Join us on this inaugural Alaska tour. Experience the grand mountains and quaint towns of this
fantastic place. July is a perfect time
to visit, as the daylight window is around 20 hours. There
are segments of gravel or road construction so we recommend a road bike with 25
mm tires. We
will only have 2 sag vehicles so there maybe times that riders will need to
pocket extra snacks and stop at mini-marts.
If you are interested in camping instead of a room Camping
is available with certain requirements.
Space is limited to 22 rooms so register early with your
$500 deposit.
Day
1: Anchorage 20 miles
Fly in early – a day or the weekend
before Take the challenge and ride the Fireweed 400 race which starts on July
8th – Choose between 400, 200, 100 or 50 mile lengths. It
is an individual or team event! This
RAAM Qualifier occurs with over 20 hours of daylight. www.fireweed400.com
After you register for the PAC Tour
Ride the Circle you will receive a DVD of the 2005 Fireweed race.
Our hotel is located downtown with bike paths connecting historic sites,
museums and shopping. Our test ride loop
is out to Kincaid Park along the Inlet.
The hotel provides airport shuttle and bike case storage.
Day
2: Anchorage-Moose Pass 100 miles
Leaving Anchorage on bike paths we follow the Alaskan RR line south passing bald eagles fishing
in the Turnagin Arm. See spectacular
mountain scenery with glaciers tucked away in the high valleys, glacier run off
into fast moving streams and rivers, and the cute B & B’s along side the
highway. Possibly the prettiest section
of road in the world! Our destination is Trail End Lake and Lodge. Flight Planes dock right at our Lodge
and excursions* are available.
Day
3: Moose Pass Seward Moose Pass
54-75 miles
We will enjoy a café breakfast so you can
leisurely ride toward Seward. Lunch
today will be a pack your bag style meal & available at the sags so you can
eat your lunch while hiking or exploring.
The ride takes the road to Exit Glacier – where a sag car will provide
bike parking so you can take a morning hike up to this massive glacier. Susan has encountered black bears both times
she has hiked on this trail! Exciting to be so close to nature. On Exit Glacier road you can visit an Ididarod
Sled Dog Farm*. Then continue riding to
Seward where the sag there will provide bike parking so you can explore the
seaside town – hike up the Marathon Trail Run or plan an excursion: visit the
Seward Aquatic Center*, join a Glacier Wild Life Boat Tours*, try sea kayaking*. Finally riding back to Moose Pass. Riders should attend the Alaska PAC banquet
under the lakeside pavilion at the Trail End Lodge.
In November, registered riders of the PAC Tour
Ride the Circle will receive a complete Tourist Packet that will include many
activities in the places we visit.
Riders are encouraged to review the information. Riders
should plan on making their own reservations for these excursions, as these
fees are not part of the tour package.
Day
4: Moose Pass via Ferry
to Valdez
We depart early for the 60 miles ride
to Whittier to catch the noon ferry. We
shuttle through a one-way tunnel and catch the Alaska State Ferry to Valdez. On this
relaxing six hour ferry ride you will enjoy seeing Columbia Glacier, Epicenter
of 1964 Earthquake, Fox Islands, and the Terminus of Alaskan pipeline. Watching the stellar sea lions, sea otters and dolphins.
In Valdez you will have time for an evening hike or exploring
this famous halibut fishing harbor.
,
Day
5: Valdez to Glennallen 120 miles
Ride by beautiful waterfalls up Keystone Canyon, past alpine meadows at Thompson Pass, stop by for an up close and personal look at
Worthington Glacier and enjoy the panoramic views of
Wrangell-St. Elias Mountain Range. If
you still have some energy when you arrive at the Caribou Hotel, you can take
an evening white water rafting excursion*.
Day
6: Glennallen to Tok 136 miles
All day we ride with the Wrangell -
St. Elias mountain wilderness over our shoulder. This
wilderness is 20,000 square miles, 6 times the size of Yellowstone National Park. It includes 9
of the 16 highest peaks in the United States. You will be astounded with the incredible expansive
views of glacier run off river basin.
Our journey today ends at the Alaska Highway!
Day
7: Tok to Delta Junction 110 miles
Ride all day on the Alaska Highway to its terminus in Delta Junction, Construction begun
in 1942, the Alaska Highway travels over 1,400 miles from Dawson Creek, Canada. Dawson Creek was chosen to be the start of the Alaska Highway because a train ran from Edmonton, Alberta to Dawson Creek.
