Early Itinerary Plan for DIY Land Tour Alaska

[Jimbo]

Anchorage Grand Hotel reserved for Tuesday Night , news about the Denali Park road being closed at mile marker 45 has me concerned about our plans for going to the park now.  How is everyone else handling this potential issue?

 

Friday Night.... Girdwood. AK (Alyeska Resort-1 night) (Wildlife Conservation Center, Williwaw viewing platforms)

Saturday Night.. Palmer, AK ( Half Day Knik Glacier Tour) (Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge - 1 night)

Sunday Night.. Denali National Park (Denali Park Hotel - 2  nights) 

Monday Night.. Denali National Park  (Kantishna Air Taxi Excursion) (Fly-in at 12 noon from Denali Entrance to Kantishna and then Bus back from Mile 92 to Denali Park Entrance) Air and Bus tickets all included.

Tuesday  Night... Anchorage, AK (Anchorage Grand Hotel 1-night ) 

Wednesday Night.. Seward, AK (Train from Anchorage to Seward) (Shuttle to Exit Glacier. Visit the SeaLife Center) (Breeze Inn Motel - 2 nights)

Thursday Night...Seward, AK (6-Hour-Major Marines Kenai Fjords)

Friday Night (Radiance of the Seas)

 

Rental Car from ANC airport, Pick-up..... Friday Afternoon  3pm.--------- Drop off Tuesday Night 7pm

 

Timewise and mileswise I think this is just about what we are looking at besides adding additional time to the below times for stops.

 

 Friday        Day 1  Anchorage Airport to Alyeska Resort,Girdwood, AK   (41 miles  1 hour)

 
Saturday     Day 2 Girdwood, AK to  Knit Glacier Tours, Palmer, Ak         (88 miles   1 hour 45 minutes)
                   Palmer, AK to Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge, Trapper Creek, AK  (121 miles   2 hours  15 minutes)
 
Sunday        Day 3 Trapper Creek , AK to  Denali Park Hotel, Healy, AK (115 miles 1 hour and 55 minutes)
 
Monday        Day 4 Denali Park Hotel to Denali Vistors Center  (11 miles   15 minutes)
 
Tuesday        Day 5 Denali Park Hotel to Anchorage ( 250 miles    4 hours 30 minutes)
 
 
 Turn Rental Car back in at Anchorage Airport at 7pm
 
Wednesday  Day 6   Anchorage Train to Seward, AK   ( ? miles   4 hours)

Edited January 16, 2020 by Jimbo

[Gardyloo]

16 hours ago, Jimbo said:

Anchorage Grand Hotel reserved for Tuesday Night , news about the Denali Park road being closed at mile marker 45 has me concerned about our plans for going to the park now.  How is everyone else handling this potential issue?

 

I doubt that many posters are aware of the situation.  I've looked for updates from the NPS but their own reports were that they would start evaluating the situation this month and next.  Right now it's extremely cold and very dark in the park interior, so I wouldn't be surprised if we don't hear anything for some weeks to come.  Even then, they might not be able to decide anything definitive until more of the snow is gone, probably in the March-April period if not after.

 

Make no mistake, this situation runs the risk of turning into a big deal financially for the whole tourism industry - think of all the cruise tours and hotel bookings that are at risk if you can't get deeper into the park.  

 

So my recommendation would be to start working up a "plan B" asap, including possibly making some hotel reservations (which can be canceled) to take the place of Denali days.  Or think about flightseeing as an alternative way of "visiting" the park.  Yes, it's expensive, but maybe if one is saving the cost of a couple of nights around Denali, then a flightseeing visit from Talkeetna or from Anchorage (which would eliminate the rather boring drive to Talkeetna) could be a "break-even" experience.

 

Or look at extending the trip to Valdez, via the stunning views along the Richardson Hwy.  Or hop a plane to Kodiak, Nome or Kotzebue (all around $300 round trip from Anchorage) to get a feel of a bush community way off the road system.  

 

Lots of options, but I'd be pro-active at this point, while you wait for word on the Denali situation.

[Jimbo]

This is what I was told by Kat Air when I asked about the situation:

 

"We and the other operators in Kantishna (which are much larger operations and have far more at stake) are working on a "business as usual" basis. We all find it highly unlikely that the road will be closed completely."

 

I think they may be disbelieving just how bad it might be. We are thinking of booking with them the Fly in (From the Denali Park Entrance)and Bus back ( to the Entrance) but now I'm not sure it's worth reserving at this time.

 

[mapleleaves]

This topic has been kicking around on tripadvisor since before xmas.   There is a lengthy thread in the Denali forum.

  

The road has been slipping for several yrs, but apparently it took quite a hit this past Sept.   It will be another couple of months before the road is clear enough for them to assess the damage from this winter.  Maybe by the end of April they'll have made their assessment, and come up with a temporary fix.

Many people seem to think the road will be closed to mile 43 for the first few weeks of the season as  they scramble to make the route safe,  but by mid June it will re-open. ( unless they find horrendous damage from the winter) 

With 650,000 visitors to the park every yr, closing the road to 43 would be financially devastating.  There are several hotels nr Kantishna .. not everyone is going to fly in, and how would they get their provisions?  And most visitors won't even come to Denali if they can't even get as far as Toklat. The communities of Carlo Creek and Healy will be crushed without the visitors.  Cruiseline hotels won't be impacted ... cruisetours will run regardless of how far they can travel within the park.  

I think NPS will find a way to be open for most of the summer, but opening later than the usual June 1 to EVC and maybe close early, if there's a lot of rain.  

2021 might be a different story though. Merchants/vendors will be on notice now.

 I wonder how long it will take to design and build a new route given how little time to work on the road.