How important is an early departure for Denali Shuttle?

[wolfie11]

You could try calling in May once the lodge is open and find out how early they run.

[Budget Queen]

Wolfie11,

 

Thanks for your reply. I have no idea what the schedule is for the WAC shuttle from the hotel. Is there somewhere they post that?

 

PT

 

You need to verify this directly with the lodge, when they open in May. This is a significant reason, I don't recommend early reservations, until verified, due to it being different times, it seems every season. You would need a 7am bus departure to ideally make it in plenty of time, since you will likely have to be in line to pick up your Denali shuttle tickets? Even if they are running every half hour, leaving at 7:30, would not be a consideration for me with a 8am bus. Subway is open 24/7. There is a little, high priced convenience store, and I believe, a small selection in the lodge gift shop??

[wolfie11]

Since people seem to be interested, here is some general information on the "frontcountry" near the park entrance.

 

The Wilderness Access Center (WAC) is where all the shuttle buses and some of the DNHT and TWT tours leave from. It is about a half-mile inside the park. There is a green park shuttle bus that goes around all the entrance area stops such as the WAC, visitor's center, and campground. This is different from the lodge shuttle buses that will drop you off at the visitor's center.

 

If you have time after your arrival, you can catch a lodge shuttle bus that will take you to the new Denali visitor's center, which is well worth a visit. Lots of displays, a movie, a nice little restaurant, and the Alaska Geographic gift shop. If you are looking for gifts, all the profits from the Alaska Geographic stores go back into the parks for education.

 

Across from the WAC is the Murie Science Center, also worth a quick look. This is the winter visitor's center. The exhibits are more science related such as wolf tracking, bear research, etc. They also have a longer, narrated version of the movie shown at the main visitor's center that you can watch on request, as well as some other films available.

 

The park shuttle bus will also drop you off at the WAC, which is a good idea if you need to change vouchers for tickets, as the place is a zoo in the morning. They don't open until 7am, so if you have a voucher for an early shuttle, you need to exchange it the night before. There is a film at the WAC as well, which is the one they show to the DNHT (Natural History Tour) people to pad out the time on their tour. Anyone can go in and watch it though. There is a small gift shop here, and most importantly, an expresso and snack stand, as I REALLY need that four-shot latte before an early morning shuttle.

 

There is a large convenience store at the Riley Creek campground that also has wireless available. You can sit outside on the picnic tables and surf the net. Of course, most of the hotels have wireless or computer available as well. You can also purchase shuttle tickets here and I think they will exchange vouchers. They are open until at least 9pm, although that seems to be subject to change.

 

There's a lot of free stuff to do at the park. There are a couple of ranger programs or presentations by scientists working in the park during the day. There are also evening ranger programs at both Riley Creek and Savage River campgrounds. There's a free shuttle that runs until 10pm out to Savage River (and you can drive your car out there as well), with additional opportunities to see animals, including bears, wolves, and moose as well as the mountain, which often peeks out later in the evening (pun intended). The dogsled demos are also free. If you have kids along, there's a great Junior Ranger program. Ask at the desk as the visitor center. If you are a night owl, they often have really good live music at the Salmon Bake in Glitter Gulch a couple of nights a week.

 

The cruise line companies won't really tell you any of this, as they are more interested in getting you to go on expensive excursions. If you go to the park website at www.nps.gov/dena and download the Alpenglow, all this info will be in there.

[dusty1117]

We have the natural history tour scheduled through Princess at 2PM. From what I've been reading here, we should upgrade to Tundra tour or take the shuttle buses. Will we have enough time to do the shuttle buses? Next day is a full day not planned yet, but husband wants to do canyon run rapids and fly fishing so doing any tour next day is out.

[santamaria]

Wolfie11 - Thanks - Do you know when nps will post the summer Alpenglow?

[wolfie11]

We have the natural history tour scheduled through Princess at 2PM. From what I've been reading here, we should upgrade to Tundra tour or take the shuttle buses. Will we have enough time to do the shuttle buses? Next day is a full day not planned yet, but husband wants to do canyon run rapids and fly fishing so doing any tour next day is out.

