with depths up to 800 feet. A hike is required from the airstrip to the welcome center, which offers displays of wildlife and indigenous history. Hiking trails take visitors to dramatic waterfalls.
It’s a longer plane ride to Katmai National Park, where the big attraction is a rare witness of bears feeding on salmon at Brooks Falls. Visitors get up close and personal to the bears but rangers are on hand to keep people safe.
Wrangell-St. Elias National Park
The tour travels comfortably by motor coach along the Glenn Highway and then by plane to the Chugach and Wrangell mountains inside America’s largest national park on the eastern side of the state. The rustic but comfortable Kennicott Glacier Lodge overlooks the Kennecott Glacier moraine, massive hills of grit and rocks pushed ahead of the glacier over thousands of years. Visitors may take guided tours of the old Kennecott Copper mine or hike two miles to walk on the glacier’s surface.
Gates of the Arctic
A flight to meet the motor coach, and then a drive takes the tour to Fairbanks with a stop at Trail Breaker Kennel, home of the late Susan Butcher, dug musher and multiple Iditarod winner. The next morning the group flies to the native village of Anaktuvuk Pass within the Gates of the Arctic National Park and above the Arctic Circle. Another plane ride brings visitors even further north to the top of the world, the Inupiat village of Utqiagvik along the Arctic Ocean.
Denali National Park
North America’s largest mountain, at 20,320 feet, is viewable only 35 percent of the time, and when that happens, it’s a magical experience. The tour leaves Fairbanks onboard the Alaska Railroad, stopping at Denali National Park and a two-night stay at Denali Cabins. Activities include park adventures, white water rafting and dinner at 229 Parks Restaurant, helmed by James Beard nominee and “Top Chef” contestant Chef Laura Cole. The third night involves Talkeetna, the town that inspired the TV show “Northern Exposure.” If one’s lucky, the southern view of Denali will be visible.
Kenai Fjords
After a stop in Anchorage, the motor coach heads down the Kenai Peninsula to Seward and the Kenai Fjords National Park. Visitors board a boat helmed by Major Marine Tours to visit the remote fjords and view a wide variety of wildlife, including otters, eagles, puffins, sea lions, humpback whales and orcas. Midway through the all-day cruise, the boat moves close to glaciers for an up-close look at one of nature’s most remarkable features.
