McCandless Bus 142 Landing And Exploration

Your truly once in a lifetime adventure awaits as you walk in the steps of the man who inspired a generation of people to explore. Christopher McCandless was determined to make the impassable passable and what others said could not be possible his accomplishment.

McCandless Bus 142 Landing and Exploration

The only Fairbanks Bus 142 adventure offered in Denali National Park calls to those who seek the ultimate adventure, and you know who you are! Fly into the Wild and pay homage to the man who inspired a generation to explore. As Chris McCandless once said, "The very basic core of man's living spirit is the passion for adventure. The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun".

Your adventure will begin at a private helipad where you will take off and soar over the Nenana River and into the Wild. Fly over the incredible and panoramic Denali nature under the guidance of your professional pilots and trained Alaskan experts. Make a landing just off the Stampede Trail, a mining road blazed in the 1930s only to be abandoned in 1963 after deeming the terrain impassable due to permafrost and seasonal floods. Left behind on this renounced trail, though, is Fairbanks Bus 142: a makeshift shelter retrofitted with bunks, and a wood stove for those construction workers hired to clear the path. This is the shelter that later would become a home.

Pay homage to the man who inspired a generation of others to get out and explore. His ideology was to set aside worldly possessions and live as one with nature. Christopher McCandless is a hero to many as he epitomizes the spirit of adventure and the spirit of living a free life by means of personal conviction and passion. Experience first-hand the spirit of McCandless' endless pursuit of joy through this immersion into nature where all things live on and pay tribute to the legend himself.

While the trail may have been deemed impassable, McCandless found a way. And, in the spirit of McCandless, your amazing journey will offer a landing at Bus 142 accessible only to helicopters. Explore the place where a wandering soul found its home, walk in his footsteps and read the quotes scribbled in marker on the interior walls. Replicate the infamous final photograph and witness how Christopher McCandless lived while being inspired yourself to live a life of adventure. Become one with nature and come away from this immersion into the peace and tranquility of this part of Alaska with a life of seeking each day with the optimism of looking upon each new rising sun as a rebirth.

Please Note: This tour includes 40 to 45 minutes of helicopter time and approximately 30 minutes exploring the "Magic Bus" and surroundings. Infants under 2 years old are free when sitting on an adult's lap, but must be accounted for at the time of booking. All guests, regardless of age, must provide their weight at the time of booking. Persons weighing more than 250 pounds fully clothed must pay an additional fee. An infant's weight must be considered when calculating the weight of the adult holding the baby and the fee must be paid at the time of booking if you think the combined weight will exceed 250 pounds on the day of the tour. Limited mobility guests can be placed on helicopter.

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About Shore Excursions Group

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ABOUT US
Shore Excursions Group was created with one goal in mind: to provide exceptional travel experiences to cruise passengers in the ports they visit around the world. To accomplish this, we have compiled an exceptional array of tours delivered by local experts with decades of experience serving travelers and delivering excellent tours. Our owners and management team are comprised of seasoned travel industry executives who leverage their considerable experience to deliver memories of a lifetime.

We are experts in providing exceptional shore excursions. We understand that in today's fast paced world, vacations have become an increasingly important way to relax, reconnect with family and friends, and experience new and interesting places. With this in mind, we provide the highest quality tours by performing extensive research, and detailed reviews. While other companies also offer excursions, we strongly believe our expertise and approach set us apart. The large cruise lines sell shore excursions - typically in very large groups visiting high traffic sites. We focus on smaller groups visiting more interesting and authentic locations using more personalized local operators. While the cruise lines are experts in delivering cruises, we are experts in delivering shore excursions.

Our Approach
We believe quality service is not only highly valued by customers, but ultimately leads to better experiences and higher satisfaction. Unlike the cruise lines and other tour companies that rely almost entirely on websites, we encourage customers to call us. We want to invest our time answering your questions, providing input, and selecting the excursions that best meet your needs.

