Alaska Bicycle Tour 2018 | VacationBicycling.com

2018

Alaska: 7 days (July 21-27, 2018) $1699 add to standby list; currently sold out

Join us on a bicycle tour to the last great American outpost and the 49th state - Alaska!
The vast majority of the bike routes are on dedicated paved bike paths with wide-open views of Alaskan scenery
Ride overlooking the Turnagain Sound with mountains and glaciers in the distance throughout the ride
We experience the ride from Johnson Pass and then ride to find Hope, our next stop
Take an optional one-hour ferry ride to see a glacier up-close from the water
We journey to Mirror Lake one of the most picturesque lakes in the U.S. via the Glenn Highway Bike Paths
We ride on the Tony Knowles bike path, the most popular bike path in Alaska that overlooks the water onto Fire Island and in the distant Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley)
We stay at the same hotel for the entire trip, so we only need to unpack one time
Enjoy a free day to visit Denali; or go hiking; or visit the wildlife sanctuary to see moose, bison, bears and other wild animals up-close but with the safety of a fence, or ride the nation's longest zip-line, or take a half-day ferry ride to see multiple glaciers up-close; or ride your bike to the Alaska Native Heritage Center; or to the Eagle River Nature Center and go for a hike in one of the most popular hiking areas along the Eagle river.
We experience the long days with light 24-hours per day (not to worry our hotel has light-blocking shades)

Day 1, Saturday - July 21, 2018

Check into the hotel throughout the day. Become assimilated to the fresh air that is Alaska. Enjoy the views of the area just before landing at the airport, after getting off the plane and while taking the airport shuttle. Take the free airport shuttle directly to the starting hotel, Home2 Suites by Hilton – Anchorage/Midtown. Get settled and then meet at 4:30pm for the welcome meeting and dinner.

Dinner:

Orso
Anchorage, Alaska

Soup or Salad:

Panzanella - Baby spinach, sweet baby tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, English cucumber, toasted rosemary bread, blue cheese crumbles, champagne dijon dressing
Soup - Always fresh and delicious

Entrée choices:

Chicken Parmesan Orso Style - Parmesan crusted chicken breast, housemade tomato sauce, fresh mozzarella, vegetable herb capellini
Crab Stuffed Rockfish - Spinach, parmesan, artichoke, onion stufﬁng, vegetable couscous pearls, grilled broccolini
Flash Seared Crab Cakes - Dungeness and red crab cakes, white bean corn succotash, pesto aioli, bacon, truffle oil fennel salad
Orso Burger - Hand formed ground beef, creamy cambozola, kosher dill pickles, crisp bacon, stone ground mustard aioli, sliced tomato, toasted brioche bun, crispy fries
Lemon Chicken Panzanella Salad - Baby spinach, sweet baby tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, basil, English cucumber, toasted rosemary bread, blue cheese crumbles, champagne dijon dressing, balsamic glaze

Lodging:

Home2 Suites by Hilton

Anchorage, Alaska

Certificate of Excellence from TripAdvisor
Internet
Adjacent to one of the many interconnected bicycle paths in Anchorage
Brand new, opened in winter of 2016
37 restaurants within one block and 90 restaurants within one mile from the hotel
Recycling containers in each room
Sustainability: Sustainable elements have been incorporated throughout the hotel
All suites hotel, fire pit, swimming pool, hot tub, fitness room, kitchenette, coin laundry and fitness room. Rooms are complete with dishwasher, microwave, refrigerator, coffee maker, crockery and cutlery. Gas grills located outside.

Day 2, Sunday - July 22, 2018

We mount our bikes early (Alaskan time is -4 hours from eastern time zone) on the hotel adjacent bike path to begin our journey and to enjoy the scenery of the ride. We will have plenty of time to take pictures before any tourists start challenging our views. Enjoy what one publication stated as "arguably one of the most beautiful stretches" of scenery in the United States. We leave Anchorage on bike paths before joining the Seward Highway and riding along the side of the mountain and overlooking the water...the best part is this part of the route is completely flat. We then merge onto the bike path as we continue to the small town of Girdwood with its small provisions (grocery) store and locally owned small restaurants. For everyone who feels they need a little bit more riding, an optional (slight uphill) extension will end at the Alyeska resort with a tram [$39 in 2017] that can take you to the top of the mountain. After eating lunch at your favorite place then we will van back to the starting hotel before heading to dinner.

