I guess I don't know how you saw more on a tour than if you had gone alone. There aren't many roads. Everyone goes basically the same places and does all the popular attractions.
We had a Jeep so we went off pavement. We drove the gravel Hatcher Pass Rd. and got a lesson from a group of fun people on hang gliding.
Just in talking to a restaurant owner near Dawson City he invited us to see his huge generator setup in the back and explained how he survives the winter staying up all night to add wood to the stove.
We talked to a sled dog owner and she invited us to her home and a full tour of her operation. We got a ride on her summer training sled.
We did a lot of geocaching on the trip taking us to out-of-the-way places but a memorable one was finding some in the Carcross Desert on a tree in a sand dune. Yes, a desert in the north country!
We got our own private tour of Skagway by a park ranger early morning before the hoards of ship passengers disembarked.
We booked a backcountry fishing trip from a guy from 'Deliverance'.
On our way to Valdez we stopped at Worthington Glacier. We talked with the state employee and asked if we could spend the night on the parking lot. She stated "only if I sign you up to be a volunteer and you oversee the area for me tonight". What a fantastic campsite we had there.
We hiked Winner Creek Trail from Girdwood and had to use a hand tram to cross a canyon.
We toured Pratt Museum in Homer and admired all the surrounding flowers. A woman overheard us and invited us to her home for lunch and a tour of her garden.
We spent 10 nights in Denali Nat'l Park itself and saw 'THE' mountain 7 of 10 days and saw every one of the big 5 animals. We took walks on the soft tundra without anyone in sight. We walked back to the road and the next shuttle bus picked us up. We did these awesome hikes in absolute quietness during our 10-day stay.
...just a sampling what you can do on your own.
๐
Full-Timed for 16 Years
.... Back in S&B Again
Traveled 8 yr in a 40' 2004 Newmar Dutch Star Motorhome
& 8 yr in a 33' Travel Supreme 5th Wheel