Day One:   After breakfast we head out to Chugach State Park to hike up Flattop Mountain.  Even from the bottom of the mountain, the view stretch across Anchorage, framed by the Cook Inlet, to Mt McKinley in the North; to the volcanoes of the Aleutian Range to the west; and south across the Kenai Peninsula.  Flattop is short but steep, and is a challenging hike.  Not everyone will make it to the top, but the hike around Blueberry hill at the base is perfect for the less aggressive and still provides incredible views.  After lunch we travel out to Kincaid Park where we start our cycling by riding Anchorage’s crown jewel, the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail.  We cycle approximately 11 miles along the coast of Cook inlet, and then van out to Wasilla for the evening.

Day 2:  We head up the Matanuska River to Sutton for a segment of fossil hunting!  About 55 million years ago this area was covered by a mixed forest which laid down amazingly rich beds of fossil leaves.  If you have tried hunting fossils before but didn’t succeed, don’t worry…  This time you will!  It is an amazing feeling to break open a rock and see something that hasn’t seen light for 55 million years!!  After Lunch, we go rafting on the Matanuska River.  This is the perfect Alaska whitewater rafting trip for first-timers or experienced river runners!  The main rapids are several miles long and the result of a squeeze play between the glacier lateral moraine and “Lion Head”, a massive basalt rock wall from an ancient volcanic plug. The remainder of the trip is swift water with exceptional scenic vistas. 

Day 3:  In the Morning we go hiking up the Lion’s Head.  The trail starts in the forest but soon moved above the tree line into the alpine tundra.  As we near the top we have incredible views of the 27 mile long Matanuska Glacier, and sweeping panoramas of the Chugach Mountains, the Talkeetna Mountains, and the Matanuska River Valley.  After lunch we get on our bikes and head off across a vast tableland toward Glennallen.  To the south we have views of the Chugach Mountains, and Nelchina and Tazlina Glaciers.  To the east The 12-16,000 foot Volcanoes of the Wrangell Mountains appear to grow before our eyes as we approach!  Standard mileage will be about 20, but aggressive riders will be able to get in over 50!

Day 4:  We hike and bike along the Glenn and Richardson Highways in the Copper River Valley.  To the north is the Alaska Range, to the east, the Wrangell Mountains, and to the South, the Chugach Range.  We are surrounded by magnificence!

Day 5:  We bicycle down the Teikel River and then along the Tsaina River, toward Thompson Pass. This extremely beautiful ride through the Chugach Mountains is almost all downhill!  The standard bicycling is 20 miles, but aggressive riders can continue on up Thompson Pass!  The rest of us will ride the van up the pass, stopping  off at Worthington Glacier, only yards from the road!   Near the top of the pass we go for a hike.   Thompson Pass is only 2,678 feet, but far above treeline, and the views from here are truly spectacular. Don't forget your camera!

Day 6  In the morning we van to Keystone Canyon where we hike along the ‘Old Goat Trail’.  The Old Goat Trail actually was the Richardson Highway until after World War Two, and goes through the Canyon high above the current highway.  Keystone Canyon is a wonderland of six hundred foot waterfalls, Near vertical rock walls, and the rushing Lowe River. 

Day 7  We wake up early and board a ship of the Alaska Marine Highway for an unforgettable trip across Glacier studded Prince William Sound. We leave the ship in Whittier, and board a shuttle for a fifteen-minute ride UNDER the Chugach Mountains to Portage.   At Portage we get on our bikes for a beautiful eight mile ride on bike paths through the Portage Valley.  Magnificent glaciers line the mountains to the left as we ride!