Our Tours
Our goal is to provide customers a wide array of exciting, appealing, and enriching tours. For those customers who prefer to travel in smaller groups with more personalized service, we offer a wide variety of small group tours around the world. These tours generally range in size from 2-12 people compared to larger tours which can number up to 50 people. While exploring the destinations and ports on this website, feel free to search for these "Small Group Tours". For those customers interested in private tours, we offer many outstanding excursions that allow you to travel with your party alone and, in many cases, to fully customize your tour. Search for "Private Tours" if you are interested in this experience. Our "Scenic" tours provide up close and personal access to some of the most spectacular natural environments on Earth from majestic glaciers in Alaska to spectacular reefs in the Caribbean. Our "Cultural" tours allow customers to experience local customs, entertainment and culinary delights ranging from tribal dances in Alaska to an outstanding local meal in Santorini, Greece. Our "Active" tours offer a multitude of exciting and adventurous ways to experience our destinations. Our customers can kayak the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, hike to a spectacular waterfall in Hawaii, or bicycle through quaint villages in France. Our "City" tours allow travelers to see the highlights of great cities around the world with unique insights provided by our expert tour guides.

Our People
In our experience, exceptional travel experiences are almost always delivered by exceptional people. With that in mind, we utilize a comprehensive approach to select and employ the leading tour guides and tour providers around the globe. We hold our people to very high standards which we measure by our comprehensive Quality Control process and, most importantly, by our customer feedback, which we will actively seek from each of our customers.

Our Owners
Shore Excursions Group is owned by seasoned travel executives possessing extensive experience across many sectors within the travel industry.

Bradford J. Miller
Mr. Miller is the former Executive Vice President and Chief Development Officer for Abercrombie & Kent, the World's leading luxury travel company. In that role, Mr. Miller was responsible for contributing to Abercrombie & Kent's international growth through the development and acquisition of tour products and travel experiences around the world with a specific focus on cruising and land based experiences. Prior to joining Abercrombie & Kent, Mr. Miller held a variety of executive positions with Royal Caribbean International and Celebrity Cruises for more than a decade. These positions included Vice President of Guest Sales & Service, Vice President of Brand Development, and Vice President of Onboard Revenue (which included shore excursions). Mr. Miller also led Celebrity Expeditions, a collection of outstanding and unique tours around the World.

Michael Bonner
Mr. Bonner has over a decade of experience working in the cruise industry in a variety of roles for both Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. and Viking River Cruises. Most recently, Mr. Bonner was the Chief Operating Officer for The Scholar Ship, a Royal Caribbean program aimed at providing college students onboard educational programs in conjunction with enriching shore excursions around the world. Mr. Bonner also helped co-manage Viking River Cruises U.S. Operations, and he ran the corporate, strategic, and deployment planning functions at Royal Caribbean. While at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was responsible for forming Royal Celebrity Tours, Royal Caribbean's land-based tour operation in Alaska, which takes cruise passengers on multiple day tours through the interior of Alaska either before or after their cruises. Prior to working at Royal Caribbean, Mr. Bonner was a consultant for Booz Allen & Hamilton.

from $609.00 (USD)

Per Person

Tour Type

Group

Group Size

Small

Activity Type(s)

Cultural, Scenic

Tour Duration

2.5 Hours

Activity Level

Easy

Tour Leaves From

Custom pick-up from Denali hotels is provided for this tour. Please enter your desired pick-up location above.

Food/Beverage Provided

Not included.

Special Instructions

For all tours in Alaska, we recommend wearing layers that can easily be removed, with the top layer being waterproof. Sturdy, closed-toe comfortable walking shoes or boots are suggested. Sunglasses and a hat are also recommended.

Restrictions

Infants under 2 years old are free when sitting on an adult's lap, but must be accounted for at the time of booking. All guests, regardless of age, must provide their weight at the time of booking. Persons weighing more than 250 pounds fully clothed must pay an additional fee. An infant's weight must be considered when calculating the weight of the adult holding the baby and the fee must be paid at the time of booking if you think the combined weight will exceed 250 pounds on the day of the tour. Limited mobility guests can be placed on helicopter. To ensure all guests safety and comfort, no bags, backpacks, purses, iPads, tablets, drones, selfie sticks, or similar devices are allowed on board the helicopter or in the cockpit. Safe storage space for these items is provided. No animals of any kind are allowed to board the helicopter.

Terms & Disclaimers

ID:

7620577

Location

Denali National Park