Touring to Denali

[Elcruzer]

Thinking of cruising to Fairbanks and then renting car to tour up to Denali. Any advice from anyone who has done this?

Also, has anyone taken an independent tour other than cruise tour?

[kyriecat]

Do you mean Seward or Whittier instead of Fairbanks? Fairbanks is landlocked so not really a cruise port. Also, it is north of Denali not south.

[fti]

Lots of people on this board have done independent land tours compared with the cruise ships' cruisetours. A good place to start would be to read the first 5-6 pages of posts on this bord - scan the topics for anything "Denali." Even do a detailed search for Denali in the topic and you will find enough to keep you busy for a while.

 

I love Denali and recommend an absolute minimum of two nights there. Personally I believe that those who spend onlly two nights there miss a lot and that is why I usually spend 3-4 nights at Denali. I went last summer and am going back again next summer.

 

Taking the shuttle bus from the park entrance into the park as far as Wonder Lake is the optimal but the shuttle busses don't go that far earlier in the season (through Jun 7). You can stay near the park entrance or you can stay near Kantishna. Staying near Kantishna is frightfully expensive unless you stay at the Skyline Lodge.

 

Do some reading of prior posts then post any questions you have and I am sure you will get answers.

 

John

[NancyIL]

This thread might give you some planning ideas for an independent land trip:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=465998

[Elcruzer]

Actually on doing some research, guess we should be flying into Anchorage. Thanks for your advice, have been poring over all the excellent ideas. Trying to decide if we should take a guided tour from Anchorage to Denali or rent a car?

[fti]

Actually on doing some research, guess we should be flying into Anchorage. Thanks for your advice, have been poring over all the excellent ideas. Trying to decide if we should take a guided tour from Anchorage to Denali or rent a car?

 

Not sure you really need a guided tour, or do you mean a cruisetour?

 

Some people have had an Alaskan company set up their booking based on the passengers wanted. That is a possibility. I know it has been mentioned on more than one thread here and if you find the thread of those who have their land itineraries finalized, I know it is mentioned in that thread too.

 

Having a car at Denali will be a tremendous blessing. Not all hotels/motels/cabins/B&B's have transportation to/from the park.

[Budget Queen]

It is simple to just drive to Denali Park and go on your own, via a shuttle bus to at least Fish Creek. You need 3 days outside of your cruise time, at least. If you want to add 5, touring Seward is the other big gem- not to be missed. Allow 6 hours for the drive Anchorage/Denali Park, 2 overnights. 1 full day for a shuttle bus, plenty of other activities to also consider. If going via rail- look for a http://www.toursaver.com coupon. But ideally you need 3 overnights with the train. Here is a photo sample of Denali park and Kenai Fjords (Seward) http://community.webshots.com/user/budgetqueen

[Elcruzer]

Thanks for all your great advice. Seems we should rent a car and drive to Denali and take shuttle bus in park. Will also look into toursaver to see if coupons would benefit us. Any recommendations for lodging in Denali?

[fti]

I have enjoyed my stays at the McKinley Creekside Cabins, about 10 miles south of the park entrance. They also have a reasonably-priced restaurant on the premises. Others have good experiences with other places.

 

Toursaver would benefit you if you took the train, if you stayed at some lodging near Denali (but the nights the toursaver coupons are valid are limited), or if you did some flightseeing during your stay. There is flightseeing from Denali or more options from Talkeetna.

[KFH]

We stayed in the Earthsong Lodge in Healy and absolutely loved it. It is away from all the other hotels so it is very peaceful.