Alaska Cruise Land Tours

Alaska cruise land tours let you experience more of the True North State — a place that looks like nothing else you’ve seen. This vast wonderland of ice, mountains, amazing wildlife, and wide-open vistas is just waiting to be explored on cruises. But, it would be a shame to spend your entire vacation on the ship. Whether you take a shore excursion that lasts a few hours or an entire week, you’ll have the chance to experience the real Alaska.

Helicopter Sightseeing Tours

Transportation in Alaska is a little different than in the Lower 48 States — instead of hopping on the highway, it’s often easier to travel by air or train. The locals like to call travel by small plane or helicopter “flightseeing,” and it’s a fantastic way to get from your cruises to the mainland. Many of Alaska’s helicopter tour companies have been in business for decades with thousands of safe, fun excursions under their belts. It’s not difficult to find a helicopter tour, especially by the cruise ship terminals. From Seward, helicopter tours leave the docks and fly over the Kenai Peninsula to Denai National Park, one of Alaska’s true treasures. When the weather is clear, you’ll have the chance to see majestic Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain peak in the U.S.

Glacier Tours

Helicopters are nimble and can navigate to places that other places can’t go, including the tops of glaciers. Some of these Alaska cruise land tours include a sled-dog ride once you’ve arrived at the top of the glacier. After the thrilling ride and time to see the pups, the helicopter can take you back to base where you can head back to the ship or try some other cool things to do. Other glacier tours are more earth-bound. A hike along a glacier is a wonderful way to experience the landscape. On many of the trips, naturalists will lead the way and explain the wonders you’ll see along the way. More adventurous types can try ice climbing or shoe-shoeing on the glacier.

Denali Overnight Tours

With so much to see at Denali National Park, it can be tempting to spend more than an afternoon on this shore excursion. Several of the Alaska cruise itineraries will bring you right to south Alaska and give you a night or more to stay on shore. Plenty of Alaska hotels are available in Seward or Juneau year-round and in park-lodging is in season, generally May through September. When you choose one of the vacation packages for your Alaska cruise land tours, you can enjoy the park amenities at your leisure, including interpretive tours and spa treatments.

Sitka, Skagway & Ketchikan Tours

While many of the shore excursions begin in Skagway, it’s hardly the only place in Alaska that’s worth seeing on an excursion. Sitka, in southeast Alaska, receives most of its traffic from cruise ships; the friendly seaside town is a mix of Native, Russian, and modern Alaskan culture known for its shopping and whale watching excursions. Alaska’s Gold Rush heritage is waiting to be discovered in Skagway, the starting point for the White Pass & Yukon Railroad that heads up to the Yukon. The third city, Ketchikan is another fun place to explore on a land tour. It’s known for its totem poles and the Saxman Native Village.

Alaska is the one American state that still contains places no human has ever walked. Its scale defeats description — Denali alone is taller than any mountain in the Alps, and it is merely the centerpiece of a range that dwarfs it.