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Mendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska

Eastern Fjords & Glacier Bay Cruise -Ultimate Expedition

Example 15 Day Cruise aboard Wilderness Discoverer
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Join the Wilderness Discoverer on ultimate Alaska. Spend two days in Glacier Bay National Park, a boat to glaciers, hike in the Tongass National Forest and learn about Native cultures. Discover Margerie, Grand Pacific, and Dawes or Twin Sawyers Glaciers. Visit Kiksetti Totem Park and Chief Shakes Tribal House visits and Tlingit cultural presentation. Search for wildlife—bears, mountain goats, Sitka black-tailed deer, sea lions, porpoises, and eagles. Your expedition team leads the way, whether you're hiking, skiing, or kayaking.
Kayaking near the glaciers in Alaska Aerial view of Juneau, AlaskaGlacier streams wind across the Alaskan landscapeWhale watching in Juneau, AlaskaMendenhall Glacier in Juneau, Alaska
Highlights
  • Discover Haines and Misty Fjords National Monument
  • Navigate winding Wrangell Narrows and Behm Canal
  • Kayak, paddle board, skiff, hike, and bushwhack in Tongass backcountry
  • Whale watching in Stephens Passage, Icy Strait, and Frederick Sound
Places Visited
Activity Level: Relaxed
Involves minimal physical effort and is typically associated with leisurely activities. Activities are low-intensity or last less than a few hours each day.
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Full Itinerary

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Day 1: Juneau, Alaska | Embark

Arriving in Juneau, transfer from the airport to our hospitality area. Upon boarding, your crew greets you with champagne and smiles. Set sail for two weeks of scenic channels and secluded wilderness.

Day 2: Tracy Arm

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Take an early peek outside. Fjord cliffs reach skyward. Floating ice. And deep u-shaped valleys. There’s no abracadabra here. Mother Nature’s magic is real. Cruise past harbor seals and their pups lounging on chunks of ice. Tracy Arm delivers with the cotton candy blue Twin Sawyer glaciers of its furthest reaches. Tides permitting, your skiff driver knows the ropes and guides you along. It’s a mashup of towering walls, temperamental currents, and the Coastal Mountains. So many waterfalls. Mountain goats show off fancy footwork on the cliffs. Look for them.

Day 3: Frederick Sound

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Humpbacks beeline it here each season to feed on krill, zooplankton, and herring. Watch for whales feasting in these abundant glacial waters. Hang out and enjoy the show. Cruise past Five Fingers Lighthouse, Alaska’s oldest light station, and The Brothers Islands, where sea lions nap on rocky nobs. Tonight, toast to a whale of day in Alaska. 

Day 4: Icy Strait

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Every inch of this far northwest corner is worth exploring, from kelp-lined channels to hemlock and spruce forests. And today’s adventures promise to be as big as the water is deep! Seals and sea lions haul out on rocky outcroppings, resting before they disappear in the water to search for food. If the tides are right, head out in the boat with one of your guides for a closer peek along the rugged shore, or perhaps, make it to George Island. Whatever you do—wilderness trekking, skiffing, or paddling—your expedition team guides the way.

Day 5-6: Glacier Bay National Park

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
This crown jewel of America’s national parks covers 3.3 million acres (that’s a tad smaller than the state of Connecticut). Let that sink in. Most visitors see the same sliver of the park as everyone else. Not you. You’re going the furthest and exploring parts that 99% of visitors never go to. And you have two days to do it. Get started! Taylor Bay sea stacks and rocky shores make for a good adventure. Or hike the outwash field of glaciers winding down the Fairweather Mountain Range. The cool breeze off the nearby snow and icefields is energizing. If you motor over to Dundas Bay, keep your eye out for bears, humpbacks, and, if you’re lucky, a wolf sighting. Kayak the bay. Bushwhack into the forest—Discover Glacier Bay outback.

