Can Denali be done in a day?

[RMcoolX]

I have one full day to spend in the Anchorage area with a rental car and nothing else planned. Will it be feasible to plan a day trip to Denali and take in the sights there? Can I do it on my own in the car, or should I book a tour?

 

If it is not advisable to make the trip, what other recommendations would you have for me?

 

(P.S. I'm already doing the Kenai Fjords 6hr glacier tour the previous day)

[Texas Tillie]

I have one full day to spend in the Anchorage area with a rental car and nothing else planned. Will it be feasible to plan a day trip to Denali and take in the sights there? Can I do it on my own in the car, or should I book a tour?

 

If it is not advisable to make the trip, what other recommendations would you have for me?

 

(P.S. I'm already doing the Kenai Fjords 6hr glacier tour the previous day)

 

Are you talking about driving up to Denali in the morning and coming back the same day?? I'd say the answer to that is no way Jose. It's about 250 miles from Anchorage to Denali, but it's not like getting on I 45 and driving up to Dallas. Most of the way is a 2 lane road. If there is any problem there can be long backups. (I'm remembering last summer when a tank truck flipped over and blocked the highway for HOURS.) I'd say you need to consider staying much closer to Anchorage - maybe Wasilla, Palmer, Girdwood.

 

Alaska is great and Denali is wonderful - but don't consider Denali unless you have a minimum of 2 nights there.:)

[laughing husky]

Plus you can't take your car into Denali past 13 miles....

[cruiseej]

I have one full day to spend in the Anchorage area with a rental car and nothing else planned. Will it be feasible to plan a day trip to Denali and take in the sights there? Can I do it on my own in the car, or should I book a tour?

 

While I agree with the advice above, I figured I should add that it is possible to do Denali in a day, if you're a traveler who doesn't mind a really long day and is willing to "do what it takes" in order to see everything you can. If you get on the road from Anchorage at 6 a.m. and drive straight to Denali with very little stopping -- and run into no road delays -- you could get there about 11 a.m. So you could book in advance a Denali shuttle trip for noon. If you go all the way to the Eielson visitor center, which is recommended, it's about an 8 hour round trip inside the park. (You could get off the shuttle at one of the earlier stops and catch a return shuttle for a shorter trip, but you'd be significantly limiting your opportunities to see the mountain and wildlife.) And after your shuttle trip in the park, then you have the five hour drive back to Anchorage to round out your 18+ hour day! So it's clearly quite a stretch to pull this off, but it could be done by an adventurous and tireless traveler!

 

Much better would be if you could possibly change your accommodations for one or both of the nights. You said you're coming up from Seward the day before; are you taking the 8 am or the 11:30 Kenai Fjords trip? If the former, you could consider driving beyond Anchorage that evening, perhaps to Talkeetna, which would cut your drive time to Denali the next morning. Or you could stay in Anchorage as planned the first night, drive to Denali early in the morning, and then stay in the Denali area after your afternoon shuttle trip into the park -- still a long day, but more plausible than doing the Anchorage roundtrip in one day.

 

-- Eric

[boingy300]

We were in Vegas and drove 6-7 hours to the Gr. Canyon. We said "There it is kids" Stayed 1 hour and drove back. We truly did not enjoy it because we were dreading that long hot drive back. Now if you get up at 3am, drive and don't get back until 11pm....? I wouldn't do it, but I swore off all long trips.

Karen

[Chenega]

Denali really deserves more than a one-day turnaround from Anchorage. Better for a one day trip to the Matanuska Valley or Hatcher Pass.

[NancyIL]

There are day trips to Denali from Talkeetna that fly there and back, and I think it can be done from Anchorage, too. That's the only way I'd try to see Denali in a day.

[Budget Queen]

While I agree with the advice above, I figured I should add that it is possible to do Denali in a day, if you're a traveler who doesn't mind a really long day and is willing to "do what it takes" in order to see everything you can. If you get on the road from Anchorage at 6 a.m. and drive straight to Denali with very little stopping -- and run into no road delays -- you could get there about 11 a.m. So you could book in advance a Denali shuttle trip for noon. If you go all the way to the Eielson visitor center, which is recommended, it's about an 8 hour round trip inside the park. (You could get off the shuttle at one of the earlier stops and catch a return shuttle for a shorter trip, but you'd be significantly limiting your opportunities to see the mountain and wildlife.) And after your shuttle trip in the park, then you have the five hour drive back to Anchorage to round out your 18+ hour day! So it's clearly quite a stretch to pull this off, but it could be done by an adventurous and tireless traveler!