 

There are afternoon TWTs that leave around 2pm and return around 10pm. You should book one of these instead of the NHT, which goes as far into the park as I can drive my own car (about 15 miles).

[wolfie11]

Wolfie11 - Thanks - Do you know when nps will post the summer Alpenglow?

 

The print version is usually out around now. I'm not sure when it will go online. Soon, I would guess. Hard to believe, as we are hip deep in snow and it's supposed to be -30 tonight, but the park will be open in about 8 weeks!

[drewww]

How easy is it to get from the Denali Princess Lodge to the Denali Visitor Center? My wife really wants to get our NPS book stamped while we're there

[wolfie11]

Princess runs shuttles from the lodges to the visitor's center and WAC throughout the day, starting at around 8am, or it is a nice walk along a paved trail of about 20-30 minutes each way.

[Budget Queen]

We have the natural history tour scheduled through Princess at 2PM. From what I've been reading here, we should upgrade to Tundra tour or take the shuttle buses. Will we have enough time to do the shuttle buses? Next day is a full day not planned yet, but husband wants to do canyon run rapids and fly fishing so doing any tour next day is out.

 

I hope you already have found tour, the NHT is a complete waste, so yes, either, upgrade to the TWT or get at least the Toklat shuttle, PROBLEM will be getting back to your lodge?? In the past, no firm shuttle schedules to the lodges. Fishing is very poor in this area, again, do your homework.

[Budget Queen]

How easy is it to get from the Denali Princess Lodge to the Denali Visitor Center? My wife really wants to get our NPS book stamped while we're there

 

Princess runs shuttles back and forth.

[dusty1117]

Thanks for the info. I think I will upgrade to the TWT and if we have to walk back to Princess lodge then we will or maybe someone with a car would drive us back. Chance we will have to take. Since hubby has never fly fished before, I have e-mailed the Denali fly fishing company with questions. I have already changed our Princess cruisetour to 2 days in Denali from 2 days in Mt McKinley so I'm not changing it again. On another note, since no one has addressed this, bathroom breaks on TWT?

[wolfie11]

One advantage of booking the TWT over the shuttle is that they pick up and deliver at your hotel, so you shouldn't have to walk back. At worst, you can get a TWT that picks up at a neighboring hotel and just have to walk over. There are bathroom breaks every hour+ or so on the TWT.

 

Sorry to disappoint your husband, but fly-fishing around Denali is almost non-existent. Interior streams run off from glaciers and tend to be murky and full of silt. The fish have to be able to see the fly to go after it. One exception is the Chena River out of Fairbanks, which would be a possibility if you begin your tour there. Fishing is also good out of Talkeetna, which is south of the Alaska range.

[JerseyJaguar]

Wolfie, thank you for all the information you keep providing in this thread. I'll be in Denali for two nights and want to make the most of it, including an early Eielson shuttle and you've eased my mind about the path that I can walk to get there and also given me great ideas on what to do that first afternoon and evening (I'm taking the train from Fairbanks). I like being able to have a game plan before I get someplace, and with your info on Savage River and the whole shuttle process I think I'll be able to manage my time well and get the most out of my visit.

 

I can't wait!!

[medcruiseplanner]

I may have gotten us into a small problem here. We have reservations on a shuttle for 5:30am. The day prior, we are driving from Seward. We have reservations in Talkeetna at 4pm for a flight. I saw on one of your previous posts that we have to take our reservation sheet to trade it in for an actual ticket and that this must be done the evening prior for the 5:30am trip.

 

So, what time does the place close to redeem reservations? Any suggestions on what I can do here?

[medcruiseplanner]

Okay - Expanding on my question above....

 

My documentation says - please present this itinerary confirmation to the dispatcher/driver at the wilderness access center to board your reserved bus. If changes or cancellations have been made, you must presentthis confirmation to the WAC desk between 7am and 8pm to obtain updated documentation.

 

They make it seem as if this is all I need to board. Do I have to show up the night prior to get different documentation as mentioned earlier in this thread?

[wolfie11]

Okay - Expanding on my question above....

 

My documentation says - please present this itinerary confirmation to the dispatcher/driver at the wilderness access center to board your reserved bus. If changes or cancellations have been made, you must presentthis confirmation to the WAC desk between 7am and 8pm to obtain updated documentation.