Your camera’s memory card needs plenty of room. South Marble Island is abuzz with activity. Rare sea birds, black oystercatchers, and orange-beaked tufted puffins can’t be missed. A colony of raucous sea lions adds to the unrest. They add a distinct aroma to the air, too. Tucking into silent Tidal Inlet—the stomping grounds for bears, wolves, mountain goats, eagles—the backdrop is spectacular. At the end of the western-most arm of the bay sits Margerie and Grand Pacific Glaciers. And possible views of glacial calving. Take it all in on deck.

Day 7: Chatham Strait

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Find a perch on the bridge with your captain or guides on the bow, and watch for whales and other creatures before tucking into Port Frederick or another inlet in the Tongass National Forest. Any spot’s a good one to pull over and stretch your legs. Hike, paddle, or skiff your way through this remote corner with bears on the shoreline, seals bobbing on the surface, and welcoming boughs of moss in the trees. It’s all yours to explore. Back on the boat, make a beeline straight for the hot tub.

Day 8: Juneau

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
You have a choice in how to spend your day off the boat. Accompanied by a local expert (and plenty of snacks), the West Glacier Trail excursion takes you through a dense temperate rainforest with massive views overlooking Mendenhall Glacier and the surrounding coastal mountain range. Or, opt for a more relaxed pace visiting Juneau highlights on your own. An included tramway ticket provides a ride up the Mt. Roberts Tram, where views unfold as you ascend 1,800 feet through the forest. At the top, explore the trails and Nature Center; back at the bottom, explore Alaska’s heritage at the Alaska State Museum. Both options also include a lunch voucher for a local restaurant. A complimentary laundry service is provided today.

Day 9: Endicott Arm or Tracy Arm | Fords Terror

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Take an early peek out your window. Fjord cliffs reach skyward. Floating ice. And deep u-shaped valleys. There’s no abracadabra here. Mother Nature’s magic is real. Cruise past harbor seals and their pups lounging on chunks of ice. At the end of Endicott, the blue face of Dawes Glacier is stories high. And in classic fjord form, Tracy Arm delivers with the cotton candy blue twin Sawyer Glaciers of its furthest reaches. Tides permitting, your skiff driver knows the ropes and guides you along. It’s a mashup of towering walls, temperamental currents, and the Coastal Mountains. So many waterfalls. Mountain goats show off fancy footwork on the cliffs. Look for them.

Day 10: Stephens Passage

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Morning stretches on-deck jump-start the day. Humpback whales are frequent visitors of this Southeast passage. A misty spout is a sure sign they’re in the neighborhood. Your captain navigates Stephens Passage to Port Houghton. And you’re in for a boot-sucking, paddle-smacking day of adventure with your guide team. The routes are all picked out. Make your choice and make your move. Slip off the kayak launch and take it slow, spotting sea stars and shorebirds. Hard chargers take a long wild paddle to the salt chuck at the back of the inlet. Or, hike into the Tongass. It’s a landscape of hanging waterfalls and shades of green.

Day 11: Thomas Bay | Wrangell Narrows

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
When you come this far, you might as well go all in. This is way back backcountry of Alaska's wilderness. Moraines, muskegs, and mud mark glacial landscapes. In this playground, it’s all an option today. Kayak and skiff in water almost clear as glass. The mirror image of the fjord walls plays on the surface. Hike through the outwash of Baird Glacier, or keep it green on an interpretive walk through a grassy meadow into the forest. Later, the ship winds into the Wrangell Narrows. Abundant bright red and green navigation lights guide the way. It’s “Christmas Tree Lane,” of course.

Day 12: Wrangell

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Native culture and wildlife have gotten along just fine for centuries. Wrangell is one of the oldest towns in Alaska. It’s also the only one ever governed by four nations. The Tlingit cultures have deep roots here. Local islanders come aboard this morning with a presentation that brings their stories and legends to life. Venture into town for a view of recently carved totem poles at Kiksetti Totem Park. See how many totems you can pick out on each pole. Step inside famed Chief Shakes Tribal House. Can you feel the history in this historic community house?

