Authentic Alaska June 6-14, 2026

Join experienced Alaska guides Jennie and Jay, hosts of the Alaska Uncovered Podcast, for an all inclusive experience with a unique itinerary no one else offers – from bear viewing in rugged and rarely visited Lake Clark National Park to the funky town of Talkeetna in the shadow of Denali.

This one of a kind all inclusive (seriously, everything – meals! tips! flight to a glacier!) small group adventure (maximum 8 guests) is designed by Jennie to maximize Alaskan adventure away from crowds in busy tourist areas without compromising incredible scenery, eating amazing food, standing on a glacier in Denali National Park, observing bears for hours in remote Lake Clark National Park and meeting the Alaskans who live the stories Jennie and Jay share on their podcast — keepers of Alaska Native culture, fishermen, pilots, artists, farmers, guides and hosts who welcome you like family.

The Plan

This is our planned itinerary – Weather and other factors may alter the plan either in advance or in the moment. Jennie and Jay and our partners are experienced in navigating the unexpected so rest assured you’ll be well taken care of no matter what Alaska throws our way.

Day 1 – June 6 – Arrival in Anchorage

Welcome to Alaska! Book your flights to arrive in Anchorage today and take a taxi or ride share to the Copper Whale Inn. Complimentary luggage storage is available at the Copper Whale if you arrive before 3pm (check in time).

Informal meet and greet at the Copper Whale Inn – optional unhosted evening outing to the 49th State Brewing patio and ice cream stand a few blocks away from the hotel.

Day 2 – June 7 – Travel from Anchorage to Soldotna

• Breakfast – An impressive continental breakfast and meeting your fellow travelers at the Copper Whale Inn
• Alaska Native Heritage Center
• Lunch in Girdwood
• Portage Lake glacier cruise and exploring the Portage Valley (optional hiking)
• Dinner (location TBD) in Soldotna
• Stay at Kenai Adventure Cabins in Soldotna (NOTE – we will be walking a short distance outside to get the bathrooms and showers, which are private, but in another building)

Total travel time today: 3 hours driving

Day 3 – June 8 – Travel from Soldotna to Snug Harbor Outpost, Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

• Continental breakfast at Kenai Adventure Cabins before departing for Snug Harbor Outpost and Lake Clark National Park
• Morning – drive to Homer for float plane trip to Snug Harbor Outpost
• 30 minute float plane flight to Snug Harbor
• Lunch and Dinner at Snug Harbor Outpost
• Our activities at Snug Harbor (timing TBD) include plenty of free time to explore the beach, the historic property, enjoy the fire pit and sauna as well as group outings by boat for bear viewing, fossil hunting and bird watching in Lake Clark National Park. You can also go fishing if you like!
• Stay at Snug Harbor Outpost

Total travel time today: 1.5 hours driving, 30 minutes flying

Day 4 – June 9 – Exploring Lake Clark National Park and Preserve

Today we’ll be at incredible Snug Harbor Outpost at the edge of Lake Clark National Park and Preserve. All meals are included (and amazing), some may be served on the boat while bear watching.

At Snug Harbor, you’ll have plenty of free time to explore the beach, the historic property, hang out by the fire pit or in the sauna or go out fishing.

We’ll do two or three group outings throughout the day and evening for bear viewing, bird watching and fossil hunting in Lake Clark National Park.

Day 5 – June 10 – Travel from Lake Clark National Park to Eklutna Valley

• Breakfast send off from Snug Harbor, fly to Homer
• Free time to explore the Homer Spit
• Leave Homer to drive back to Anchorage – we’ll make fun and interesting stops along the way and a short, optional hike
• Lunch in Cooper Landing
• Drive to Eklutna Valley with a stop at the Alyeska Tram (weather permitting)
• Dinner (location TBD)
• Stay at BlueWater BaseCamp

Total travel time today: 30 minutes flying, 5 hours driving

Day 6 – June 11 – Exploring the Eklutna Valley

Today we’ll have the whole day for fun in the local favorite beautiful Eklutna Valley. There are excellent hiking trails as well as kayaks and bikes to explore, or just hang out at the cabin. You choose your own adventure today in the morning based on what you feel like doing – the way vacation is meant to be.

Transportation will be provided the short distance to nearby trailheads and locations for kayaking and biking. Kayak and bike rentals are included.

