A Tour Built for Bicycles

The extra boost from an e-bike motor is especially welcome in the Coast Mountains of Southeast. “Haines has hilly terrain, so these bikes are especially popular with visitors coming in who aren’t big on exertion and don’t want a huge workout; they just want a pleasant ride,” he says.

Craney notes that e-bikes have also grown in popularity as locals are getting older and are used to commuting around town on bikes. “E-bikes help to smooth the hills out so they are able to take routes that may be more challenging than they’d like to do on a regular basis,” he says.

As for tour offerings, customers may bring their own bikes or rent from the company before embarking on a multi-day ride.

“Some people ship us bikes to build for them when they’re coming to the state,” Craney says. “Other people arrive by RV with a couple bikes strapped to the back of their rig. Bikes are a great way to explore instead of driving a large RV through town.”

Multi-day Adventures

Sockeye Cycle’s multi-day, multi-port tours can last from five days to more than a week, and they may include side excursions for kayaking, hiking, fishing, and more.

“One of our most popular tours is the Golden Circle Bike Tour, which is a seven-day trip from Haines to Skagway,” says Craney. “The cities are only 15 miles apart by water but are separated by 360 miles of road.”

The tour follows historic Gold Rush routes, and visitors spend the evening in local bed-and-breakfasts and hotels, enjoying locally grown produce and wild-caught salmon and learning about the history of the area. A support van accompanies cyclists on each trip to carry luggage and help with whatever they need.

Other multi-day supported tours include a five-day, 135-mile ride of the Denali Highway; a nine-day, 285-mile journey along the Canol Road starting in Whitehorse, Yukon, that includes wilderness camping; and a three-day, lodge-based trip along roads in Haines and the Chilkat River Valley to see glacial fjords and tour the Tongass National Forest.

Each multi-day tour starts with a tour orientation and a bike fitting for rentals, as well as a bike check if riders have brought their own transportation. Group sizes are limited to twelve people, and guests are encouraged to ride at their own pace.

“People have the route on their phone and can bike at their own speeds,” says Craney, noting that they encourage cyclists to ride in pairs or with a few people. “We set a spot for lunch and have planned out dinners and breaks where we can meet up.”

Anchorage Bound

Visitors to Anchorage can tour the city with Alaska Trail Guides, which provides all-inclusive, guided bike tours for all ability levels. Purchased this past winter by Matt Worden, owner of Go Hike Alaska and Lifetime Adventures, the company has numerous options when it comes to exploring the greater Anchorage area.

Fans of fat-tire biking can take the Chugach Mountain Bike Tour, a four-hour tour that winds through one of the four largest state parks in the United States. The company also offers a private single-track sampler in Kincaid Park, designed by mountain bikers for mountain bikers.

“Our most popular city bike tour by far is the Anchorage Coastal Cruise Bike Tour, a 9.5-mile tour that stops at Kincaid Park, Point Woronzof, Earthquake Park, and Westchester Lagoon,” says Chelsea Smith, operations manager for Go Hike Alaska. “It’s the best chance to see moose in Anchorage.”

She adds that the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail is a particularly good route for people without a lot of biking experience, as it offers paved roads and only a few hills. “There is one hill that may cause a little difficulty if you’re not used to riding, but if you need to walk the hill, we won’t judge you,” she says with a laugh. “We’re all just there to have fun!”

The company also offers a 30-mile Anchorage Greenbelt Bike Tour loop, the Anchorage Bike and Brewery Tour, and a Hiking and Bike Tour in Anchorage that each allow participants to combine some of their favorite pastimes. The tours operate rain or shine, and tours are capped at eight participants.

Denali National Park & Preserve

Visitors to Denali National Park & Preserve can cycle around the park with Bike Denali, now in its eighth season. Local residents and tourists can explore the 6-million-acre park by bike to see once-in-a-lifetime sights.

“Cycling in Denali Park is magic; if you come here and you don’t use a bicycle, you’re missing it,” says Brian Keelean, owner and manager of Bike Denali.

“The park is the size of New Jersey, so there’s a lot of walking to do,” he says. “But if you’re on a bike, you can get around fairly quickly, and you can see it independently. You’re not trapped on a bus, and you don’t have to worry about parking.”

Bike Denali offers self-guided tours, providing riders with enough information to feel comfortable going out on their own. “We point out good places to go on the map, specific places to stop, and different ways of getting to where they want to go,” Keelean says. “Cyclists are also able to put their bikes on the buses and get off in certain places.”

In addition to renting traditional bikes and e-bikes, the company focuses on outfitting riders, who often don’t have what they need to bike in Alaska’s temperamental weather.

“We have sturdy windproof, rainproof suits, which save the day quite commonly,” Keelean says with a laugh, “along with bear spray, locks and helmets, panniers [saddle bags], bear-proof cans, and whatever else they need.”

Customers have numerous options for riding in Denali National Park, from taking a commuter bike to the visitor center to renting e-bikes for four hours or multiple days.

“Having e-bikes has expanded the possibilities for more people; there are some big hills in Denali National Park,” says Keelean. “We also rent the charger that comes with it, so people can keep the bike at the hotel and ride every day.”

Riders can also rent a backcountry e-bike, which is better designed for traveling on gravel roads beyond Savage River, for one to three days.

“One of the tricks to Denali Park is reserving a three-day stay in Teklanika River Campground and getting a special pass to drive to Mile 29,” says Keelean. “Then you rent a bike or e-bike so you have transportation because, once you arrive, you’re not allowed to drive your car in that area again until you leave.”

While the sight of Denali’s mighty summit is always a highlight of the trip, Keelean notes there’s plenty to see from bike level that make the park an even better experience.

He says, “Riding a bike through Denali provides heightened wildlife opportunities, as well as the ability to travel a road through untouched wilderness.”