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Quality experiences – large and small – set John Hall’s Alaska apart. In operation since 1982, nobody covers more of Alaska or provides a more enriched small-group experience. As a small family-owned and operated tour company with a passion for Alaska, personal attention, exclusive remote access, immersive cultural encounters, and included meals and activities are hallmarks of the John Hall’s Alaska experience.
These guided tours travel to all five regions of Alaska – the Artic, Inside Passage, Interior, Southcentral, and Southwest – and with group sizes ranging from only 24 to 40 guests, John Hall’s Alaska provides a more intimate “real” Alaska experience. Wildlife encounters, native cultural experiences, behind-the-scenes access, outdoor activities, and the finest lodging in Alaska are highlights of every departure. Combined tour offerings feature six of Alaska’s eight national parks and optional trips to the other two can be added before or after any scheduled tour.
Depending on the itinerary, guests explore via a wide range of transportation modes such as luxury motorcoach, small aircraft, GoldStar first-class rail service, and small private charter vessels. To ensure the highest level of comfort, John Hall’s Alaska operates and maintains a custom-built fleet of spacious MCI motorcoaches that represent the best on the roads of Alaska. Discover more about these award-winning tours.
Reviews 522
Griffin
Aug 20,2021We had a wonderful trip. Everyone was very helpful. We explored Alaska and for the amount of time we had there we covered a lot of Alaskan territory. There were some things we didn't get to do because of Covid. They kept us safe. The hotels were nice. We never went hungry that's for sure.
Kathy
Aug 19,2021It was a GREAT trip. The trip inclusions, the stops, food, people were absolutely terrific!! Wehad a great crew with a lot of laughter. Our tour guide Gwen was absolutely fantastic. She had lots of information and insight into life in Alaska. She was just an outstanding person. We saw so much and were very lucky to see Denali clearly on several days. Food was fantastic. The only problem was I ate too much!
Pugh
Aug 19,2021Anyone wanting to see Alaska at its best should definitely travel with John Hall's Alaska. The staff couldn't have been more helpful in planning our trip and we never felt like we were a bother when we phoned the office with numerous questions. They did everything for us, including booking excursions, booking flights and travel insurance and were always very friendly and kept us advised with updates. The accommodations, modes of transportation, food, itinerary, and our land and sea tour managers were the best! We saw a LOT of wildlife and marine life, some of which were surprising to our captain and crew while on the catamaran. Would highly recommend both the land AND catamaran tours. We were originally booked for land and ship but due to COVID the ship was canceled in 2020 and 2021 and when given the option for the catamaran tour we immediately elected to book it. You must see Alaska to fully appreciate its beauty -- books and videos aren't the same. If we get the opportunity to go to Alaska again - which we would like to do - we will definitely use John Hall's Alaska Tours. Have nothing negative to say about John Hall's Alaska staff or the itinerary......they're the best!
Doyle
Aug 19,2021Unbelievable in every way possible…. From the first day to the last…. everything was taken care of with great care!!!!
Robert
Aug 17,2021Excellent interesting trip with all the great sights and accomodations. Two full weeks slightly a little much, but that's just my opinion. Hope to be able to do this trip again someday.
