Denali Hop On/Hop Off Shuttle and Hiking

[Maryscooking]

Who has taken the hop on/hop off shuttle in Denali, and what was your experience like?

 

Did you do any day hiking while in the park?

 

How often do the buses come by each stop? I looked for this info on the website, but can't seem to find it.

 

We'll likely be traveling at the end of June/early July next year. It will be me and DH (late 30's) and our daughter (who will be 10 or 11), and we have little patience for sitting on a bus all day.

 

We are planning on doing a Denali flightseeing tour as well, so we'll see the mountains and park that way as well.

 

Thanks for any feedback!

[mapleleaves]

Depending on the time of day and the month of your visit, you can wait 15-20 minutes or up to an hour. And if there are 3 of you, you'll be waiting for a bus with 3 empty seats which may take a little longer.

current summer schedule:

https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/upload/2016-VTS-Public-Schedule-FINAL_031816_NPS.pdf

 

I'm, not a hiker so I stay with the bus until Eielson. There are a few trails, or you can walk along the road, or you can strike out on your own path.

Look at HIKING under THINGS TO DO:

https://www.nps.gov/dena/siteindex.htm

 

there's also hiking info on the park newsletter:

https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/news/upload/Alpenglow2015_INTERACTIVE.pdf

[Maryscooking]

Thank you for those links, I will check them out!

[frugaltravel]

You are traveling in the peak travel time, so there will be lots of buses, especially a bit later in the day. Rarely do you have to wait for more than 30 minutes for 3 seats on a bus, and extremely rarely more than an hour.

 

I get off almost every trip to do some hiking or to take another bus for more wildlife viewing. I have also been on a number of ranger-led hikes where 12 of us are looking for seats back to the entrance. Very often we all get seats on the same bus.

[Maryscooking]

You are traveling in the peak travel time, so there will be lots of buses, especially a bit later in the day. Rarely do you have to wait for more than 30 minutes for 3 seats on a bus, and extremely rarely more than an hour.

 

I get off almost every trip to do some hiking or to take another bus for more wildlife viewing. I have also been on a number of ranger-led hikes where 12 of us are looking for seats back to the entrance. Very often we all get seats on the same bus.

 

Good info, thank you! Do you feel safe hiking on your own, or would you recommend sticking with the ranger led hikes? My husband has some backpacking experience, and wouldn't be intimidated going out independently but I might :D.