First of all, Denali is the Athabascan (native tribe) name for Mt McKinley, which is the highest mountain in North America. It is also the name of Denali National Park.
Because we booked our cruise via AlaskaTravel.com, they gave us free passes on their motorcoach service, which had routes running from Seward -Anchorage-Denali. So even though the Alaska Railroad is well known, or the flexibility of self-drive trips is crazy tempting, its difficult to justify spending a couple hundred dollars when you've a FREE pass.
So we took the morning bus and arrived in Denali at noon, just in time for lunch and our 2pm "canyon run". We stayed in the McKinley Chalet Resorts. Since we didn't have our own car, it was the cheapest option on the easily accessible main strip, aka glitter gulch. Besides, don't think we'd rough it out in a rustic cabin anyway.
White Water Rafting in Nenana River with Denali Outdoor Center
According to Denali Outdoor Center, the 2 hour Canyon Run is their most popular option. I didn't manage to get any pictures while rafting cos I was too chicken to shove my disposable waterproof camera in my drysuit :( Plus, this other fella had one of those pro cameras strapped onto his forehead.
The Nenana River is a glacial fed river. COLD. So the Denali Outdoor Center outfitted us with drysuits and rubber boots! I felt like a giant walking balloon. My tiny wrists also meant that glacial runoff leaked in, after I happily leaped into the river.
Even though the waters are rated as class I to IV, the waters don't get all that hectic. The ratings also take into consideration the remoteness of the location from medical attention (2 hours from a hospital), ambient temperatures and of the water. Good enough for a first timer!
We opted to go on a paddle raft, instead of the oar raft as pictured above. The difference is that we get to paddle too! The guides were very very experienced and we navigated through it like a champ.
One of the ladies (in her 50s) in our group had recovered from cancer not too long ago. She was loud and panicky and uncoordinated when the waters got a little more hectic, but her laugh was also very infectious. It wasn't until our ride back to the glitter gulch that she shared her story with us. Her dear husband booked and paid for the tour to "encourage" her to try white water rafting. And boy was she ready to brag to her kids about it, picture in tow.
Now, the picture below is the exact representation of 85% of the demographic of tourists in Alaska. The remaining 10% being outdoorsy champions, and 5% being awkward city folk (us).
Tourist facilities in Alaska is VERY VERY elderly friendly. Quite literally 1000 places to see before you, *ahem*, die.
This strip of shops is termed the glitter gulch, since its priced to extort the cushy tourists. So unless you chose to self-drive Alaska ( a costly affair), you're pretty much confined to this stretch of shops while in Denali.
It was alright though. Prospector's pizza was really good, still affordable, and has giant portions. And you can pack Subway Sandwiches to bring with you on your shuttle into Denali National Park the next day. More on that later.
I wouldn't recommend going to the Denali Park Salmon Bake though. Felt like they were over anxious to capitalize on the summer tourist season, and they just couldn't handle the scale of the place.
Denali National Park, via the Eielson Visitor Center Shuttle Bus
Unlike any other national parks in the lower 48, Denali National Park is accessible only by Park buses. We had the option of either going via a guided tour (US$100+)or just by park shuttle buses (US$40+).
I chose the shuttle, and apart from the price, here's why.
1. The shuttle buses are the same buses. Crappy old school buses.
2. They say that you're given a packed lunch, but i read that its a teeny tiny pack. Grab a sandwich from Subway that's open for 24 hours. Nothing available for purchase within the park.
3. On the tour bus, you're guaranteed a tour guide who has to explain the park to you. On the shuttle buses, its all about luck. On our way in, we got the most wonderful & excited driver. She drove on the dirt roads with caution and care, excitedly pointing out wildlife, sharing her sightings for the season, basically being the most charming driver. And she held that up for the full 4 hours that we were on her bus. We weren't that lucky on our way back. That driver couldn't give a rats ass, and sped through every pothole and uneven terrain. It was almost laughable.
4. Shuttles gives you more flexibility. But the thing is, you can't just hop on and off as you wish. You can only get on the bus if there's an empty seat, which might be a big pickle if you're trying to head out toward the end of the day.
5. GET THERE EARLY. EARLY. EARLY. Because of hotel shuttle bus constraints (to bring us to the park entrance), we could only get on the 8am shuttle. But travelers all around say the same thing, get there as early as possible. Simply because the animals are early risers. And unless you're camping overnight or shelling out for US$800/person for min. 2 nights for a cabin in Kantishna, you really want to maximize your time in this lovely park.
Regardless of which option you end up with, rush for a seat on the left side when the bus is heading into the park. If you heard that its the same if you sit on the left/right side... those people are either lying to you, or are glass-is-overflowing-with-goodness type people. Even if wildlife sightings are a 50/50 chance as they say, views of the park are more often unblocked on the left side.
Our shuttle driver said this was only her 4th time seeing a wolf in the park that season. 4th time out of the 3.5month season thus far.
4 shuttle buses slowed to a stop, and waited patiently as this lone wolf walked right past us, unperturbed with the surrounding excitement that was anxiously held in.
While the rest of USA was still in the deep of summer, Alaska was already experiencing early fall. And we got to see Denali National Park in multicolors. The varying levels of permafrost throughout the park meant that the height and density of vegetation was inconsistent throughout this enormous 6 million acre park. (FYI, Yosemite is 760K acres, Grand Canyon is 1.2 million acres). The 2 other national parks, bigger than Denali, are also located in Alaska.
Its often so cloudy that if you do get to see Denali, aka Mt McKinley, you're part of the 30% club. And check it. Full unblocked views of Denali.
Best weather luck on a trip, ever.
The shuttle bus ticket has 4 options. Tolkat (total 6.5 hours), Eielson Visitor Centre (8 hours), Wonderlake (11 hours), Kantishna (13 hours). Disregard Tolkat please, I don't remember any significant lookout point before Eielson. Secondly, if you were having stellar weather on the day of your shuttle too, you might want to consider upgrading your ticket all the way to Kantishna, and ask your driver to drop you off at the Y junction near the reflection pond. The most iconic photos of Mt McKinley are taken from the reflection pond.
We decided that 8 hours on a shabby bus was all we could take. Plus it also gave us some time to take on a little hike.
Alpine Hike at the Eielson Visitor Center
The hike was ugly. Its just dirt and rocks on unpaved trails, and steep. My poor sister was wearing Toms by the way. I think people were amused whenever I freaked out when they told me I was barely 10% done or not even halfway there yet.
I am not athletic. Heck I had to use spell-check to spell athletic.
This young man here, is a champ. He's 3.5 years old! And his Dad is amazingly supportive and patient but insistent that his son not give up.
Almost makes me want to hike regularly.
It took us a total of 4-5hours round trip, for the 2 miles up 1000ft to Thorofare Ridge.The National Parks Service website has an amazing 360 panorama taken from Thorofare Ridge here.
Less than a week after we left Denali, a man got eaten by a bear. This was the park's first fatal attack. Campers/hikers planning to veer off the usual routes are briefed on the areas which are out of bounds (i.e.high bear traffic areas). But the park is hugeeeeee, its easy to get disoriented.
By the way, if you watched the movie or read the book "Into The Wild" on Chris McCandless' adventure in Alaska and particularly Denali, the replica of the bus is located in Healy, in the 49th State Brewing Company.
