Ber2048

Has anyone taken the ATV side by side excursion, or the Covered Wagon excursion in Denali? How was your experience, and what month did you take the excursions? We will be there mid May, and I understand there could be some snow. We will be staying at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge and looking for something to do the afternoon and evening of our arrival. The next day we are booked for a Park Tour on the only one available for mid May. What other excursions did anyone take during mid May before the park buses started running?

Thank you for your suggestion. Our cruise doesn’t have anything else planned for May 13 other than leaving Fairbanks in the morning and arriving in Denali at 1:00 PM. since we don’t have anything scheduled for the rest of the day, we were hoping to go into the park weather permitting. We really only need a car for that day. May 14 is our History tour, and we plan to take it unless it is cancelled because of weather. It was pointed out to us that on a bus you are sitting up higher, and also not driving. You can focus on the scenery. It is also a good idea to drive into the park two times instead of one. There was a jeep rental that would rent for four or six hours, but unfortunately they are not doing that this year. I was hoping someone from our cruise would be interested in sharing a car with us for just May 13. Would love to see more of the area, but I’m sure whatever we see will be amazing.

That sounds wonderful. Good weather makes all the difference. Thank you for your suggestion. .

I checked with Keys to Denali a few days ago. They had a car available that we could use on a gravel road. Planning on booking in the next couple of days when I have my timeline confirmed. I liked this land tour because we have three nights in Fairbanks, and two nights in Denali. We arrive in Denali at 1:00 P.M. on May 13 and depart early morning on May 15. We have to decide if we still want to do the history tour plus renting the car. Alaska Auto rental was extremely expensive. Thank you for your suggestions.

That was my first thought when I found the buses aren’t running. There are probably folks who never even realize it. . We are used to being independent land travelers. Alaska is vast, and this is our first visit. Hoping renting a car in Fairbanks for a day, and in Denali for a day will give us some independence.

Thanks, I have been in touch with Keys to Denali. I do think that is the way we will go. Just hoping we don’t have a mid May snow storm. I guess we can’t predict Mother Nature.

We did think about that. I can see why folks do more than one visit to Alaska. Thanks for your input.

Thank you for the restaurant suggestions, and the Denali info. It sounds like renting a car in Denali is the way to go.

We are staying at the Westmark Fairbanks hotel. We are used to renting a car and doing road trips. If we leave early in the morning for the hot springs, we should be back by mid afternoon. Our choice as to how long we take. It gives a us a chance to see more of Alaska land and wild life. I figured the salman bake was more for tourists. Some reviews enjoyed it, and some said to skip it. Thanks for your input. Now we have to figure out if we should rent a car in Denali and drive to mile 30 on our own. We are missing the park buses by a few days. We are set up for the History Tour which starts a few days before the buses and Wilderness tour. If only we could predict the weather for mid May.

We are arriving in Fairbanks and renting a car for 24 hours. Since we will be on the Riverboat Cruise and still have some time in Fairbanks the next day, we are hoping to drive to Chena Hot Springs the day we rent the car. I understand it is a scenic drive with possible wild life spotting, and places to pull over. Depending on how early we start, we will stop at the University of Alaska before or after the hot springs. Dinner at one of the suggested restaurants sound good. The next night we have the option of taking the bus to Pioneer Park for the Salman Bake, or something on our own. Just trying to future out Denali since we will be there before the Park buses are running.

ago We will be staying at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge on May 13 and 14 2024. I was surprised to find out that the Park buses are not operating until May 20. Has anyone been on a Princess Land tour during this time of year? They are giving us a History tour, but that only goes into the park for 15 miles. The Park is open to mile 30 on these dates. We will have almost the whole day free the day we arrive. Is there enough to do and see around the lodge and the park entrance. Other than some excursions outside the park, there doesn’t appear to be much offered. Walking the trails around lodge and park entrance is an alternative providing they aren’t too snow covered or slushy. Has anyone taken the shuttle lodge to the park? Do they run often? It has been suggested we rent a car and drive to mile 30 on our own. Would like to know if anyone has done this for just that short time.

Thanks EM. Do I repost it to the Alaska port of call, or is there a way to move it over?

We will be staying at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge on May 13 and 14 2024. I was surprised to find out that the Park buses are not operating until May 20. Has anyone been on a Princess Land tour during this time of year? They are giving us a History tour, but that only goes into the park for 15 miles. The Park is open to mile 30 on these dates. We will have almost the whole day free the day we arrive. Is there enough to do and see around the lodge and the park entrance. Other than some excursions outside the park, there doesn’t appear to be much offered. Walking the trails around lodge and park entrance is an alternative providing they aren’t too snow covered or slushy. Has anyone taken the shuttle lodge to the park? Do they run often? It has been suggested we rent a car and drive to mile 30 on our own. Would like to know if anyone has done this for just that short time.