Our Alaskan Adventure - Broken Foot and all June 20th - July 7th

Let me start with a little background information. We are a family of 4, me (50), DH (51), DS1 (17) and DS2 (13). We decided about 3 years ago that we wanted to knock Alaska off our bucket list. At that time I thought we'd end up doing a round trip out of Seattle, but then I started my research and discovered that is one of the least scenic itineraries. So I got to thinking, why not add on a week inland possibly a cruise tour and then get on a cruise. So I posed to my DH that I would put off cruising to Alaska if he would "give" me an extra week of vacation - SOLD! So the planning started in earnest. 15 months ago, I booked our cruise on the Celebrity Millennium leaving Seward on June 28th.

With all of my research, I decided that a cruise tour was not a good fit for our family. We like to do our own things and the cruise tour was too structured for our taste. I bought the TourSaver & Northern Lights books - although in hindsight, I should have only purchased one as both of them have many of the same coupons. I also purchased a used MilePost book from Amazon for our drives - invaluable!

We left on June 20th at the butt crack of dawn! Our flight from Atlanta to Anchorage left at 6:30am via a layover in Minneapolis. My first planning "error". I'm not a morning person and leaving the house at 4AM SUCKED! Second planning mistake - only scheduling a 1 hour layover in Minneapolis. Although, with DS2's broken foot we were able to get a cart that took he and myself to our gate, DH and DS1 walked from one end of the airport to the other. We only had to wait about 15 minutes before they started boarding.

Oh yeah - the broken foot. Yeppers, DS2 broke his foot on June 3rd at swim camp. We saw a doc there that put him in a walking boot and the hope was he'd be out of it and in a shoe 2 weeks later. When we followed up with an orthopedist here at home, she said the foot wasn't healing as well as hoped and put him in a cast and on crutches! Oh yeah - Miss OCD (me) went into full blown panic mode and had to cancel the ice trek & zipline for DS2 & DH, arrange for a wheelchair on the cruise (more on that later), wheelchair through the various airports, verifying whether he could still do the white water rafting - just about everything had to be re-examined with this new little glitch.

We flew first class - Frequent Flier Miles are your friends here. All of us (plus my mother later) flew for $37.50 (to Anchorage and home from Seattle). It was nice because we were able to catch a couple of Z's on the way to Anchorage. The last hour of the flight, I started looking out the window and was seeing this:

I could not stop looking at the gorgeous scenery and we hadn't even touched down yet!

I am in it till the finish :D can't wait to read more!!!!!

UGH - I had a whole thing typed in and then the power blinked and I lost it all!

When we landed, there was a wheelchair waiting for DS2. The gentleman pushed him all the way to baggage claim and we told him we could handle it from there. We claimed our bags and then went out to the center island to wait for the Embassy Suites shuttle. The shuttle also is for the Hilton Garden Inn & the Hampton Inn. It took about 15-20 minutes for the shuttle to get there and pick us up.

The driver of the shuttle was so helpful and so enthusiastic about his city, although I think he was a transplant from New York. He had that NY accent and everything was "Dude" this and "Dude" that! He was very funny. He did recommend that we try the reindeer dogs from a vendor near the Museum/Old Visitor Center (not really sure what they call it). The vendor is only about a block from the Visitor Center (log cabin), but make sure you only go to the one with the green tent and the longest line - he's got the best and the others all suck (well at least according to our driver). He also recommended Humpy's for their beer battered halibut (or cod) with an Alaskan Amber. We decided that would wait until my mom arrived on the 26th.

We finally got to the hotel and got checked in and up to our room. Hotel points are your friends here! Normal rates are about $300/night, but with points it was free! There is really nothing around the Embassy, so you have to take the shuttle to downtown, but the evening Managers Reception was really nice! Normally we take advantage of breakfast too, but we didn't this time.

After dropping off our bags, we went back downstairs to catch the shuttle to downtown. On the way, we decided that we would skip the reindeer dogs in favor of a sit-down restaurant with adult cold beverages. One of the ladies at the Visitors Center recommended Snow Goose Restaurant. So we walked (or crutched for DS2) the 5 or so long blocks over there. The restaurant is on the second floor and has either indoor or outdoor seating. We decided it was nice so we sat outside. The food was good and there was a lot of it! My fish tacos were a little too spicy for me so I only ate 1 of the 3 and that was really enough for me. DS1 had a reindeer hamburger and it was delicious. Not gamey like you might thing. More like a really lean beef. The view at Snow Goose with DS1:

After our late lunch, DS2 and I went back to the Visitor Center while DS1 & DH went to get our rental car. I rented from downtown because I had a TourSaver coupon for $75 off plus I saved about $100 from renting at the airport. I also used DH's Avis Wizard number to save about $300 from the regular price for an SUV for a week. Of course I didn't read the fine print on the coupon and DH found out that the coupon is only good up to full-size sedans. Oh well - I still saved about $400 total for the week!