We’ll enjoy a continental breakfast at BlueWater BaseCamp, have a picnic lunch to take on the go for whatever adventures you choose and have dinner at BlueWater BaseCamp or in Eagle River (TBD).

Stay at BlueWater BaseCamp.

Day 7 – June 12 – Palmer and Travel from Eklutna Valley to Talkeetna

• Continental breakfast at BlueWater BaseCamp
• Today we will spend the day in Palmer, learning about it’s unique farming history and doing a short hike as well as lunch at a local farm.
• Drive to Talkeetna with stops along the way.
• Dinner at Denali Brewing Company
• Enjoy the hot tub, fire pit and views of Denali (weather permitting) from Talkeetna Denali View Lodge
• Stay at Talkeetna Denali View Lodge

Total travel time today: 2 hours driving

Day 8 – June 13 – Talkeetna and Glacier Landing Flight in Denali National Park and Preserve

After an amazing breakfast prepared by our host, today we’ll have free time in downtown Talkeetna – I recommend grabbing lunch at one of the many wonderful eateries but we will also have lunch picnic supplies available to bring with you for the day. There is also an option to do a hike in the area.

We will do our flightseeing tour (weather permitting) over Denali National Park with a glacier landing in the park today!

Tonight we will have our farewell dinner in Talkeetna (location TBD) and enjoy the evening at the lodge.

Day 9 – June 14 – Return to Anchorage

Another wonderful breakfast prepared by Dawn before we start the drive back to Anchorage. We’ll make some stops along the way and plan to arrive at the airport by 1pm. Please do not book a flight that departs today earlier than 4pm.

If you’re flying out in the evening, you can check your luggage into the luggage storage at the airport and we’ll drop you off downtown instead. We are happy to drop you off wherever you are staying in Anchorage if you are staying in town longer on your own.

Total travel time today: 2.5 hours driving

Pre and Post Tour Options

If you’re interested in spending more time in Alaska, I am happy to work with you to create a custom itinerary for up to 7 days before or after our tour at no additional cost.

What’s Included

Pretty much everything! 🎉

• All gratuities – guides, meals and accommodations
• Your guides, Jennie and Jay! We maintain a 1:4 guide to guest ratio and have more than 25 years of guiding experience each
• All Taxes
• All overnight accommodations
• Meals (including drinks) June 7th through the morning of June 14th – please indicate dietary restrictions in the registration form
• All transportation within Alaska in comfortable SUVs (no cramped van back seats here!)
• Flightseeing tour with Glacier landing (weather dependent) in Denali National Park
• Airport or Anchorage area drop off at the end of the tour on June 14th
• An amazing adventure in Alaska that very few visitors get to experience – everywhere we go is off the typical visitor circuit

What’s not included

• Travel Insurance – Travel insurance is required for this tour, both because of our travel to remote areas with no medical care as well as strict cancellation policies (see below). Please ask Jennie if you need help with this.
• Transportation from the Anchorage airport to the Copper Whale Inn when you arrive
• We will make casual roadside lunch stops on three days (Girdwood, Cooper Landing and Talkeetna) that are not included for practical reasons – but we’ll have plenty of picnic supplies with us so buying lunch at these stops is optional
• Airfare to and from Alaska
• Reliable WiFi and cell signal – you should have enough of a cell signal (depending on your carrier) or WiFi everywhere we go at least once a day for texting. We will have times during the day without a cell signal or WiFi, some days we will not have it during the day at all. Do not count on having enough data for streaming or email but you should be able to text most places at least in the morning and evening.

Pricing Details

• $8995 per person – double occcupancy
• $900 single supplement – if you’re traveling solo and are up for sharing your room with another solo traveler, please let Jennie know! I will happily match you with another traveler if that works out, though I cannot guarantee this
• A $4598 (50%) non refundable deposit per person (see below for cancellation policy) holds your spot.
• Balance is due 90 days before the tour – March 6, 2025
• All participants must be at least 18 years old
• Save $150 if you book by December 12th with the code EARLYAK26

Cancellation Policy

We are not able to offer refunds if you change your mind or are unable to go on the trip after booking.

Whoa, why such a strict policy, Jennie??