Breakfast provided by hotel each morning:

400+ Breakfast combination
Mix and match your morning breakfast with over 400 daily combinations. Choose from a variety of continental-style favorites like:
Artisan-style breakfast sandwiches and bowls (rotates daily)
Cereals
Yogurt with choice of 9 toppings like fruit, granola & nuts
Oatmeal with choice of 9 toppings like fruit, granola & nuts
Hard-boiled eggs
Grits
Bread varieties with assorted spreads
Bakery products
Freshly baked multi-grain buckwheat waffles with 100% HFCS free syrup
Juices and vitamin-enhanced flavored water
24/7 Coffee and Tea station (coffee, tea, hot chocolate and cider)
Power outlets available at the Inspired Table™ to help electronics keep charged during breakfast
Breakfast china and glass glasses to keep plastics out of the landfills

Bicycling Route: 0 miles, staying at the hotel; 38 miles, riding from the hotel to the small town of Girdwood; 42 miles riding an additional 4 miles round-trip (slight uphill one-way, slight downhill back) to the Alyeska tram. We then van back to the hotel. The ride overlooks the Turnagain Arm waterway with mountains and glaciers in the background. [The route is basically flat with paved dedicated bike paths for about half the ride]

Lodging:

Home2 Suites by Hilton

Anchorage, Alaska

Dinner:

Bridge Seafood Restaurant
Anchorage, Alaska

-Spanning the waters of Ship Creek, Anchorage’s urban salmon stream, watch anglers catch fish while you dine-

Salad :

Starter Food Bar: Alaskan smoked salmon & rotini pasta salad, Matanuska potato salad, summer green salad, pineapple cole slaw, roasted beet salad, and watermelon salad with fresh mint.

Entrée choices:

Grilled Lemon Rosemary Chicken Breast - Fresh garlic & olive oil
Salmon Steak - Classic in the round, steak cut, simply grilled
Rockfish Olympia - Oven baked with sauteed onions, parmesan topping
Flat Iron Steak - Char broiled, bleu cheese butters

Day 3, Monday - July 23, 2018

We take vans to the start of Johnson Pass then unload bikes for the ride on the dedicated bike path of Seward Highway. (U.S. Secretary of State William Seward was ridiculed at the time by Congress for the purchase of Alaska with the term "Seward's Folly," as we may remember from History class, for paying $7 million or about 2 cents per acre for what would become the state of Alaska.) We then proceed from the bike path down the tree-lined old and little used Hope highway. As we slowly descend and find Hope [we were going to insert a joke here, but since comedy can sometimes not be as funny as written, please insert your own "finding Hope" joke here] we will be able to look out over the waters of Turnagain to see the beautiful route we rode the prior day. If you would like to get a bite to eat, we will be stopping at the Creekbend Café (formerly Tito’s Discovery Café) with its homemade pastries, pies, panini's and sandwiches. Of course if you miss the cafe, it is not a problem, because the Hope Highway dead-ends into a forest in another mile. After assembling at the Creekbend Café we will load up the bikes and then proceed by van to the optional one-hour Portage Glacier Ferry [$39] to view the Portage Glacier up-close or visit the Begich Boggs Visitor Center or Portage Glacier Cafe. After viewing the glacier, we will van back to the hotel.

Breakfast provided by hotel each morning

Bicycling Route: 0 miles, staying at the hotel; taking the van to Johnson Pass and then ride 25 miles, riding along the dedicated paved bike path set apart from the Seward Highway and then continuing down the Hope Highway with very limited vehicle traffic (we only saw 6 vehicles - all going the other way - during the ride for the planning of the 17 mile-Hope Highway stretch of the route); then we will van to take an optional ferry ride to see the Portage Glacier [$39 price in 2017], the ferry takes about an hour. We then van back to Anchorage. [The route is basically flat during the 8-mile bicycle path section and then proceeds to a gradual descent throughout the final 17-mile Hope Highway section ending at Hope, Alaska and the Creekbend Cafe.]

Lodging:

Home2 Suites by Hilton

Anchorage, Alaska

Dinner:
On your own. (30 restaurants within one block and 90 restaurants within one mile)

Day 4, Tuesday - July 24, 2018

Today we van to Mirror Lake. We stop at Mirror Lake to get out our cameras, smartphones or iPhones to take pictures at one of the most picturesque spots in Alaska. We will then leave the lake area heading south and quickly find our way to the famous Glenn Highway Bike Path. We will then take this relatively flat with some hills route all the way into Anchorage. We will use a series of bike paths in Anchorage to weave our way back to the hotel, riding along creeks and the various adjoining city parks until the path finally runs adjacent to our hotel. Of course, some people will ride their bikes round-trip to Mirror Lake.

Breakfast provided by hotel each morning

Bicycling Route: 0 miles, staying at the hotel; 31 miles riding from the hotel to Mirror Lake and taking the van back to hotel; 62 miles riding round-trip to Mirror Lake [The route is almost completely on dedicated bike paths with only a little road riding to transition back to bike paths. The route is basically flat with only 928 feet of climbing spread over 31 miles on the way to Mirror Lake]

Lodging:

Home2 Suites by Hilton

Anchorage, Alaska

Dinner:

On your own. (30 restaurants within one block and 90 restaurants within one mile)

Day 5, Wednesday - July 25, 2018

Experience a Free Day. Visit the Alaska Zoo, a short bike ride from the hotel; or journey to Whittier and take Phillip's 26 Glacier Cruise ($159) to see up-close multiple glaciers, taking the Vacation Bicycling van or a car, bus or train to Whittier; visit Denali by car; walk on the Matanuska Glacier arriving by car; take a journey to the Alaska Wildlife Sanctuary taking a car to the sanctuary; enjoy a hike to and then proceed onto the longest zip-line in the U.S., which is adjacent to Matanuska Glacier arriving by car; visit the Alaska Native Heritage Center taking the journey by bicycle or car; journey to the Eagle River Nature Center and hiking area, arriving by bike or car; or take a one-day fishing trip; or a float-plane sight-seeing trip. (Take the free hotel shuttle to the airport to rent a car)

Breakfast provided by hotel each morning

Bicycling Route: Though a "free day" we have independent route cue-sheets to ride to the Alaska Native Heritage Center (flat route, 26 miles roundtrip) or to the Eagle River Nature Center and hiking area(hilly route, 65 miles roundtrip).