After picking us up, DH drove us to Sears near the hotel so we could pick up a sneaker for DS1 (only I still had to buy the pair) since he forgot his at home. Then it was back to the hotel where the boys proceeded to veg out in front of the tv and then fall asleep on the sofa! They were out cold by 5:30 so DH and I went down to take advantage of the free drinks at the Managers Reception. Unlike other Embassy Suites that we've stayed at, you are limited to 2 drinks per person before you have to start paying even if it's during the time the reception is happening.

After having a couple of drinks, DH and I decided it was time for bed since tomorrow we drive to Talkeetna & Denali.

Not sure why the view from Snow Goose isn't showing. Let's try again:

OK if anyone has a quick easy way for me to upload pics larger than a thumbnail, please let me know. This is getting frustrating not being able to load pics within the narrative. Thanks!

Until then...

Up early (well 8am) and out the door. There is a Starbucks in the Fred Meyer not too far from the hotel, so that was our first stop before heading out of town - I had to have my Chai Latte or I would be a bear!

So with that out of the way, we were back in the car and heading toward Talkeetna. I pulled out the MilePost book that I bought used on Amazon for $10 (including shipping). It was really helpful. On the way to Talkeetna, we hit a 12 mile stretch of construction. You had to wait for a pace car to take you through the active site, but the wait wasn't too long. We had purposely built in time for either wildlife spotting or any other delay we might encounter.

We made it to Talkeetna with about 90 minutes to spare before my oldest had to be at the airport for his 40 minute flight instruction. I saw a Groupon for this and since the rising high school senior wants to study Aerospace Engineering, I thought this would be a fun thing for him to do. We walked around town for a little bit. There is not much to see here. There are many places that offer flight seeing over Denali (aka Mt. McKinley) and that seems to be the big draw for the town. We decided to eat at the West Rib Cafe - home of the 5 pound burger challenge (or some such ridiculous thing). Man vs. Food filmed a segment here and I won't tell you whether Man or Food won! You can probably google it and find out though!:)

After lunch, it was time for DS1 to go flying! We drove out to the airport to drop him off.

On the way back into town, we saw this:

Our first wildlife spotting!

OK if anyone has a quick easy way for me to upload pics larger than a thumbnail, please let me know. This is getting frustrating not being able to load pics within the narrative. Thanks!

The best way is to post them to a photo site first. I post a lot of my photos on Facebook but a lot of people use Flickr or Photobucket or such. Then you use the URL for the photo to link it, using that little yellow symbol that looks like a picture of a mountain. Hope that helps...

Pretty cool to see a moose right off the bat! Next thing ya know DS1 will be moving to Alaska to pursue flying! Awesome review so far!:D

Following along. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Can't wait to read more, we're headed to Anchorage in August for 12 days!

Great review, can't wait to read more! Thanks for taking the time to do it! I am almost finished planning our Alaskan Adventure for 2014, and so far we are doing the same as you (although flying in from Australia!). If you figure out how to post larger photos, come back with detailed instructions - I have not been able to figure it out either.

Can't wait to read more of your review!

DH, DS2 and I went to have some ice cream while DS1 was flying. While sitting there eating our ice cream, DS1 flew right over us! We couldn't see him, but he seemed to be doing pretty well. We finished up and went back to the airport. DS1 now has a flight log to log all his time behind the yoke. I think I've created a monster! But at least I now have an idea on what to get him for Christmas!

So we hit the road again heading north to Denali. The day that had started off on the cloudy side was now bright and sunny. Traffic was light and the scenery just kept getting better. Although the MilePost book said that in a couple of places we should have been able to see Denali down the middle of the road, we weren't that lucky. Then we crossed over this and DH decided to burn up the brakes a little so that he could turn in and get some pictures (thumbnail 1 & 2):

We kept chugging along and on our right, mountains appeared. We thought surely that can't be the elusive Denali. Sure looked like it, but really what are the chances that we would be able to see it on our first shot? On the North End of Denali State Park, there is a turnout that we missed at first so we made a u-turn and pulled in and saw this: (thumbnail 3):

Yeppers! Denali!!! Couldn't believe we were this lucky!