 

They make it seem as if this is all I need to board. Do I have to show up the night prior to get different documentation as mentioned earlier in this thread?

 

It sounds like you're good to go! I have always had to pick up my tickets the night before, but I only book a few days in advance, so it may be my bad that if you book far enough ahead to get a confimation in the mail, you don't have to get a ticket.

[kenish]

You can do it the night before or in the morning . The night before is preferable; the WAC is not too busy because all the buses are on the road or returning. In the morning everybody is leaving and there looked to be a 15-20 minute line. Also at that hour, I like to have everything possible already taken care of!

 

If you need to change your time, call Aramark reservations before you leave home. Also recommend making full payment now; then all you have to do at the WAC is show your e-voucher and they will print the tickets.

[Budget Queen]

On the first buses out, many times the drivers have the tickets, since I've been there where the ticket office wasn't open either. I would definately CALL the day prior and ask what the current policy is.

 

I never recommend Seward/Denali Park in a single day, adding a flightseeing, is really pushing it. You have 3 1/2 hours Talkeetna/Denali park. You have not more time, to stretch this out more??

[Budget Queen]

The bathroom breaks/stops are about every 90 minutes.

[wolfie11]

I never recommend Seward/Denali Park in a single day, adding a flightseeing, is really pushing it. You have 3 1/2 hours Talkeetna/Denali park. You have not more time, to stretch this out more??

 

It's 153 miles of relatively empty two-lane road from Talkeetna to Denali. I usually stop at the gas station at the junction of the Parks and Talkeetna Spur and am at Denali about two hours later. If it's a nice day and I take photos, it takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Other than the occasional moose, you're not likely to see wildlife along this road, but if the mountain is out, there are a couple of good places to stop for pictures. (Oh, and watch out for the trooper that hangs out between the Spur Road and the Parks Higway between Talkeetna and Trapper Creek.)

 

I know BQ frowns on the Seward/Denali drive in one day. I drive Seward/Fairbanks straight through fairly frequently in the summer, because it's not worth it to me to break up the journey when I can sleep in my own bed instead of paying $200 for a hotel room somewhere in between.

 

There are some good places to stop on the way, and I usually take about 10 hours to do the trip in good weather because I stop so often for photos. Some of the places to stop:

 

There's a road that turns off to the right just outside Seward, which I can't remember the name of, but it goes to a small hatchery. During salmon runs, there is occasionally a bear here fishing for salmon below the wier.

 

Alaska Conservation Center - great photos of animals up close. Some days during the summer they feed donated road kill moose haunches to the grizzly bears.

 

Portage Glacier - you can't see the glacier any more from the visitors center, but if the wind is blowing in the right direction, the icebergs will be right next to the road.

 

Turnagin Arm - lots of scenic spots along here for photos, including hooligan fishermen at Bird Creek, beluga whales at Beluga Point, and dall sheep on the cliffs. This is a busy road with lots of accidents, so make sure you can pull off safely.

 

Denali - if the mountain is out, there are two pulloffs (South and North) where you can park the car, use the bathroom, and take photos.

 

Summit Pass - nice lake and views south of the Talkeetna mountains

 

Photo ops and stops vary by season, with the most stops for me when fall colors are out.

[medcruiseplanner]

This part was a tough decision for us but we have done long drives on a trip on many occasions. We are taking the 6hr Kenai Fjords trip on June 7. We were planning originally to then drive up to Talkeetna, but decided to see exit glacier and spend another night in Seward.

 

In Hawaii, several different times during our trips, we took a day and left really early and made an all day drive of sightseeing and exploring. It has always been a trip highlight so that is the scenario we are looking at here. We also chose it because it allows a really relaxed evening in Seward the night prior. Based on our research of Seward, I think it is a place that is going to appeal to us very much.

 

We plan to get an early start and work our way up to talkeetna for our flight. Depending on how long it takes, before or after our flight - preferably before, we were planning to grab some food in Talkeetna and then drive the remainder and crash at Denali lakeview Inn.

