binsjohn

My wife and I are taking a long trip (North Carolina to Alaska and back) this summer with our small travel trailer. We've already made reservations at campgrounds in Yellowstone (1 week) and Banff/Jasper (1 week). After leaving Jasper we'll head up to Anchorage to visit with family. We've made reservations at one of the Denali lodges and plan to leave our trailer with our family in Anchorage and drive to Denali vs. taking the train so we'll have more freedom of movement in the Denali area. We'll also spend some time on the Kenai peninsula, though that part of the trip hasn't taken shape yet.

We've budgeted four days in Denali, but this will be our first time there and would appreciate any recommendations about the trip (bus tours, restaurants, etc.) and photo ops. We're also wondering if we can feel reasonably secure about finding campgrounds between Jasper and Anchorage without making reservations in advance.

Thanks in advance for your help.

fmalquist

There are great photo ops all around and in the park. To really go into the park you will have to take a park service bus tour. There is only one road into the park and it is closed a few miles inside the park to outside traffic without a special permit. There are two bus tours, one that goes about 2/3 the distance of the other one. The longer drive can include a night in the park. We took the shorter tour and had a great time. The wildlife is outstanding including many caribou, a grizzly, moose and other smaller animals. We went in August and the mountain is usually shrouded in clouds, as it was the day we went. We also took a plane ride around the mountain which was spectacular and gave us a very unique view. There is also a Denali State park which gives different angles of the mountain. I believe the view of the mountain reflected in a lake is from the state park. Enjoy the trip, it is wonderful.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

In July, bring bug spray and a mosquito head net.

GregWCIL Loc: Illinois

You will have great time. Don't forget to buy mosquito headnets. You should reserve a spot on a park bus tour ahead of time if possible. Otherwise make that your first stop. I highly recommend leaving on the earliest bus and going clear back to Wonder Lake. You can get off of one bus, spend some extra time, and get on another park bus. However, you may have to wait for several buses (they travel about every 15 minutes) because the one you want may be full.

Another option is to stay at one of only 3 lodges back in the park. Two of them are very expensive but worth it. We stayed at North Face Lodge for 3 nights and had very knowledgeable naturalist guides every day. The third one is associated with Kantishna Air Taxi. Their room rates are much lower. I believe they offer a package where you take their bus in on the park road, stay overnight, then fly around the mountain on their plane as you head back out. I think this is a great combo. But I'm not sure what they offer for activities while you are at their lodge.

Once you've done the whole park road trip, there are still lots of other things to do at the park. You can take one of the shorter, inexpensive bus trips in and have them drop you, then hike for part of the day and hop on a returning bus. With your own car you can drive the first 15 miles of the park road. We went back and forth on that several times and got really close to both bears and moose. Also, a night in Talkeetna is well worth it. Lots of nice restaurants and home of some of the best Denali Airplane tour companies. Do take a flight around the mountain. A group of little old ladies in Talkeetna operate the historical society museum. It is very well done and every afternoon a park ranger gives a talk on climbing Denali. (Most climbing parties fly out of there and you have to get a permit from the Park Service.)

I know some of my suggestions are somewhat pricey, but you won't regret doing any of them. Oh, here's a free activity: On the south edge of Anchorage is a spot called Potter's Marsh. It has a boardwalk to walk around the marsh and you are almost guaranteed getting close to all sorts of birds. And a decent chance of seeing a Bald Eagle or moose.

These photos were all from Denali. (BTW, you will want your widest lens and your longest lens.)

You will probably want to plan your trip back into the park on weather. The mountain is only visible 30% of the time.

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Taken about 1:30 a.m., half an hour after sunset. Only way to get this photo is to camp at Wonder Lake or stay at one of the park lodges at the end of the road.

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One of many huge glaciers on the flanks of Denali. Moments later our plane landed on the glacier.

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Moose along first 15 miles of park road.

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Keldon Loc: Yukon, B.C.

There is a fair number of mainly private campgrounds once you get on the Alcan Highway(called the Alaska Highway by Canadians). You're only a few hours drive from the start of it once you leave Jasper. Once on the highway however, why bother with campgrounds? Just find a nice stream to camp beside each evening, no one is going to mind. Be sure to stop at Liard Hotsprings for a relaxing soak. It's a Provincial Campground and park.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

The classic shot of Denali with the lake in the foreground is taken from inside Denali Nat’l Park, and the lake is Wonder Lake. You can only access the lake if you have reserved a camping spot there or you take one of the bus tours. Just so you know ahead of time, Denali/Mt. McKinley is such a huge standalone piece of real estate, it tends to generate its own weather. As a result, you will have only about a 30-40% chance of actually seeing the whole mountain. So there are times when the weather will be sunny and nearly cloudless, but the mountain is covered with clouds. Hope for a good day when you’re at the Park.