Lee Ann
Aug 17,2021This was our fourth time to travel with John Hall's Alaska. We have previously done the Grand Slam, the Iditarod (twice) and now the wonderful National Parks tour. We loved seeing so much of Alaska - all the way from the Arctic Ocean at Barrow in the north down to Seward in the south. It was a blast to see the bears fishing for salmon at Katmai National Park and due to fog, our return flight was delayed. John Hall's Alaska pulled strings and got the commercial RAVN Air flight to wait 45 minutes for us - woo hoo! The flight over the Wrangell Mountains to McCarthy and Kennicott was breathtaking. The Kennicott Glacier Lodge, the Kennicott copper mill and the tiny town of McCarthy were very interesting and it was amazing to contemplate the hardships the miners went through in the early 1900's. It's always a treat to visit Trailbreaker Kennels and get a behind the scenes look at what it takes to run the Iditarod sled dog race. It was so fun to hold the puppies and visit with musher Riley Dyche and Dave Monson's daughter Tekla. Another day we had a nice lunch at Bettles above the Arctic Circle, then stood in the Arctic Ocean for about 30 seconds while in Utqiagvik (Barrow). Brrrr! We very much enjoyed the train ride from Fairbanks to Denali and with JHA, you always get Gold Star service which this time included breakfast in the lovely dining area. We love Denali National Park so very, very much and we were so happy to see it again and stay at Denali Backcountry Lodge. We saw so much more wildlife traveling in and out of the park this time. It's a beautiful ride down Turnagain Arm to the Kenai Peninsula and the town of Seward. Kenai Fjords National Park is full of stunning beauty and we were very privileged to take the full 8.5 hour boat tour. We saw so much gorgeous scenery and wildlife like mountain goats, whales, otters, puffins, seals, sea lions and lots of sea birds. We even had the bonus of a late night tsunami alert when there was an earthquake way off the Aleutian archipelago. Thankfully we were never in danger, but we had the added excitement of evacuating to the parking lot of the Seward high school which was on higher ground. This tsunami alert is usually not included on JHA tours, ha ha. This tour had a lot of early mornings and late nights (restaurants were dealing with staff shortages due to Covid) and it was tiring, but it was so worth it. We would never visit Alaska with another tour company. JHA gives you so much more for your money and takes fantastic care of their guests. It's nice that the John Hall family is directly involved in running their company, they make sure everything runs smoothly even when there are unforeseen occurrences and their tour guides and office staff are fantastic. They use great hotels (now all Alaskan owned) and restaurants where many times we got to order off the menu. Even when we had a set menu, there were two or three choices, instead of just one entree for everyone. We're going back to Alaska again with JHA next March 2022 for our third Iditarod tour since it's the 50th anniversary of the Iditarod Sled Dog Race. We love Alaska and JHA!
E Steinhouse
Aug 14,2021If you want to SEE and FEEL Alaska, John Hall’s is the best! We spent 2 weeks on-land and on-water and LOVED the scenery, the culture, and the overall experience. Alaska is HUGE, but John Hall does a great job of showing the diversity, history and beauty of the state!!
S Adams
Aug 13,2021The two legs of the trip, land and sea, were breathtaking and heart warming simultaneously. Particularly exciting was spending a day on Prince William Sound watching the humpback whales. Gwen and Matt were exceptional guides, always upbeat and knowledgeable, and treated us like family. Great trip! Anxiously anticipating our next trip to Alaska next month. “Thanks for all the memories”. Sharon and Kurt Adams
Masuicca
Aug 13,2021We truly enjoyed our trip. Having perfect weather certainly helped.
Terry
Aug 13,2021The itinerary for the National Parks of Alaska tour was exceptional. The selection of sites was excellent! Our guide, Jeremy, was equally exceptional. He was so knowledgeable of each route, town and park that we saw throughout our tour. His love for Alaska was apparent, as was his eagerness to share it with the group. Management of the transportation was excellent; Jeremy, Elizabeth and local guides seamlessly handled transfers between and among boats, planes, coaches and trains. Luggage was delivered in a very timely manner at each location as well. The cruise crew naturalists, and our guide, Matt, were exceptional. Cruise excursions were fantastic; options to kayak, plunge and/or zodiac were truly highlights of the cruise adventure for me. Scenery and wildlife viewing were stunning! The National Parks of Alaska tour and the Admiralty Dream cruise were truly the most beautiful and memorable adventures of all my travels.
V Smith
Aug 13,2021The experience was wonderful. John Hall's Alaska and Admiralty Dream cruise really partnered to give us a great adventure. We did the Grand Slam Alaska land portion with the cruise following. Gwen, our land director was awesome and so knowledgeable and fun! Matt was fun and had a lot of help with the staff of the cruise. Nico and Emily were great as guides for the stops and on the boat. The cruise staff went above and beyond to make our stay comfortable. When there was an issue, they were there to fix it. John Hall's office people were very helpful also with flight bookings, etc. We were a little lost at the end because the staff was overwhelmed when flights were canceled. There were 10 people stranded at the airport, so when our flight was canceled at the same time, I felt like I was on my own. It all worked out in the end. I would highly recommend John Hall.
