Denali Shuttle Bus--Wonder Lake or Kantishna?

[mtnhappy]

We have decided to take a shuttle bus into Denali (rather than the tundra wilderness or natural history tours). Is it worth it to go all the way to Kantishna (13 hours) or should it be enough to just go up to Wonder Lake (11 hours)?

 

We are concerned that being on the bus for that long of time will be too long.

 

Let's take a vote: who says go all the way Kantishna and who says go to Wonder Lake? And why?

 

Thanks for your input!

[mtnbikechick73]

Why not do the 6-hour tour to Tolklat, or the 8-hour tour to Eielson? There is no way I could stay on a converted school bus for 11-13 hours! I asked on the boards not long ago about cancelling my NHT, and another poster that had taken the Royal Caribbean cruisetour as we are cancelled her NHT and took the 8-hour shuttle bus tour to Eielson. She said it leaves around 6 AM (the confirmation paperwork for me says 6:30 AM) and gets back around 2 PM. She stated they saw 24 grizzly bears on this tour, not to mention had a wonderful bus driver with lots of commentary and saw a ton of other animals.

 

I booked this tour for my husband and I - my back might not be thrilled with the bouncy bus, but for grizzlies and spectacular scenery, I think it's worth it! Have a great trip!

[frugaltravel]

I would book to Wonder Lake. If the Mountain is out, you can get off at the "Y" near Wonder Lake and walk to Reflection Pond (1/4 mile) to get a great reflection photo, then pick up the bus again at the Y as it returns to the entrance about 30-45 minutes later. Decent chance to see caribou and moose between Eielson and Wonder Lake, and sometimes bears. I even saw a lynx near Wonder Lake on my last trip.

 

I would for sure go at least as far as Eielson - great scenery, good chance for bears and wolves between Toklat and Eielson, Eielson Visitor Center is worth a 15-30 minute stop.

[PennyAgain]

Wonder Lake is first choice but I have camped there and had days of Denali views. Eielson is 2nd choice. 13 hours on that bus would be cruel for someone with back issues.

[Meiying]

We had the same question when we were planning our trip and we ended up only going to Eielson. We had heard that during the timeframe that we would be there that there are a lot of bugs at Wonder Lake - I am a mosquito magnet - so that ruled it out for us right away. We also heard (but could certainly be wrong) that there was less wildlife from the point of Eielson on. We sat at the front of the bus and I was where the wheel hub is. It was uncomfortable but not once did I think, "Oh my gosh, we have been on this bus forever." When it was over, I was actually shocked at how quickly the 8 hours went.

[frugaltravel]

We also heard (but could certainly be wrong) that there was less wildlife from the point of Eielson on.

 

That has been mentioned more than once on this board but it certainly has not been my experience. Almost every trip between Eielson and Wonder Lake I see caribou and moose, I often see swans, sometimes bears, and last time even saw a lynx and merlin (falcon family).

 

We sat at the front of the bus and I was where the wheel hub is. It was uncomfortable but not once did I think, "Oh my gosh, we have been on this bus forever." When it was over, I was actually shocked at how quickly the 8 hours went.

 

Some people like that front seat. I don't. Not only can there be the wheel hump, but even without the wheel hump, often there is a "wall" between the driver and the first seat so there is little or no leg room. And the high seat of the bus drivers blocks your forward view. The second or third seat is nice since you are still close enough to the driver to ask questions and chat but don't have the limited legroom.

[Lanaki]

We have decided to take a shuttle bus into Denali (rather than the tundra wilderness or natural history tours). Is it worth it to go all the way to Kantishna (13 hours) or should it be enough to just go up to Wonder Lake (11 hours)?

 

We are concerned that being on the bus for that long of time will be too long.

 

Let's take a vote: who says go all the way Kantishna and who says go to Wonder Lake? And why?

 

Thanks for your input!

 

We just got back from our trip and we choose to go all the way to Wonder Lake and happy we did. We had the head net just in case but never had to use it. Wonder Lake was beautiful and we walked part-way around it. The mountain was partial out on and off. But the lake itself and the surrounding area was just beautiful. Well worth the drive out. Would not go to Kantishna as there did not seem to be much to see once you got there. It was really nice to be there and not have the misquito problem.

 

My vote is for Wonder Lake. You can always change your mind and get off at Eielson and go back on the next bus if you decided not to go all the way to Wonder Lake. That was my back up plan but we decided to keep going.

 

Good luck!

[vegs1]

We also heard (but could certainly be wrong) that there was less wildlife from the point of Eielson on. We sat at the front of the bus and I was where the wheel hub is. It was uncomfortable but not once did I think, "Oh my gosh, we have been on this bus forever." When it was over, I was actually shocked at how quickly the 8 hours went.

 

We, too, sat in the front seat behind the driver with the wheel hub. My daughter and I didn't mind at all. In fact, it was great as we had a lot of wildlife directly in front of the bus. All I had to do was stick my head into the aisle for a clear shot out the front window of the bus. We didn't find it uncomfortable and were also surprised at just how fast 8 hours went. That being said, next time I will go to Wonder Lake just for the experience of it.

[lorilea]

We went all the way to Wonder Lake even though the mountain was not out. We only saw birds (bald eagles, golden eagles, trumpeter swans, ducks, Arctic terns) between Eielson and Wonder Lake but were still happy that we went. Our bus driver even swam in Wonder Lake. The scenery was still beautiful, the mosquitoes were not bad and quite frankly, we did not want the best day of our trip to end! It certainly did not feel like 11 hrs and we were travelling with our 2 children (11 and 14) who were also fine with the trip. In fact, before we went that day we had planned to turn back at Eielson even though I had paid for Wonder Lake.

That said, we were very fortunate and saw a lot of wildlife close to the bus between the WAC and Eielson - 9 grizzly bears, 9 moose, 6 or 7 foxes, a wolf and a lynx on the road in front of the bus, 2 caribou, snowshoe hares, eagles etc. I don't think it was a typical day in the park.

[mtnhappy]

Thanks everyone! Wonder Lake it is!

 

I would book to Wonder Lake. If the Mountain is out, you can get off at the "Y" near Wonder Lake and walk to Reflection Pond (1/4 mile) to get a great reflection photo, then pick up the bus again at the Y as it returns to the entrance about 30-45 minutes later. Decent chance to see caribou and moose between Eielson and Wonder Lake, and sometimes bears. I even saw a lynx near Wonder Lake on my last trip.

 

I would for sure go at least as far as Eielson - great scenery, good chance for bears and wolves between Toklat and Eielson, Eielson Visitor Center is worth a 15-30 minute stop.

 

frugaltravel--so you only have to walk 1/4 mile to see a Wonder Lake reflection pond? The Denali Park Rangers told me you have to walk like 2 miles each way to see that if you don't take the Kantishna bus?

What is the Y?