Lodging:

Home2 Suites by Hilton

Anchorage, Alaska

Dinner:
On your own. (30 restaurants within one block and 90 restaurants within one mile)

Day 6, Thursday - July 26, 2018

After eating breakfast we take bike paths and ride on the Tony Knowles paved trail, the most popular and well-known bike path in Alaska. The route is famous for its wide open views of Fire Island and on a clear day the views of Denali in the distance. We will take a leisurely ride through Kincaid Park; though in the city of Anchorage, it still has an abundance of wildlife. We will then proceed toward the water and take in sweeping vistas as we use the paved bike paths and photo pull-outs to take pictures or just to enjoy the beauty of the moment. We will end the ride downtown at the Anchorage Downtown Bicycle Rental shop, where most people will drop-off their bikes and then take the van back to the hotel.

Breakfast provided by hotel each morning

Bicycling Route: 0 miles, staying at the hotel; 25 miles, riding on the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail Bike path overlooking Cook Inlet, Fire Island with Denali in the background that can be seen on a clear day; the route ends at the downtown bike rental store, where most of us will rent bikes for the trip; we will then take the van back to the starting hotel; or 30 miles riding round-trip back to the hotel. [The rides are basically flat, all on bike paths and have beautiful views for the majority of the ride.]

Lodging:

Home2 Suites by Hilton

Anchorage, Alaska

Dinner:

SeaGalley
Anchorage, Alaska

Soup or Salad:

All-you-can-eat Salad Bar

Entrée choices:

Alaskan Snow Crab - 1 lb. served with drawn butter
Top Sirloin - A tender flame broiled 10oz steak
Coconut Shrimp - Coconut crusted tempura shrimp, sweet housemade colada sauce
Alaskan Salmon Fillet - Pan fried or baked, served with lemon and cocktail sauce over herbed white rice
Awesome Burger - 1/3 lb. patty on a fresh bun topped with jalapeno cheese, onion strings, BBQ sauce and bacon
Chipotle Chicken Burger - Cajun seasoned, topped with bacon, swiss, lettuce, tomato, onion and chipotle ranch
all choices served with choice of one of the following in addition to the all-you-can-eat salad bar: loaded baked potato, tater tots, french fries, twice baked potato, asparagus, rice, soup-of-the-day, clam chowder or caesar salad.

Day 7, Friday - July 27, 2018

Say goodbye to Alaska and start your journey home.

Breakfast provided by hotel each morning

Please note all trip information is based on previous trips and/or contracted lodging and restaurants and is subject to change based on availability or specific trip needs.

Riding difficulty:

Riders who are comfortable riding at least 10 miles per hour should have an enjoyable trip. The majority of the routes are on bike paths. Please see the daily routes descriptions for additional information. Though we see mountains in the distance including the highest peak in the United States, we designed the routes to have very little climbing since we are normally following the water. Of course, if a rider is tired or does not feel like riding, the SAG vehicle will transport the rider to the hotel. All routes are on paved bike paths and bicycle recommended roads. All riders may ride at their own pace, slow or fast.

Arriving by automobile:

Drive to the Home2 Suites by Hilton, 4700 Union Square Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99503, leaving your car at the hotel for the duration of the trip.

Arriving by Plane:

Fly directly into Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport (ANC) and then take the free Home2 Suites airport shuttle adjacent to baggage claim to arrive at the starting hotel.

Deposit:

$200 to reserve your spot and the remainder due 45 days before the trip start.

What's included:

Hotel lodging
Ride packets including maps & cue sheets (directions)
Fully sagged including ride leaders, luggage transport, van transportation and rider assistance.
Breakfast each morning
Dinner with the group three nights (see above)
Great scenery, fun and enjoyment!

Bicycles:

Most riders rent bikes for the Anchorage bicycle tour.
To rent a bicycle, please contact Anchorage Downtown Bicycle Rental http://www.alaska-bike-rentals.com/RentalBikes.aspx or 907-279-5293. They have plenty of bikes and styles, everything from road bikes (carbon, aluminum & steel), to hybrids to tandems

Weather on July 21-27 in the Anchorage area is normally perfect for biking:

Average High 68°F (July is the warmest month of the year for Anchorage).
Actual high temperatures for prior year to the trip date on July 21-27: 71°F, 72°F, 77°F, 64°F, 62°F, 63°F & 67°F