We continued on toward Glitter Gulch where we were staying. We passed over Hurricane Gulch and noticed some gorgeous landscape there and decided to catch it on the way back. Just before the turn to the Denali Bluffs hotel is the turn for the Grande Denali Hotel. You can't miss the signs that tout the view from the top. Now I'm not going to spoil the fun by posting pictures, but trust me when I say that you have to take the winding drive to the top - if for nothing else but the view (thumbnail 1):

I will give you a hint - pay attention to the street signs on the way up!

As I said, we stayed at the Denali Bluffs Hotel. There is a steep gravel trail that connects the Bluffs with the Grande so if you have friends up there, you can get there without getting back in the car. As for the hotel? Well, let's just say that it is a good base of operations, but that is about it. The rooms are small for 4 people and all the luggage (and we kept one bag in the car since it only contained stuff needed for the cruise). The bathroom is tiny with only the toilet and a shower/tub combo. The sink is actually in the room right after you walk in the door - convenient for brushing teeth and the like if someone is in the bathroom, but it takes up valuable space. Ladies - there is very little counter space to lay out your makeup, hair brushes and hair products. Actually it's there's really no counter space for all that stuff!

One might think that you could get some sort of view of the mountains from the location of the hotel and you would be wrong! While the rooms have small balconies, most if not all views are obscured by the trees growing right at the edge of the balcony. Also, while we were there, the high was in the 80s during the day and there is NO air conditioning! There was a small fan that we could put by the open balcony door and get some air in the room, but for the most part, it was stifling in there!

Also, if you are handicapped, be aware that all the rooms are in separate buildings (about 4 rooms/building) and access to those rooms could be down a hill. We ran into a gentleman who had diabetes and had trouble walking from the lobby area to his room - not that it's a far walk, just down a hill which could be hard on someone with circulatory or respiratory problems. If you have someone in a wheelchair, just make sure you have a good hold on the handles to keep them from careening into the trees.

The food in the restaurant is ok, but be warned, they do not allow you to sign the charges to your room. You have to pay for it.

I booked here despite some of the reviews I'd read on TripAdvisor because I thought there would be more things for the kids to do in the area. Glitter Gulch is a fairly busy area, but there didn't seem to be a whole lot for the kids to just "go and do", plus it would have necessitated a walk down the steep hill - just not something someone on crutches would really want to do. I don't believe it's worth $224/night and I wouldn't have paid that, but I had a coupon that paid for 1 night and knocked the effective rate down to about $150/night. Next time we go, I'll be looking for a cabin to stay in in Healy. We were so tired every night that we just crashed and didn't really do anything "in town" like I thought we might.

The Bluffs & the Grande share a shuttle that will take you to places "in town" and also to the WAC in Denali Park. We never made use of the shuttle since we had our own car. Although, parking is very limited at the top of the hill closest to the lobby. Be prepared if you come back late, there is overflow parking but it can be a significant walk uphill to get to your room. DH usually would just drop us off at the top of the hill and then go park in overflow if needed so he was the one that got the greatest workout.

Today we had a white water raft excursion down the Nenana River. Now I'm directionally challenged, but the Nenana flows from South to North. I'm pretty sure that's the case since we started our journey just South of Glitter Gulch and went all the way North to Healy.

I know you are wondering how DS2 was able to raft with a cast on his foot. I had called Denali Raft Adventures (DRA) to see if it was even possible and they told me they would have to see if they could get the Goretex drysuit over the cast, but if they couldn't get him outfitted right, they would refund my money - something they normally require 48 hours for.

DRA picked us up from The Bluffs about 15 minutes later than what they stated on their paperwork. No problem though we didn't lose any time on the water. We got to the office and finished up with the paperwork, coupons (Northern Lights) and payment and then got fitted for the dry suits. For DS2, the guide came out to look at the cast and simply suggested that they put a larger than normal suit on him and then just have the leg cover the cast. We had also purchased a "rubber boot" to go over the cast (Castcoverz.com - in case anyone needs it in the future) that you then suck all the air out of - it makes the cast waterproof. So between that and the larger than normal suit, we were good to go! SCORE!

