These Cruises To Alaska Include Stay Near Mckinley
FROM FOR THE RECORD (Tuesday, January 27, 1998): Correction Phone number wrong: The phone number for Alaska Sightseeing Cruise West small ship tours to Alaska is (800) 888-9378. The phone number in Sunday’s Outdoor & Travel secton was incorrect.
Among the destinations for cruisers on Princess Line ships is the 160-room Mount McKinley Lodge in Alaska. The resort, in its second year of operation, is open May 13-Sept. 23 and guests can hike, fish, kayak and take sightseeing flights in nearby Denali State Park.
The lodge is 41 miles from the mountain and sits on 146 acres owned by Princess Cruises. Ten cruise-tour itineraries this summer include two-night stays.
For details, call (800) 774-6237.
Alaska on a smaller scale: Those wanting to cruise aboard smaller ships can book passage on an Alaska Sightseeing Cruise West tour that runs from Seattle to Alaska in April and May and again in September. The 10-night itineraries allow extra time to explore British Columbia and Southeast Alaska. One-way passage is also available.
For details, call (800) 888-9278.
Catch ‘em before they head north
March is one of the best times to see the overwintering flocks of snow geese in the Skagit Valley in northwest Washington.
Geese and swans winter in the area before flying north to arctic breeding grounds in late March.
Many birders use the town of LaConner as home base for bird-watching expeditions, although the area is only 60 miles north of Seattle. For details on the area, call the LaConner Chamber of Commerce, (360) 466-4778, or look on the Web at laconner-chamber.com
Making plans for summer
Destinations for mountain bike tours sponsored by Nichols Expeditions include the north rim of the Grand Canyon and the White Rim Trail in Canyonlands National Park in Utah.
The Utah-based tour company also leads rafting and hiking trips on the Noatak River in Alaska’s Brooks Range and sea kayaking trips in the Kenai Fjords National Park in Alaska.
For details about these trips and others, contact Nichols Expeditions, (800) 648-8488 or e-mail info@NicholsExpeditions.com.
Let someone else do the driving
A brochure listing the new Gray Line of Seattle tours is available for free. The tours include a Mount St. Helens-Mount Rainier trip, a three-day tour of the Olympic Peninsula and a Grapes and Hops Tour - a half-day trip to Woodinville, north of Seattle.
Complete information and a brochure are available by calling (800) 544-0739, ext. 6700.
Sip at Sun Mountain
Sun Mountain Lodge near Winthrop, Wash., will stage its annual spring wine event March 8-9. The wines will be from the Buena Vista Winery in Sonoma, Calif., which will be paired with a Northwest-themed dinner.
Cost is $60 and lodging at the resort is available. For information, call Sun Mountain Lodge, (800) 572-0493.
Heading toward Toppenish?
A free brochure listing upcoming events in southcentral Washington’s Toppenish area is available by calling the Toppenish Chamber of Commerce, (800) 569-3982.
Among the activities is a Cowboy Poetry Gathering on Feb. 14, the Yakama Nation Treaty Days Celebration, Pow Wow and Rodeo June 5-7, and the 26th-annual National Indian Days Pow Wow Sept. 17-20. The brochure can be requested via e-mail at cowboyup@wolfenet.com.
, DataTimes