7 Days in the Matanuska-Susitna Valley

You might need more time-remember...it's a vacation!
   
    The Matanuska-Susitna Valley has much to offer with the least daily travel of any Alaska destination! Many travelers to Alaska are often aware of only a few of its wonderful sights: Mt McKinley National Park plus Homer & Seward fishing. Well…in Alaska there's far more and it's almost all right here! Base your vacation in the valley and you'll see and do more and…you'll feel like you are really on vacation.


   

The Matanuska-Susitna Valley should be your headquarters for this vacation season. Here is just a little of what you can do from the Valley! …some of Alaska's best fishing; hike on Matanuska Glacier; see a gold mine; pan for gold; walk through Alaska's beautiful landscapes; spend a day at Alaska Native Heritage Center and learn about the people of the great land; whitewater rafting or float trips; flight seeing; tour Denali (the Great One) State and National Parks; see prehistoric Musk Ox, pet reindeer; go on a wildlife boat safari-includes Denali Views; tour the famous small town of Talkeetna where the odds are good but…the goods are odd; walk through the Eklutna Russian Heritage Museum; stroll up to Thunderbird falls; Jet boat to Knik Glacier gorge and enjoy a outdoor lunch; sea kayaking; go to the Iditorad Trail Headquarters and ride a dog sled; view 26 glaciers on the high speed catamaran-they guarantee no sea sickness; go Horseback Riding; step outside your door and Jet Ski; walk through Wasilla's Old Town; tour the Museum of Alaska Transportation; see the Dorothy Page Museum; experience a Bore Tide on Turnagain Arm.
   

Day 1: Arrive Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport. Met at Airport baggage and driven to 1st class bed and breakfast accommodations. Unpack, get settled in and relax at a lakeside barbeque (weather permitting) where you enjoy your choice of great Alaskan Salmon, Halibut, or more conventional fare. During the evening we'll get to know one another and review the itinerary.


   



Days 2-6 will be accomplished on a "Flexible schedule" to allow our guests to see the best of Alaska based on forecasted weather-flexibility not offered by most other tours.
   

- Visit Hatcher's Pass and Independence Gold Mine. Tour the grounds and buildings of the Independence Gold Mine. This newly updated attraction is set in the midst of beautiful mountains and streams. We'll complete the day with a drive through scenic Hatcher's pass and stop at Willow Creek to view King or Red Salmon (seasonal) on their way to spawning grounds. We can also easily arrange for the group to get a taste of Alaskan fishing: we can arrange for licenses, gear; fish cleaning, packaging, freezing and storage…or a whole day guided tour at additional cost.


   


- Trek on the Matanuska Glacier. This trip is one of the best experiences you will have of Alaska. When the weather is bad in and around Anchorage, it's often sunny and mild at the glacier but rain or shine…it's truly a once in a lifetime experience. We'll lunch at the Long Rifle Lodge, just outside the park, for a breath taking view of the glacier before we explore its many wonders. Afterwards we'll visit the Musk Ox Farm to see the ancestors of prehistoric Mammoths and stop at other scenic areas to finish the day.

- We'll Walk through history to the Alaska frontier town of Talkeetna for views of Denali (Mt. McKinley) and embark on a River Boat Safari where you will see Alaska backcountry, wildlife-as well as experience the thrill of "riding the river" with an experienced riverboat guide.
   
- We'll visit to the Native Heritage Indian Center where you will get to see and touch the history and culture of Alaska Natives. The
Alaska Native Heritage Center is Alaska's premiere interactive cultural destination; a gathering place that celebrates, perpetuates and shares Alaska Native cultures. The Indoor and Outdoor center includes five traditional village sites, artifacts, tools, ceremonial objects, qayaqs and canoes, and household tools required to insure the interactive nature of the experience for our Heritage Center visitors. We'll finish the day with a visit to the Alaska Experience Theater and a walk through downtown Anchorage to visit some of the shops for souvenirs.


   



- A visit to the Iditarod Trail Headquarters the last great race-is a great Alaska experience. The Headquarters is a living museum of the race that commemorates the diphtheria serum run to Nome. Then we'll make our way to the Eklutna Russian heritage museum to learn of the Russian Orthodox Church and its impact on the natives in the area. Finally, we'll walk to beautiful Thunderbird falls and enjoy the views.
   


Day 7: Pack and Depart Ted Stevens Airport. Time permitting we'll drive the scenic road next to Turnagain Arm and pan for gold before final departure. NOTE: A day 8 tour (arrive and depart on the same day of the week, e.g., Saturday to Saturday) includes a ride along the scenic highway to Turnagain Arm to visit Big Game Alaska, an Alaskan Wildlife park, Panning for Gold at one of the mines along the highway, and if the timing is right-seeing a bore tide (2-6 foot wall of water) come up the Turnagain Arm.

   



We can customize any tour by itinerary and length of stay: consider…some of Alaska's best fishing; whitewater rafting or float trips; glacier mountain valley and McKinley flight seeing; tour Denali (the Great One) State and National Parks; visit a reindeer farm; Jet boat to Knik Glacier gorge and enjoy a outdoor lunch; sea kayaking; view 26 glaciers on the high speed catamaran-they guarantee no sea sickness; go Horseback Riding; step outside your door and Jet Ski; walk through Wasilla's Old Town; tour the Museum of Alaska Transportation; see the Dorothy Page Museum; experience a Bore Tide on Turnagain Arm...7 Days in the Valley? You might need more time-remember… it's a vacation!

Tours include friendly guides, ground transportation in Alaska, exceptional accommodations, B&B breakfast, lunch near a destination leisure interest, and the activities described in the itinerary. Airfare, personal expenditures and gratuities are the responsibility of the individual.
 
 
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Alaska's Lake Lucille B & B is a proud member of the following organizations:
Bed & Breakfast Association of Alaska
Mat-Su Convention & Visitors Bureau
Alaska's Mat-Su Bed & Breakfast Association
 

Alaska's Lake Lucille
Bed & Breakfast
P.O. Box 874162
Wasilla, AK 99687
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