 

Much better would be if you could possibly change your accommodations for one or both of the nights. You said you're coming up from Seward the day before; are you taking the 8 am or the 11:30 Kenai Fjords trip? If the former, you could consider driving beyond Anchorage that evening, perhaps to Talkeetna, which would cut your drive time to Denali the next morning. Or you could stay in Anchorage as planned the first night, drive to Denali early in the morning, and then stay in the Denali area after your afternoon shuttle trip into the park -- still a long day, but more plausible than doing the Anchorage roundtrip in one day.

 

-- Eric

 

Sorry, but this definately is not recommended. These are 2 lane roads, plenty of delays possible. Have you been there??? You need to allow 6 hours for Anchorage/Denali Park, and you suggest adding another 10 hour shttle bus???? Sorry, no.

[RMcoolX]

Thank-you to all who gave feedback. After taking it all in, I think it will be best if I do Denali on a future trip.

 

Any other suggestions for someone with a day to burn in the Anchorage area (with a rental car and looking to go north, east, or west)?

[vbmom87]

Thank-you to all who gave feedback. After taking it all in, I think it will be best if I do Denali on a future trip.

 

Any other suggestions for someone with a day to burn in the Anchorage area (with a rental car and looking to go north, east, or west)?

 

If you are interested in seeing glaciers up close you could go to Whittier and take a PWS tour through Esther Passage. There are several vendors that provide this service.

 

There are several different day drives from Anchorage that you could do. Here is info. Make sure you click on "details" for each drive to see what you could see along the way:

 

http://alaska.org/driving/classic-day-drives.htm

 

You could visit the Alaska Heritage Center:

 

http://www.alaskanative.net/

[vbmom87]

Here is the Trip Advisor list of recommended things to see and do in the Anchorage area. Look them over and then post more specific questions.

 

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g60880-Activities-Anchorage_Alaska.html

[Lanaki]

There is also the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center (http://www.awcc.org/home.html) and Portage Lake and glacier.

[Budget Queen]

Could do a glacier trek!!! Drive Hatcher Pass along the way. :)

[RMcoolX]

Just got back. We did Denali in one long day. Woke up at 0430hrs in Anchorage, drove to Talkeetna and got a flightseeing tour (thanks Toursaver) around Mt McKinley. Got some amazing views since there was not a cloud in the sky. We were then dropped off near Denali National Park for an 8hr bus tour. Got back to Anchorage around 8pm and crashed in the bed!!!

 

So it can be done at a price...and time!

[NancyIL]

Just got back. We did Denali in one long day. Woke up at 0430hrs in Anchorage, drove to Talkeetna and got a flightseeing tour (thanks Toursaver) around Mt McKinley. Got some amazing views since there was not a cloud in the sky. We were then dropped off near Denali National Park for an 8hr bus tour. Got back to Anchorage around 8pm and crashed in the bed!!!

 

So it can be done at a price...and time!

 

I'm glad the day trip worked out for you!

[Galssuncog]

Talkeetna Aero Services has a Denali Park Day Trip. You get picked up in Anchorage early in the AM, fly to the airport near the Park entrance (and see Mt McKinley on the way), take the park bus trip, then get picked up in the evening, and are flown back to Anchorage. It can be a long day, but the scenic flight en route is spectacular!

[RMcoolX]

Talkeetna Aero Services has a Denali Park Day Trip. You get picked up in Anchorage early in the AM, fly to the airport near the Park entrance (and see Mt McKinley on the way), take the park bus trip, then get picked up in the evening, and are flown back to Anchorage. It can be a long day, but the scenic flight en route is spectacular!

 

They do that trip from Anchorage or from Talkeetna. Of course it costs more from Anchorage, but it may be worth it for those who don't want to drive to Talkeetna.