Day 13: Behm Canal

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
Wildlife abounds. Black bears, mink, eagles. Behm Canal is all remote waterways and isolated Tongass National Forest coves, streams, and bays. On Cleveland Peninsula, your expedition team leads a low-elevation hike near clear, rushing streams. Good opportunities for enticing forested shots of Southeast. In the water, orca, porpoises, seals, and otters go about their business. Go about yours on a guided paddle in tiny deserted waterways that feed into Behm Canal.

Day 14: Misty Fjords National Monument

  • Ship
  • 1 Breakfast, 1 Lunch, 1 Dinner
The beauty. Peace. The sense of place you feel. Misty Fjords National Monument represents nearly every ecosystem found in Southeast Alaska, and that alone is a lot to consider. Glacial valleys filled with seawater. Sheer 3,000-foot cliffs. Seabirds, brown and black bears, mountain goats, Sitka black-tailed deer all find a haven here. Kayak in Walker Cove or Rudyerd Bay, and you find it’s just as easy to paddle and go as it is to sit and float and take it all in. Or boat to the base of a waterfall for a fjord-released shower. The affectionate nickname “The Yosemite of the North” is deserved. There are places on the planet that completely overcome you. This is one of them. And it’s a fantastic wrap to your week. Your captain joins you tonight for a Farewell Dinner. Celebrate and reminisce about your Alaskan journey with a “photo journal” by your crew.

Day 15: Ketchikan, Alaska | Disembark

  • 1 Breakfast
After breakfast, this morning, bid adieu to your new pals before you disembark and transfer to the Ketchikan airport

Ship/Hotel

Wilderness Discoverer

Wilderness Discoverer
Wilderness Discoverer in the San Juans PNW
Wilderness Discoverer

Dates & Prices

My Preferred Start Date

Per person starting at
$6,545
Wilderness Discoverer's Navigator Cabin.
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Navigator
Main Deck, cabins 201, 204-208 and 210. Queen or twin beds, private bath with shower and view window.
Interior Cabin
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Trailblazer
Observation Deck, cabins 310-325. Queen or twin beds, private bath with shower and view window.
Wilderness Discoverer's Pathfinder Cabin.
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Pathfinder
Observation Deck, cabins 300-309. Outside entry, queen bed, sitting area, private bath with shower and view window.
Wilderness Discoverer's Explorer Double Cabin.
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Admiral
Sun Deck, cabins 400-403. Separate sitting area, queen or twin beds, private bath with shower, large picture window with sofa bed/triple.

Notes

- All rates are in USD, per person, based on double occupancy.
- Rates do not include port taxes and fees, which vary by itinerary.
- Children 8-13 are welcome on all sailings and will received a $500 per child savings

Due to the nature of your explorations, itineraries are guidelines and may change in order to maximize wildlife and natural encounters. Variations in itinerary and the order of days may occur.
Included
  • 14 Breakfasts, 13 Lunches, 14 Dinners
  • 14 Nights Accommodations
  • Accommodations as listed
  • Ground transportation as listed
  • Activities as listed
  • Meals as listed
  • Access to a 24-7 Emergency line while traveling
  • Non-Alcoholic Beverages
  • Wellness amenities 
  • From-the-vessel adventure activities and equipment
     
  • Group transfers and baggage handling between airport/vessel on embark/disembark day
  • Entry fees to national parks/preserves
  • Premium wine, beer and liquor (excludes super-premium wines)
  • Exclusive activities and shore visits
  • Onboard expedition/heritage guides and guest experts
Excluded
  • Gratuities
  • Travel Insurance
  • Personal Expenses
  • Flight costs (please request a quote)
  • Additional excursions during free time
  • Fuel and transportation surcharges (when applicable)
  • Port taxes/fees
  • Optional excursions and land tours
  • Onboard wifi

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Beyond expectations! Then again we weren't sure what to expect. Lovely stay at the lodge, met other like-minded travelers (many had their trips planned by Adventure Life) and the owner was a gracious hostess. It felt like you were one happy family, visiting with a favorite aunt.
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