Cruise the Chena River
The Riverboat Discovery III cruises the Chena River and Tanana River on a tour out of Fairbanks, Alaska. The Discovery is a true sternwheeler; getting it's power from the large paddle wheel
Prepare yourself for a relaxing and informative journey down the Chena River with a Riverboat Discovery four hour cruise! This riverboat excursion was started in the 1950s when northern transportation began to change from maritime merchant markets to railroads and air travel. The Binkley family has been in the boat business for over a century, however, and has had five generations of seafaring captains thus far. Your group will feel comfortable in the 900 passenger Discovery III and be able to see the origin of the family business, the 25 passenger boat Godspeed.
During this enlightening tour of the Chena River area, your group will be able to take a walking tour of an Athabaskan Indian village, in which the natives successfully lived off the land for 10,000 years hunting and gathering and adapting to the intense Alaskan weather. Upon starting, your group will witness a bush pilot take off, as well as the Susan Butcher Kennels, home to the late four-time winner of the Iditarod run. The Trans-Alaskan pipeline will be seen from this tour as well, with plenty of facts from the captain and crew along the way. Your group will have two chances to check out the Steamboat Landing stores for souvenirs, and also have a nice sit-down dinner in the Discovery Dining Hall aboard the riverboat. Before or after the tour your group will have a chance to see the Gold Dredge 8, the Binkley family’s mining attraction that mixes large scale industrial mining with a local mom and pop mining business. This riverboat cruise will definitely not leave your group disappointed!