The dry suits have what they call "gaskets" at all 5 of the openings (wrists, neck & ankles/feet). These are rubber "cuffs" that fit tightly to your body and keep the water out. DRA has "oar" rides, where the guide does all the paddling and you just sit back and get wet, and "paddle" rides where the guide paddles some, but he/she tells you when, how and how much to paddle (i.e. left side forward 2- left side of boat rows forward 2 strokes). Since DS2 is only 13, we weren't eligible for the paddle tour. Frankly, while DH prefers the paddle tours, I was glad we did the oar tour. I can march a halftime show while playing an instrument, but I'll be danged if I keep my left and right straight when someone is giving me directions! (Think of the dork in the aerobics room that does everything bassackwards from the instructor - that's me!) After donning the dry suit, you are given river shoes to put on over your stocking feet and the gasket that covers them. The reason for this is because they don't want those gaskets to tear as you walk over rocks or water will get inside your suit.

So off we went to put the boats in the water. Now I've been a little nervous about getting motion sick on this, so I'd been taking Bonine at night since the night before we left home. Bonine isn't supposed to make you sleepy, but I'm a wuss and it does, thus the reason for taking it at night - helped me sleep like a baby too! Chicago, our guide, let us sit in front and the other 3 passengers, who were buddies of Chicago's from his M-F job, sat in the rear.

OMG we had soooooooo much fun!!! The water (thumbnails 1-3) is about 37 degrees and it's grey and dirty looking, but that is just the silt from the glacier that feeds the river. Chicago would try and hit the rapids in such a way that we would get our "Glacial Facials". The scenery is beautiful and the rapids aren't too bad. I think the worst one we went through was only a Class IV (out of 6). It was a wonderful ride and I would highly recommend it! I didn't get motion sick at all (although I'm pretty sure I would have if I didn't have the Bonine in my system). There is one area where the water is pretty calm and they will let you get in and float alongside the boat. DS2 wanted to do this, but we nixed that idea even with all the stuff protecting his cast (which stayed dry!).

Around the first set of rapids, there is someone standing on a rock to snap pictures of the rafts as they come through. Yep- we bought the picture for $20. (thumbnail 4)

After getting out of our suits and getting our shoes and stuff back on, we hopped on the bus and they took us back to the Bluffs where we got in our car and headed to the 49th State Brewing Company for lunch. OMG the food was soooooo good! The burgers are HUGE! I could only eat about 1/2. DH and DS1 ate everything on their plates (and DS1 is about 6'3" and weighs maybe 130? Yep - tall and skinny so where he puts all the food I don't know). DS2 ate about 3/4 of his because he was saving room for dessert! Yep - the guys wanted dessert, so they ordered chocolate something and it was gone within seconds! (Guess they liked it!)

After lunch we went back to the hotel to catch a few z's before our Midnight Sun ATV tour that started at 11pm. I booked this through Denali ATV Adventures. It's a 2 hour tour in what might have been a part of Denali National Park if not for an active mine that was there - so it got excluded from the park. You can ride either a single rider ATV or as we did, a 2 person side-by-side ATV. The ride was VERY dusty as it hadn't rained there in quite a while. The mosquitoes were also swarming! WEAR 100% DEET and spray it all over your clothes from head to toe. Those things are BRUTAL! But the views were wonderful! (thumbnail 5)

Can't wait to finish your report! I am jealous....we also returned Sunday and I just finished my hotel review on TA pre-cruise on June 22! You are so organized!!

Can't wait to finish your report! I am jealous....we also returned Sunday and I just finished my hotel review on TA pre-cruise on June 22! You are so organized!!

I had everything in a 3 ring binder so I could remember what we were doing and when. When we finished each excursion, I would write my thoughts on the confirmation sheets so I could do a review here and over on Trip Advisor. My family laughs at me, but whenever they had a question, they sure knew right where to find the answers if I wasn't available!:)

The best way is to post them to a photo site first. I post a lot of my photos on Facebook but a lot of people use Flickr or Photobucket or such. Then you use the URL for the photo to link it, using that little yellow symbol that looks like a picture of a mountain. Hope that helps...

Thanks for the info. DH did post almost 300 photos on Facebook and I just never thought to use those URLs. Of course some of the pics I want to post aren't on FB. I should look into Flickr & Photobucket though.

Following along. Thanks for taking the time to do this.