 

I know it is a long day but we have done similar scenarios easily and enjoyed the experience. I am hoping this is the case here as well. We just couldn't squeeze out that one last vacation day... unfortunately!

[wolfie11]

June 8 is a Monday, so you are probably better off leaving then anyway. Traffic is always bad headed to Anchorage on a Sunday with lots of trucks towing boats and RVs. My advice would be to leave Seward as early as possible (like 6am). You never know when there will be an accident, and they often close the road for up to a couple of hours. That will give you plenty of time to get to Talkeetna and then to Denali.

[kenish]

It will be a long day, but doable. Be sure to add a second person on the rental car contract so you can take turns driving. The highways are in excellent condition and you won't be driving in the dark during June/July.

 

We did encounter semis with wide loads carrying construction, oil field, and military equipment. Some amount of passing is required so brush up on your 2-lane highway skills. Also, assume there could be something in your lane as you top a rise....once we were face to face with a huge truck. Fortunately the paved shoulders are a full lane wide, so we simply sidestepped to the right shoulder.

 

One last tip- Talkeetna is at the end of a 13 mile spur. At the turnoff, there is cell coverage. Call your flightseeing company to confirm they are flying. If your flight needs to be rescheduled you will save time by avoiding an unnecessary trip.

[Budget Queen]

It's 153 miles of relatively empty two-lane road from Talkeetna to Denali. I usually stop at the gas station at the junction of the Parks and Talkeetna Spur and am at Denali about two hours later. If it's a nice day and I take photos, it takes 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Other than the occasional moose, you're not likely to see wildlife along this road, but if the mountain is out, there are a couple of good places to stop for pictures. (Oh, and watch out for the trooper that hangs out between the Spur Road and the Parks Higway between Talkeetna and Trapper Creek.)

 

I know BQ frowns on the Seward/Denali drive in one day. I drive Seward/Fairbanks straight through fairly frequently in the summer, because it's not worth it to me to break up the journey when I can sleep in my own bed instead of paying $200 for a hotel room somewhere in between.

 

There are some good places to stop on the way, and I usually take about 10 hours to do the trip in good weather because I stop so often for photos. Some of the places to stop:

 

There's a road that turns off to the right just outside Seward, which I can't remember the name of, but it goes to a small hatchery. During salmon runs, there is occasionally a bear here fishing for salmon below the wier.

 

Alaska Conservation Center - great photos of animals up close. Some days during the summer they feed donated road kill moose haunches to the grizzly bears.

 

Portage Glacier - you can't see the glacier any more from the visitors center, but if the wind is blowing in the right direction, the icebergs will be right next to the road.

 

Turnagin Arm - lots of scenic spots along here for photos, including hooligan fishermen at Bird Creek, beluga whales at Beluga Point, and dall sheep on the cliffs. This is a busy road with lots of accidents, so make sure you can pull off safely.

 

Denali - if the mountain is out, there are two pulloffs (South and North) where you can park the car, use the bathroom, and take photos.

 

Summit Pass - nice lake and views south of the Talkeetna mountains

 

Photo ops and stops vary by season, with the most stops for me when fall colors are out.

 

Yes, I don't recommend the single day drive for new visitors. :) I've gotten plenty of emails about the tight timeframes that were negative and I've done enough driving in Alaska as well. My slant is based on all the above "highlight" areas, and with a single day, in no way having the time for it. I've always enjoyed side tracking for a few HOURS when McKinley is viewable, from Talkeetna, then spending a slow drive and stop to the fantastic McKinley viewing off the Parks for some more time. Add, anything else I get a look at. :)

 

I do think it makes a big difference on multi time visitors, or residents. You can "afford" to hightail it and make time in transits. You've been exposed to the wonders of Alaska many many times, and just my opinion, can afford to miss some. :) It's like me, going on some "lacking" cruiseship itineraries due to my multi times sailing, but definately would not be the best choice for a first timer perhaps.

 

I find that many times, people do underestimate transit times in Alaska. Just trying to add a cushion as an overall suggestion. Sometimes when you do recommend very tight schedules, the visitor then shaves more off, again not realizing many factors, then it becomes one big marathon problem that can't be easily done.

 

Just add time, where possible, there is so much unknown along the way, that may be worth a look. :)