Which side of the Shuttle Bus?

[curiousl8y]

Ok, from reading these boards I know which side of the ship for Inside Passage viewing, and which side of the train for the White Pass, so I'm betting someone will know which is the side to sit on for best critter/scenery viewing on the bus into Denali? :D

 

Linda

[cjnky]

From advice on here, I'm planning to arrive at my shuttle stop plenty early in order to get on the LEFT!!:)

[Joy2Day]

Critters can be all around you. We came around a corner and the bus came to a quick stop for mama bear and 2 cubs walking IN the road.

 

Earlier in the trip, the entire bus was focused on 2 bears WAY UP a hill. Meanwhile, we were missing a wolf walking along a creek on our left. By the time we spotted it, only a few of us actually saw it.

[Budget Queen]

Ok seating is important to me and hopefully you guys won't be on my bus. :) :) :) :) I am in line first and early for the two front seats. Who I go with splits up and sits opposite. There are always held back seats so the bus is never full, like the tour buses- which fill every seat.

 

Sometimes, I do get someone else in the seat- another pair of eyes looking and the opportunity for some good conversation. :) Sometimes someone sits there that was picked up along the road, and gets off the bus again a few miles later. I have been, also in a single seat.

 

Get friendly with the seats near you. People come from all walks of life and experience. Some may have been out the day before- great advantage for wildlife trends. Most important, are all the eyes available - enjoy the ride!!!

[Joy2Day]

We ended up in the back seats, and would have preferred being much closer to the driver. Still, it wasn't a bad trip back there and we saw wildlife on both sides of the bus.

 

So true about befriending people around you, Budget Queen! When we left the access center, we were a group of strangers. Facing rain, no wildlife and muddy windows for the first several miles, moods and conversation were low. By the time we stopped for a bear eating a caribou carcass, we had bonded -- people helping each other with camera shots, sharing binoculars, ....

 

I was traveling with an animal-loving 9-year old who was entertaining 2 college guys with her explanation of the pecking order of wolf packs and her profound statement that this was different that a zoo because "we are the ones in a cage".