Price per Person
$3,273Duration
10 daysGroup Size
12Level
Ages 8+Iditarod: Ultimate Family Field Trip
- Description
- Cancellation Policy
- Travel Insurance
This 10-day Alaska family adventure follows portions of the historic Iditarod Trail between Anchorage and Fairbanks with tons of active learning along the way. Join Alaska’s family travel expert for an unforgettable experience as we journey together, truly “getting wild” in the Alaska!
ITINERARY
Wednesday, February 28, 2018 – Welcome to Anchorage! At your welcome dinner, you will meet your fellow travelers and your family winter expedition leader. Erin Kirkland is an author, mother of two boys, and an avid Alaska family travel advocate. She has flown, paddled, peddled, and hiked most of the state’s nooks and crannies, and is passionate about showing off Alaska to kids. She has a background in recreation and family travel, including travel with special needs children. During the welcome dinner, Erin will hand out backpacks for each child filled with fun tools for your Iditarod adventure. Meals (D)
Thursday, March 1, 2018 – Breakfast is at your leisure this morning. To kick off the Iditarod week, we will have a winter hike on the Historic Iditarod Trail. Lunch & hot drink are included. This evening enjoy dinner together during the 2018 Iditarod Musher Banquet! A hearty dinner is enjoyed while watching the Iditarod entrants draw for their starting bib number. Kids will be provided with autograph books to seek out their favorite mushers, and meet new ones during the bib draw that designates team starting order. Meals (B, L, D)
Friday, March 2, 2018 – Today enjoy the Anchorage Fur Rendezvous Festival, one of Alaska’s premier winter events, and a meet-and-greet with two Iditarod mushers. The Musher Meet & Greet features 4-time Champion Jeff King and 3-time (and current) Champion Mitch Seavey for book-signing and reception to follow. Join us to hear stories from the trail and learn about life during the Last Great Race. Kids will be encouraged to interview mushers on a topic of their choosing – Life on the Trail; Sled Dog Training, or Iditarod Race Strategies. Kids will then participate in their own “Trail Report” to be taken home as a memento of the trip. Meals (B, L)
Saturday, March 3, 2018 – Today is the start of the 2018 Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race! You will be on your own to walk around downtown today as we witness the Ceremonial Start on 4th Avenue to marvel at the organized chaos that is the ceremonial start of the Iditarod. Guests are encouraged to join Erin along the trail following the downtown start for a traditional “trailgate” lunch and trailside scavenger hunt. Following the trail experience, guests will have a choice to 1) participate in the Running with the Reindeer event or 2) join a Dancing & Drumming festival at the Alaska Native Heritage Center. Dinner is on your own this evening. Meals (B, L)
Sunday, March 4, 2018 – Now the real competition begins… Head north with Salmon Berry Tours today to the Official Start of the Iditarod! Your guides will serve fresh-baked scones and hot chocolate on the way, telling stories of the race, information/details about the race rules and giving you Alaska insight into the Last Great Race, 1,000 miles of survival and strategy. Once you arrive at Willow Lake, visit the Salmon Berry Tours tent for good company, hot food served all day, race information and friendly faces. Our private tents and chairs are there just for our group – warm up with some hula hooping or take a snowshoe trek farther down the trail with Erin. Once all mushers have left for Nome, we travel north to the village of Talkeetna. An alternative route is available with an Alaska Bush pilot who will fly us along the Iditarod race trail before traveling into Talkeetna — This flyover experience is offered at $315/pp. Dinner & an evening aurora-viewing program with a local photographer is included. A family aurora photo is available for print and can be added to your tour program – ask us for more details! Meals (B, L, D)
Monday, March 5, 2018 – This morning you will be traveling to the training trails of Dallas Seavey Racing! Dog Sledding is Alaska’s official sport, and today we will meet the canine athletes at a kennel for a dog-sledding tour: Gear demonstration, Q&A with a musher, a meet & greet with dogs that will be running the Iditarod, and a chance to ride the runners of a dog sled behind the best team in Alaska! You will learn what it takes to train a team and compete in the “Last Great Race” from a professional racing kennel. Erin will lead the kids on a science experiment/ evening activity to make the aurora borealis with seemingly ordinary kitchen ingredients before we head out to watch the lights. Adults will enjoy a local brewery tour at Denali Brewing Company, one of Alaska’s largest craft breweries while Erin and the kids enjoy a “no-grownups” evening of hot chocolate, games, and fun activities. Later in the evening we’ll search the skies for Alaska’s famous northern lights. Meals (B, L, D)
