9 Day Alaska Highlights of Southcentral & Interior

Welcome to Anchorage! Take today to explore Alaska's largest city. Walk or bike the dramatic, 11-mile Tony Knowles Coastal Trail. Go on a city tour via trolley or bike to get an overview, or join a brewery tour and sample some of the innovative suds being brewed here. Then get an in-depth picture of the city and state at the Anchorage Museum, or visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center for a dose of history and culture. Of course, you'll also want to experience the city's fantastic bars and restaurants.

From Anchorage, it's a 2.5-hour drive,, or 4-hour train ride south to this quaint seaside town. Explore the shops and galleries, but be sure to make time for a visit to the Alaska SeaLife Center—an aquarium and research facility where you can get an up-close view of Alaska's unique marine creatures, like Stellar sea lions and harbor seals, as well as birds like puffins.

Jaw-droppingly beautiful, Kenai Fjords National Park plays host to some of the state's most spectacular fjords and glaciers. And several great tour operators offer half- or full-day cruises that take you out to witness their majesty and experience the thrill of a calving glacier. You'll also be on the lookout for wildlife like whales and sea otters. Interested in fishing? Book a charter and head out angling for halibut, salmon, lingcod, and rockfish.

Today you'll travel to the authentic pioneer town of Talkeetna. It's about a 4.5-hour drive or 7 hours by motorcoach; if you're taking the train you'll have to overnight in Anchorage. If you're driving, make a stop in the scenic town of Girdwood, about 90 miles from Seward. Here, you can visit the 1898-era Crow Creek Mine and pan for your own gold, go for a hike, or ride the Alyeska Resort Aerial Tramway for a spectacular panoramic view! Then continue on to Talkeetna and explore the one-block main street, with its century-old roadhouse and general stores. If there's time, take a tour. You're close to Denali, so go flightseeing and check out the mountain up close; you could also take a guided walk, a rafting trip, try ziplining, or go for a thrilling jetboat ride.

Depart from Talkeetna for iconic Denali National Park, either by car (2.5 hours), train (4.5 hours), or motorcoach (4 hours). Head to the park's visitor center to start getting acquainted with this vast expanse of nature. And try an activity! Go flightseeing and get a bird's-eye view of the vast Alaska Range as well as the summit of Denali. Enjoy some river rafting, go for a guided hike, or take a Jeep/ATV tour and drive yourself over the tundra.

Today, you'll spend all day exploring the beauty of this park. Private vehicles are not allowed beyond mile 15, so you'll explore by bus. Opt for the National Park Service's hop-on, hop-off transit bus, or take a narrated tour. Spend 7-8 hours traveling 62 miles into the park on the Tundra Wilderness tour, or take 12 hours and go all 92 miles to the end, at Kantishna. Along the way, look for wildlife and of course, North America's tallest peak.

Take another day and really soak in the beauty of this world-famous park: You'll never grow tired of gazing out at the craggy, snow-capped peaks. Of course, this is also another opportunity to go on an exciting excursion. Opt to experience ziplining, Alaska-style. Or discover the thrill of dog sledding, even in summer. You'll meet real Iditarod mushers and their competitive dogs, hear their stories, then get on a sled with wheels for a fun ride through the forest.

If there's time in the morning, squeeze in an extra tour. Perhaps you'll go rafting, which gets you out quickly into the wilderness along either calm or fast-moving glacial rivers. Then it's time to make the trip back to Anchorage. If you're taking the train, it departs at 12:30pm and gets into Anchorage at 8pm.

It's your last day in Alaska—spend it exploring any parts of Anchorage you didn't get to see. You can finish your trip with an in-depth picture of the city and state at the Anchorage Museum, or visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center for a dose of history and culture. Don't forget to pick up some souvenirs before you depart.