Alaska, Denali NP Cruise from Anchorage to Kangerlussuaq — 24 Days

Anchorage AK, Alaska, Denali NP

Anchorage is Alaska’s largest city, set between Cook Inlet and the Chugach Mountains. Cruise ships generally dock at Seward or Whittier; Anchorage is the gateway inland. Explore the city’s Indigenous heritage, lively food scene and Alaska Native Heritage Center. The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail pairs inlet views with the Chugach Mountains, and moose sometimes appear along its route. Then board the train or take the highway farther into Alaska.

At Sea (At Sea)

Nome, Alaska

Nome sits on the Bering Sea, where Alaska feels vast, windswept and unmistakably remote. Gold brought prospectors here in 1898; traces of the rush remain in weathered dredges and historic buildings. At the Carrie M. McLain Memorial Museum, exhibits illuminate the region’s Indigenous cultures and mining past. Nome also marks the finish of the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race, celebrated each March. Beyond town, open tundra and gravel roads invite exploration, but distances and weather demand thoughtful planning.

At Sea (At Sea)

Herschel Island, Yukon Canada

Herschel Island lies in the Beaufort Sea, off Yukon’s Arctic coast, where tundra meets a wide, cold horizon. At Pauline Cove, historic buildings recall the late-19th-century whaling era, set against a much older Inuvialuit presence. Protected as Herschel Island–Qikiqtaruk Territorial Park, it offers stark landscapes, abundant birdlife and genuine remoteness. Reach the island by boat in summer, when weather and sea ice allow.

Northwest Passage, Canadian Arctic

The Northwest Passage is a network of channels through Canada’s Arctic Archipelago, not a single waterway. It crosses Inuit homelands, where small communities maintain enduring ties to land and sea. Voyages bring stark coastlines, immense skies and wildlife adapted to a demanding environment. The Franklin expedition vanished after entering the Arctic in 1845, adding a haunting chapter to the route’s history. Each voyage depends on season, ice and route; no two crossings unfold alike.

• At Sea (At Sea)
• Victoria Island Canada (Scenic Stop)

Devon Island Canada (Scenic Stop)

Baffin Island, Nunavut Canada

On Baffin Island, Canada’s largest island, the Arctic feels immediate: vast fjords, sculpted cliffs and tundra reach the horizon. Nunavut’s Inuit communities offer a living connection to the North, shaped by deep knowledge, language and tradition. Depending on your landing, look for seabirds, seals or whales, and allow time for weather to set the pace. Here, the reward is not a checklist. The reward is perspective: a place where light, ice and distance shape each day.

At Sea (At Sea)

Ilulissat, Greenland

Ilulissat stands beside Disko Bay, where icebergs drift from the Ilulissat Icefjord, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Sermeq Kujalleq, one of the world’s fastest-flowing glaciers, sends vast blocks of ice into the fjord. Walk the paths above the water, visit the local museum, or join a boat trip among the icebergs. From shore, their scale can be difficult to grasp. Ilulissat pairs a working Greenlandic town with one of the Arctic’s most striking landscapes.

Sisimiut, Greenland

Set just north of the Arctic Circle, Sisimiut is Greenland’s second-largest town and a working fishing port. Brightly painted homes rise above the harbor. Boats and fishing vessels keep the waterfront firmly connected to daily life. At Sisimiut Museum, historic buildings and collections reveal Inuit heritage and the town’s colonial past. From town, trails open onto Arctic landscapes of mountains, lakes and broad tundra.

Nuuk, Greenland

Nuuk is Greenland’s capital, where Arctic scale meets the pace of a working town. Set beside the vast Nuuk Fjord, it pairs brightly painted houses with modern architecture and a lively harbor. Visit the Greenland National Museum to see the 500-year-old Qilakitsoq mummies and objects tracing Inuit life. Then look toward Sermitsiaq, the landmark mountain rising beyond the water. Nuuk rewards travelers seeking Greenlandic culture alongside its dramatic landscapes.

Kangerlussuaq, Greenland

Kangerlussuaq is Greenland’s unlikely gateway: a small settlement set 190 kilometres inland at the head of a long fjord. Once a U.S. air base, it offers access to the ice sheet and guided excursions onto its immense white surface. Beyond town, tundra supports musk oxen and reindeer; nearby Russell Glacier reveals Greenland’s moving ice. Weather and distance shape every outing, so plan for conditions.