Ride quietly through moose habitats!
Rolling up
and down
Winding
round and round
Forth to see
what lurks
The ground
heaves the bike jerks
Alaska’s roads are
best when froze
By summers
melt the road just goes
Jack
Anderson
Day
8: Delta Junction to Fairbanks This 108 mile rolling ride slices through dense
forests and follows sections of the Alaskan Pipeline. The North Pole is a stones
throw off of the route – could be an interesting afternoon destination. Our lunch stop is at the Knotty Wood
Shop. A cool genuine Alaskan experience. A young couple owns the Knotty Shop. The
husband does the knotty artwork with burls of spruce and his wife and her
sisters’ run the store. Enjoy wildlife
displays and Alaskan souvenirs. We can picnic in their
yard if PAC Tour will purchase ice cream cones! And
for every 10 we buy - we get one free.
What a trade off!
Day
9: Fairbanks – Chena Hot
Springs – Fairbanks 137 miles
Ride: Outstanding and challenging 137
mile ride to Chena Hot Springs, or take a half day ride to or from the Hot
Springs, put your bike in the Lunch van and hop a ride. Lunch van will be at Hot Springs from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 pm. Put your
swimsuit in the Lunch van, secured parking for bikes and lunch. Visit the world’s first Ice Hotel*. There is no cell service around the hot springs area. In 2004,
forest fires struck the area coming into the Hot Springs; the road was closed for 5 weeks while the fire
burned.
Relax: Arrange private small plane excursion up to
the Arctic Circle or Purdoe Bay, book as early as possible. Arrange to be driven up to the Arctic Circle and get your “official Arctic Circle Certificate”. Exploring Fairbanks and the University of Alaska, relaxing or working at the (wifi) hotel, hiking, hot
air balloon ride*, visiting the Dog Musher Center*
Day
10: Fairbanks to Denali 120 miles
Travel on the Old Nenana and Parks Highway crossing the Nenana River as we ride south toward Denali. Rolling terrain with unbelievable vistas. Staying in Denali you can enjoy the many tourist spots and restaurants.
Day
11: Denali Ride or Relax
Ride: On your own in Denali National Park.
The $10 fee* allows you to ride the road deep into the park. The road is paved for 15 miles – where most
cyclists turn around. There are enforced
restrictions on cycling in the park- such as stopping and getting off the road
when a shuttle bus approaches. This can
be bothersome. The park feels that
cycling is a dangerous activity because you will be riding among the wild
animals. You can continue past the
15-mile post on a dusty hard packed road.
There is no food to purchase in the park beyond the new Visitor’s
Center.
Relax: Tourist Activities Galore in Denali from
Flight-Seeing over Mt. McKinley to White
water rafting. Visit Denali National
Park by purchasing a shuttle bus ticket*. They transport you into the park where you can hike
around. More information will be
available in the November tourist packet.
Plan on our final group dinner in Denali!
Day
12: Denali to
Talkeetna 153 miles
We will start out early for our
longest day, which will be broken up by the breathtaking views of Mt. McKinley and many sag stops.
Our final 15 miles to Talkeetna is on a quiet relaxing bike path. Experience a night in the Historic 1917 Road House.
Day
13: Talkeetna to Anchorage
The final 110 mile day is a
combination of the best bike paths in Alaska. Alaska has more bike paths per paved roads that anywhere in
the US. In the
winter, cross-country skiers use the bike paths. Closer to Anchorage, civilization hits hard but there are still enjoyable
sections around the Palmer Hay Flats, Cook Inlet, and the Knik River. Arrive back
in Anchorage with time to pack your bike and take that late night
flight home.
Day
14: Anchorage
Airline Departures for the lower 48
most commonly leave late in the evening.
You should plan on checking out of the hotel by noon or make arrangements for a late check out.
$3000*
Single Supplement $900
*Plan on excursion expenses too! Final Payments due
May 15th
This tour is tentatively scheduled to repeat in late June of 2007 -
We will know more after July 31, 2006.
The waiting list as of Dec 31, 2005 has 12 persons so it would seem unlikely that additional persons would actually make the 2006 trip.
We sincerely apologize and perhaps in future years we will run 2 separate summer tours in Alaska.