Kurt Adams
Aug 13,2021We continue to be extremely pleased with all the tours offered by this family run company. Both to Alaska and their alumni tours. So much so that we have 4 more tours with them through 2022.
Loourae
Aug 11,2021Overall, I was very pleased with this adventure. Everything was well organized, the schedule was very active, bumps in the plans were handled gracefully and as efficiently as possible (most bumps were due to lack of staff at facilities), our tour manager Mark Leavitt was an excellent driver, tour guide, bellman, do-it-all person and a great spokesman for the company. He kept us entertained with music, games, and stories during long bus rides. However, the schedule was a little too fast-paced for my liking. I dealt with it! But most days were not as described; i.e.many days started before 6am and dinners weren't finished until nearly 10pm; never time to get laundry done during the 13 days, let alone the daily packing and re-packing for two - three days of adventures. The various accommodations were clean and comfortable and varied from Hotel Capt Cook in Anchorage (top rated) to Hotel 360 in Seward (a basic Motel 6 type facility). A cabin with a view at the BackCountry Lodge would have been much better than a view of a fence. Some activities were never mentioned as an option; i.e. s'mores party around the fire? The meals varied from location to location and were basic to full course. We never went hungry. JHA is a wonderful company and works very hard to keep visitors happy.
Constable
Aug 10,2021A great tour! Logistics were fully worked out and we even pivoted well when Covid made us have to change plans. Tour managers were superb. I highly recommend the National Parks 2 week tour and the 1 week northwest passage cruise
John Albion
Aug 10,2021This is the one trip everyone should take to see a breathtaking look at our country. The staff of John Halls Alaska goes above and beyond to make sure you enjoy ever moment of a worry-free expedition. Great value for the cost. I highly recommend the Grand Slam/Platinum Catamaran Tour.
Wulf’s
Aug 10,2021This is the most fantastic trip we have ever taken. Everything was organized and done top class from the food, accommodations, to the pre-trip preps. We enjoyed the variety of offerings on side trips and excursions. The land tour with Gwen was truly awesome. She was so knowledgeable and positive. She made the long bus rides interesting and enjoyable. Weather and the staff aboard the Admiralty Dream made the cruise a true nature study with a lot of fun along with it. Thank you for this experience!
Darnell
Aug 10,2021Would give it 10 stars if I could. Itinerary was great. Love the small plane flights. Mark made everything better. Ready to go to Australia in 2023.
Gerald and Debra
Aug 10,2021This was our first trip to Alaska and the first time with a tour group. John Hall exceeded our expectations with a wonderful Grand Slam Tour of Alaska. The land portion was great with Gwen as our tour guide. She is so knowledgeable and easy to interact with. she was wonderful. The Catamaran portion was equally fun and rewarding. Sandy took good care of us and did a great job as our tour guide. I only have a couple of suggestions. First, the hotels were all really great but most didn't have a restaurant or bar. It's always nice to get an adult beverage of the evening to take back to the room. Also, on the Catamaran portion we had a lot of large box lunches. They were just way to large and we ended up wasting a lot of food. One of the trips they served single sandwiches with a soup. That was a better portion and would be great to see that trend continue. We ended up with larger blue John Hall jackets because there wasn't a lot of description of the sizing. Suggest adding info like Men size L = chest size 42-44 or Women's size M = 34-36 bust size. Other that that we had a wonderful trip and will definitely recommend John Hall tours to our friends and family!
Rick McCarthy
Aug 09,2021Well organized trip.Inspiring experience. Best of all, you have a wonderful staff!
1127 N Lakeshore Drive, 55041, Lake City, US
http://www.kissalaska.com
Cox
Aug 22,2021This was the best bus trip I have ever taken. Everyone was so nice and pleasant to be around. Our tour director knew so much about Alaska and her delivery didn’t sound scripted. The bus was comfortable as were our accommodations. My only complaint is the 2.5 lbs I put on! Thank you John Hall and all the Halls and in-law Halls for making this experience unforgettable.