Can't wait to read more, we're headed to Anchorage in August for 12 days!

Thanks for following. I'm trying to get it all done while it's still fresh in my mind. Although, I don't know that I'll forget too many details any time soon. Alaska truly is the last great frontier.

Pretty cool to see a moose right off the bat! Next thing ya know DS1 will be moving to Alaska to pursue flying! Awesome review so far!:D

The moose was totally unexpected. Especially at a place as busy and noisy as the airport! It was soooo cool to see though. I think we saw him or her again as we left town. We got more pictures, but I didn't include that in my review. I never watched the show Northern Exposure, but I remember the opening with the moose walking down the middle of the street and I got that "deja vu" feeling!

Great review, can't wait to read more! Thanks for taking the time to do it! I am almost finished planning our Alaskan Adventure for 2014, and so far we are doing the same as you (although flying in from Australia!). If you figure out how to post larger photos, come back with detailed instructions - I have not been able to figure it out either.

Thanks for reading along! Australia is on my bucket list! We've got to save up those Frequent Flier miles though because that is one flight I will definitely not make in coach! Maybe once the kids are out of college, DH and I can fly to Australia, spend a few days exploring and then cruise back to the states. That way only one reeeeeaaaaaallllly long flight!

Can't wait to read more of your review!

Thanks for coming along for the ride!

This brings me to my 3rd planning error (although the view coming back was pretty spectacular - see thumbnail 2). DO NOT schedule a Midnight Sun ATV ride and then have to get up for a 7:15 departure on the Denali National Park Shuttle to Wonder Lake. Getting in at 2am, showering (had to get the DEET off) for 4 people and finally getting to bed about 3AM just is not smart. Although, I will lay a little blame on the guys. I do remember asking them whether they wanted to do the rafting and ATV first or the trip into the park. They chose the rafting and ATV - so it's not totally my mistake (and I'm sure I told them that we'd have to be up early).

Anyway, through all my research, I knew that we would have to bring our own snacks and lunches. Denali Bluffs offers boxed lunches with a sandwich (your choice of 3 choices), a piece of fruit, a cookie, a bag of chips and a bottle of water. We ordered them the day before from the Perky Moose Cafe which is located off the lobby area (good place to also get coffee in the mornings). They were ready at 6:30am and we picked them up and hit the road. It was so much easier for us to drive to the WAC than wait on the shuttle. NOTE: We also stopped by the WAC on 6/22 after lunch before taking our naps to pick up the tickets that I had pre-ordered online. It was a time saver! I don't think there is any discount to doing it this way except for your sanity!!!

(Thumbnail 1 - the family at the Denali National Park sign)

At 7:15am we boarded our shuttle - the green school buses (thumbnail 3) that run throughout the park. They are a "hop on/hop off" type thing with the caveat being that when you are ready to head back to the WAC, you catch the next available shuttle back there. If you are lucky, you might catch the first one you see and they will have enough seats. Odds are pretty good that you may have to split up your party between different buses. There was a group from Italy on our bus (and before anyone starts flaming, I'm not knocking the Italians at all) that I don't think read or maybe understood that seats would have to be shared. A few of them had seats to themselves for a while, but rolled their eyes when they were forced to share their seat with people we picked up along the way. That being said - be forewarned that coming back from Wonder Lake, you may very well be sharing your seat with someone, so just plan on it.

Our driver told us that while they weren't required to narrate along the way, that he would do it if most of the passengers wanted that. We did and he seemed to grudgingly resign himself to the task. He was very informative, but his heart didn't really seem into it. Anyway - off we went. We had to stop in a couple of places to pick up people at campgrounds along the way. Even if you stay at a campground, you must still purchase a ticket and then watch for the shuttle that will be going to your destination. We also learned that if you are staying at a campground you are allowed one trip in and one trip out - so when you drive in and set up camp, that is your one trip in. If you leave for ANYTHING, that is your one trip out. Minimum stay is 3 nights (IIRC) so you MUST bring everything you will need, or think you will need, for the entire stay when you check in. They do this to minimize the emissions of cars coming and going.

Once we got to the end of the paved road (where personal vehicles are no longer allowed), there is a Ranger station and the Ranger will come on board with some instructions. It is a very brief stop and then you are off again. It was after this that we saw a Momma Moose and her baby in the brush (thumbnail 4). We ended up seeing another Moose, 3 Caribou, and 2 Bears. (I'll try to find those pics and post them separately).