LarryFitz Loc: Beacon NY

My wife and I did Kantishna Wilderness Trails bus in Denali last August, The bus had large windows, that were easily lower, Stopped several times on the way to the Kantishna lodge. Lunch and a snack were included on the round trip. They pick up people from several Denali hotels. We were luck, they over book our bus, so they ran two bus, each with about 25 people so lots of room to move around.

Yes Denali likes to play hide and seek. They tell you only 1 out of 3 times do you get to see Denali. Total fog in on train ride from Fairbanks, mostly fogged in during Kantishna Wilderness Trails, but bus from Denali to Anchorage stopped at Talkeetna and had a good view of Denali.

billnikon Loc: Pennsylvania/Ohio/Florida/Maui/Oregon/Vermont

tripadvisor.com

redixon

If you have not already done so book your campsites at Banff and Jasper right away. They opened for online booking this week and I understand that the weekend dates over the summer are almost full.

It sounds like a great trip and I hope to be able to do something similar in a few years.

Fotomacher Loc: Toronto

In July 2012, my wife and I hired a private photographer/ guide and spent a week photographing along the Old Denali Highway (137 mile gravel road) and stayed at the Alpine Creek Lodge. The other guests were shooting with guns, not cameras! It was great and there was NO ONE anywhere near us. We were the only photographers in the area.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

As said, do the bus tour - we were afraid the full-day tour would be too long, with two teenagers in tow, but the guide was great and very entertaining, we saw a lot of wildlife and beautiful spots, no one got bored, and it was well worth it. Anything you plan in Alaska in the summer should be planned with reservations as far in advance as possible. Activities and lodging around Homer and Seward fill up quickly.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Stay at Kantishna Roadhouse if you can. Once in a lifetime.

Don’t know park policy now but some years ago we were allowed to drive our Ford Explorer into the park, all the way to the Roadhouse.

Wingpilot Loc: Wasilla. Ak

Just a word of advice to those traveling to Alaska this summer, on your own, not with a tour company, now is not too soon to book hotel and motel accommodations. The tour companies snap up a lot of the rooms in blocks, and other visitors take the rest early on in the year. If you wait or intend on just getting a room for the night somewhere, you very well wil be disappointed with a lot of “no vacancies,” unless there is a last minute cancellation by someone. And be prepared to pay upwards of $350.00 a night for a room in places like Valdez, Seward and Homer. Likewise, if your’e planning on coming up in an RV, pick your camping places/RV parks and make your reservations early as they tend to fill up early on. Just a heads up. I will have to say that occasionally you wil find a less expensive room, but choose your hotel or motel carefully, as there are plenty of “fleabag” places up here. In Anchorage, especially, be careful. It might just pay to spend more on a room in a good hotel.

ORpilot Loc: Prineville, Or

The absolute "bible" for travel to and in Alaska is: "MilePost" it is constantly updated with photos and of course advertisements. It shows the primary routes to Alaska starting from the "lower 48" border. It gives mile by mile information through Canada and Alaska. It also includes the Alaska State Ferry information. One of my favorite campgrounds was Liard River Hot Springs Provincial Park. It was a godsend after traveling weeks on the dusty bumpy ALCAN Hwy. we ended up staying 3 days soaking in the hot springs. The drive from Banff to Jasper is spectacular. Do not take any guns into Canada. Be sure to get your auto insurance endorsement for Canada. Not sure now but there is usually about 400mi of the ALCAN that is gravel. Expect lots of rock damage to your car. Be well aware of your gas milage and how far you can go on a tank of gas. Protect your camper water lines, tanks, and Sewer lines from rock damage. MilePost will tell you, but once on the ALCAN it is legal to pull over and camp anywhere. In Alaska, it is also legal to pull over and camp anywhere except private property. You could easily spend 2 weeks touring around the interior of Alaska from Homer to Fairbanks to Valdez. On your return trip to the lower 48 you may consider taking the Alaska State Ferry from Haines to either Prince Rupert or Seattle. Plan you trip and be flexible.

Keldon Loc: Yukon, B.C.

I'm not sure how long it's been since you drove the "ALcan" but your info is way out of date: it's been paved for the past 20 years at least. True, there is constant upgrades and repairs but over all it is compleetly paved.

[quote=ORpilot]Not sure now but there is usually about 400mi of the ALCAN that is gravel. Expect lots of rock damage to your car.