We are a tiny company and all our partners and vendors for Authentic Alaska are small (sometimes really small) locally owned businesses. Working exclusively with small Alaskan businesses from everywhere we are staying to everywhere we are eating, every tour and experience and even our rental vehicles is a strong value for Jennie and Jay.

They need a firm commitment from us in order to commit and hold space for us.

This is why we are requiring all guests to purchase travel insurance so that you’re taken care of too – whether you need to cancel due to health or a family emergency or because of something that happens during our trip.

If you cancel and someone from the waiting list or anyone else decides to take your place, then we will happily refund you except for a $200 administrative fee.

Thank you for understanding and choosing to support small, local businesses with your travel budget.

Travel Insurance

We require all guests to have travel insurance. Why? Because our long experience in the travel industry and in Alaska in particular have taught us that medical care in Alaska, especially in remote locations is prohibitively expensive and too big of a risk for anyone at any age.

In addition, we are working exclusively with small, local businesses in Alaska who cannot afford to offer refunds for anyone who wants or needs to cancel and neither can we. Life can get lifey, make sure you have insurance to compensate you for cancellation before or during the tour as we and our partners are not able to do so.

Thank you for understanding and supporting small, local businesses!

Please contact Jennie if you have questions about Travel Insurance before registering.

You can get any travel insurance you like – we use InsureMyTrip which allows you to compare plans (this is an affiliate link which means if you book your insurance through them we receive a small commission at no cost to you).

Accommodations and Accessibility

Alaskan accommodations are rustic. Everywhere we are staying is amazing, comfortable, welcoming and utterly delightful with the kinds of unique touches you’ll never find at a hotel chain and rarely a vacation rental. We are staying in small, family owned inns and lodges more like a home than a hotel.

None of the places we are staying have air conditioning.

At Kenai Adventure Cabins, the bathrooms and showers are private but you have to go outside to a different (nearby) building to access them.

At Snug Harbor Outpost, shared bathrooms are across the hall and close by.

All our other lodging accommodations have a private bath for each room.

Please talk to Jennie before registering if you have questions or concerns about bathrooms.

This tour is not wheelchair accessible. This is a major and unfortunate trade off for going to places in Alaska that are off the beaten track where visitors don’t get to very often. I wish it were different and it’s not ok but this is the reality in Alaska.

If you are a full time wheelchair user and want an off the beaten track and super local experience, I highly recommend BlueWater BaseCamp which is fully wheelchair accessible and amazing. I am also happy to help you figure out a trip that is wheelchair accessible, please contact me about this.

You will need to be able to climb a few stairs (I can get you rooms with minimal stairs in all locations, please tell me in your registration if this helps you) and get in and out of small planes and boats with help.

In my experience, people with limited mobility who can navigate a few stairs or get into or out of the plane or boat with support from others, extra time and/or a mobility aid will love this tour. Alaskans are creative and resourceful. Please reach out to me if you are not sure if this is right for you and I’m happy to help you figure it out. You can definitely bring a wheelchair (or any other mobility aid) with you but will need to be able to transfer without it.

We can accommodate all dietary restrictions, but need to know about them in advance. Please include these where asked in the registration form.

Activity Level

Authentic Alaska is an active tour, but not strenuous. All hikes and walks are optional except for navigating the properties where we are staying. In some cases this involves walking up and down stairs and on uneven surfaces (such as a beach or gravel path) between buildings or between a vehicle and a building.

You will also need to be able to get into and out of a small airplane, which involves three steps on a ladder and plenty of handholds and supportive people! We will also be getting into and out of a boat on the beach a few times – again lots of support in getting on and off.

If you are looking for extensive hiking every day, this is not the tour for you. There will be opportunities for walks and hikes every day but they are not required. You can definitely get your steps in if you want to! The Twin Peaks trail at Eklutna is a challenging hike with great views for those who are looking for more of a challenging hike for one day of our trip.

Kayaking and biking are also available and included for our day at Eklutna and bike rentals are available on your own from right in front of our Anchorage hotel. Anchorage is a fantastic biking city if you arrive early enough or stay longer to take advantage of it.

If you’re looking to up the challenge level of hikes I recommend a few days before our after our tour in the Anchorage area which has many hikes at all levels of difficulty from mellow to very, very hard. I am happy to make recommendations for this.