Tuesday, March 6, 2018 – This morning enjoy a family-style breakfast at the historic Talkeetna Roadhouse before getting on the iconic Alaska Railroad from Talkeetna to Fairbanks. Lunch vouchers are included to enjoy on board the Aurora Winter Train. Large picture windows provide a scenic view as we travel over Hurricane Gulch and arrive at Denali National Park. Dinner is hosted at a local eatery and your overnight stay is with a local Alaska family at their unique domed home. Meals (B, L, D)
Wednesday, March 7, 2018 – Today, travel into majestic Denali National Park to visit with rangers at Murie Science and Learning Center, the official park headquarters for winter visitors. Following the rail route, we will embark on a wintertime trek through the boreal forest, discovering interesting landscapes and Interior Alaska’s relationship with the Iditarod Sled Dog race! Kids will receive a quick science lesson and guided walk with a Park Service ranger to earn their Denali National Park Junior Ranger badges. After lunch, we will pay a visit to the Denali National Park canine rangers, the only National Park Service sled dog team in the country. We will have a quick dinner this evening in order to spend relaxing time with family and new friends. Meals (B, L, D)
Thursday, March 8, 2018 – This morning join us as we travel north to the Golden Heart City of Fairbanks! Explore local museums and experience the famous 2018 BP World Ice Art Championships on display at Ice Alaska Park. Lunch will be provided and an optional ice-sculpting class can be arranged at additional cost of $80/pp, including 4 hours of instruction to learn traditional sculpting skills that can be then applied to wood, stone — or blocks of chocolate! Learn about the quality of ice and get a chance to become an ice artist! The northern lights can be seen from the coziness of the comfortable lodge or step outside to search for the aurora to photograph on your own. Kids can enjoy a final day of sledding and snow fun before we sit down to a farewell dinner and Family Field Trip “awards” to close out our ultimate Alaska experience. Dinner will be hosted by our lodge owners, a three-generation Alaska family. Meals (B, L, D)
Friday, March 9, 2018 – Today you travel home from the Fairbanks International Airport following a family style breakfast at the main lodge and plenty of time to say farewell to your guides and fellow travelers. Our last day includes a shuttle to the Fairbanks Airport for your departure flight home. Meals (B)
2017/2018 Winter Family Package Pricing:
Family of 3 – 2 adults, 1 child – $3,403 per person based on triple occupancy
Family of 4 – 2 adults, 2 children – $3,273 per person based on quad occupancy
Additional child: $2,883 each
**family rates include all sales tax, fees, most meals (see above)
**family rates do not include airfare into Anchorage International Airport (ANC) or out of the Fairbanks International Airport (FAI) or your local guide gratuity ($7 – $10 per person per day)
Please note: Families come in all ages and sizes! Please let us know what ages and how many people are in your travel family and we will organize a quote for you. Ideal ages for this travel package is 8 years and up!
Multi-Day Itinerary Cancellation Policy: A 50% deposit is required to start the booking process. Remainder is due 60 days prior to travel. Cancellations must be made in writing (email, fax, or mail). Processing fee of $100 per guest applies for cancellations more than 60 days before travel, or 50% of total if received less than 60 days from travel. No refund applies if cancellation is received less than 30 days prior to travel.
Salmon Berry Travel & Tours recommends travel insurance provided by TravelSafe Insurance. Our recommendation is based on positive guest feedback. In particular, the experience of one Salmon Berry guest is instructive:
- Our guest had booked the vacation of a lifetime and the ultimate Alaska package. She had to cancel the trip a week before it began due to unfortunate circumstances.
- She later told us that within ten minutes of phone time her claim was processed in full. She was very pleased with TravelSafe Insurance’s immediate and empathetic response. Getting a refund for her trip was the last thing she wanted to think about, and TravelSafe Insurance took care of her needs and concerns immediately.