The highlight of the trip for me though was this: (thumbnail 5). The mountain in all her glory! Now I'm not an overly religious person, but seeing the range like we did with such blue skies, I knew there was a greater power than me that created all of that beauty. If I had known I could get back up (and not be looked at like I was totally nuts), I would have gotten down on my knees to give thanks to God for creating those mountains. Since I knew my knees would kill me, I just gave my silent thanks. There are really no words to describe the snow covered majesty that is the tallest peak in North America. It's like going to the Grand Canyon (for those that have been there you know) and trying to describe it to someone who hasn't been there and looking at pictures and realizing that they just don't capture the beauty and grandeur. I know that the next time we go back (oh yeah, I'm planning on going back just don't know when) that even standing in the exact same spot, the mountain will be different - not any less majestic or grand, just different.

There are potty stops along the route about every 90 minutes or so. Stops are usually about 10 minutes long, with the stop at Eielson about 30 minutes. Trust me - if you don't have a lunch to eat on the bus before you get there, you could really miss out on some spectacular scenery while waiting in line to get something from the cafe inside (at least I think there was one - I only used the restrooms inside so I'm not positive). The driver also stopped along the route for pictures - maybe 5-10 minutes each stop. NOTE: when the driver says you have 5 or 10 minutes, he means it! If you are not back on the bus, you run the very real chance that he will leave you. They run on a time schedule and can't wait for stragglers. Even if you leave your stuff on the bus, you may get left - at least that was the impression I got. Our driver would start up the bus about a minute before we were scheduled to leave a stop and at that time he would check to see if everyone was aboard. He was nice enough to wait for a couple people ONCE and as they boarded, he warned them to be on time or they run the risk of getting left behind.

Even though we didn't get off and walk around (other than at the potty stops), we were very tired when we finally got back to the WAC. What is it about just riding that zaps all the energy right out of you? Anyway, we decided to head back to the hotel after 11 hours on a school bus. DS2 and I stayed at the hotel while DH and DS1 went to Prospectors Pizza & Alehouse to order take out pizza.

Prospectors is a busy place! DH got there about 6:45ish(?) and was able to order pizza right away. By the time our pizzas were ready (maybe 7:30) there was a line out the door! We got a "The Lower 48 It Ain't" with Alaskan reindeer sausage, ground elk, roasted peppers (well we asked them to nix those), red sauce, and buffalo mozzarella - SO YUMMY! We also got a traditional 1/2 pepperoni and 1/2 plain cheese - still very yummy. Next time, we may actually have to get there early enough (provided we have enough energy to walk) to sit at the restaurant and have a meal.

We got to bed early (despite the heat in the room) and all slept like logs! In the morning we leave for Glacier View, AK!

I am loving your review.

Since we have very few flights to anywhere -- we have to stay at airport hotels and still have to get up by 3 AM to catch 5:30 AM flights.

That's all part of the fun of vacations.

I am loving your review.

 

Since we have very few flights to anywhere -- we have to stay at airport hotels and still have to get up by 3 AM to catch 5:30 AM flights.

 

That's all part of the fun of vacations.

Thanks for following along. Since we live in the Atlanta area, we are lucky and have out choice of flights. I think when I booked our flight it was because it got in to Anchorage at a reasonable enough hour in the afternoon to allow us to do things before we crashed. Of course the things I had hoped to do got nixed when the broken foot happened. At least I hadn't booked anything though! :) Next time - a later flight out of Atlanta and a full day of activities in Anchorage before heading somewhere else!

Great report ... thanks for sharing. I'm sure the details will be very helpful for those in the planning stages.

I like your comparison of Denali to Grand Canyon ... similar in their awe. You were so fortunate to see the mtn. I've never seen it while in the park, only on the drive to or from the park. Didn't lessen my enjoyment of the park tho!

Since so many people ask about boxed lunches ... how was yours from the Denali Bluffs and what did they charge for it?

2 little corrections ..... there is no food available at Eielson Visitor Center, just water fountains. And, only Teklanika Campground has restrictions on your movement in the park. It is located at Mile 29 which is beyond the point where people can drive their own vehicles. Therefore once you arrive at your site, your car must stay put until you leave.

Too bad someone didn't start a "2013 Trip Review" link like they have in tripadvisor where everyone can add their report. It's great to have ONE place to read all the reports.