Your guide, Tim, meets you at your hotel in a comfortable Mercedes Sprinter van, and we head south out of the city toward Turnagain Arm.

The Seward Highway is a designated National Scenic Byway and one of America's most beautiful drives — a ribbon of road pinched between the Chugach Mountains and the waters of Turnagain Arm. Along the way, watch for Dall sheep on the cliffs, bald eagles overhead, and beluga whales in the Arm, with your guide sharing local history and stories the whole way. We make flexible stops when wildlife appears.

A rocky outcrop over Turnagain Arm and one of Alaska's classic viewpoints. We stop to glass the water for beluga whales, scan the cliffs for Dall sheep, and take in the Chugach Mountains rising straight from the sea.

A sanctuary for rescued and orphaned Alaskan wildlife on a spectacular stretch of Portage Valley flats. See brown and black bears, moose, bison, caribou, muskox, and more up close in spacious natural enclosures — the reliable way to photograph all of Alaska's big animals in one afternoon.

A glacier-carved valley at the end of Turnagain Arm. Take in views of Explorer and Byron Glaciers and stretch your legs on a short walk through mossy northern rainforest — a completely different Alaska from the coastline you just drove.

Lunch like a local in the ski town of Girdwood. This neighborhood brewery hosts rotating Alaska food trucks, mountain views, and a laid-back local crowd. Grab lunch, try a local beer if you like, and relax before the valley's glaciers.

We retrace one of America's most scenic drives back north. Drop-off at your hotel or wherever in the city you'd rather end your day.