Denali Princess lodge to pick up Eielson shuttle

[petlady7]

Hi guys

 

A few questions :

 

1. What times do the Eielson shuttle buses go throughout the day and when we book can we specify a time ?

 

2. How do we get from the Princess lodge to pick up the Eielson shuttle and what times ?

 

3. Will we be able to get back to the lodge if we took an afternoon Eielson shuttle ?

 

Any help will be much appreciated , thank you

[Budget Queen]

You book a specific date and time for any shuttle bus, except the Savage River, which is walk up. You need to take the Princess Lodge shuttle bus to the Wilderness Access Center, or walk the 1+++ miles. Bring all your own food and drink.

 

This year Princess did have an after hours pick up for a fee. Inquire if it's going to continue next year, when they open in May.

[petlady7]

Thank you BQ

 

Do you know how long it takes from Denali Princess lodge to the WAC please ?

 

Also I have been doing a lot of research and am I right in seeing that the differences between the shuttle and the TWT are as follows ?

 

No video or zoom in wildlife cameras on the shuttle bus

No narration on the shuttle

No packed lunch

 

Are these the only differences ?

The shuttle is so much cheaper so is obviously a great option but will we be missing out on anything compared to the tour

[vbmom87]

No video or zoom in wildlife cameras on the shuttle bus

No narration on the shuttle

No packed lunch

 

 

No video or zoom cameras on the shuttle buses is correct.

 

Most shuttle drivers will provide a narration. Mine surely gave an excellent narration along the route. If they want a good tip, they will give a good presentation. ;)

 

Correct, the shuttles do not provide any food. You are on your own to bring something with you.

 

With the shuttles you also have the freedom to get on and off as you like and pick up another shuttle to continue on your journey when you are ready to proceed.

 

We did the shuttle and were very happy. Some day if I go back I might try a tour. I would like to experience it first hand to see what I think.

[PennyAgain]

For the Tundra Wilderness Tours you buy a ticket for a specific bus and will have an unassigned seat on that bus. You can't change buses along the way or spend any extra time with the idea of getting a later bus.

 

In an emergency they will take someone off a TWT bus and put them on a bus going back to the WAC. If you have a non-emergency situation and wish to get on a bus returning to the WAC your driver liker will try to negotiate a ride for you but it will likely be on a shuttle as the TWT buses run full.

 

The drivers are good guides on either sort of bus.

 

I've escorted folks on the TWT bus and have had the experience of doing that tour. It was a beautiful day with Denali out in full, but we got rushed back on to the TWT bus and were soon on our way in the direction of not having that view.

 

If I had been on an ordinary shuttle, I would have stayed for the view for as long as it lasted which in Denali NP can be seconds or hours.

 

The TWT lunches are no big deal. I always take my own food in any case and my own beverages.

[JJPacer]

Water is available to refill your water bottles at Eielson Visitor Center.

 

Princess offers an early shuttle to the WAC if you take a park shuttle that starts before the Princess shuttle starts. It was $10.00 pp. They offer an after shuttle hours pick up too.

 

It takes about 10 min. to get to the WAC from Princess

 

Another big difference between the shuttle bus and the TWT, is that TWT only goes 53 mi. into the park. Eielson is at mile 66. The differences between that 13 mi. are 1) you miss Eielson if you take TWT. It's a very nice visitor center, with displays, running water, great views of McKinley, hiking trails, picnic tables, etc. The first time we went to Eielson, McKinley was not visible, but the clouds parted briefly so we could see it. I have a beautiful picture of the clouds in the foreground & McKinley in the background. 2) if McKinley is visible, you will see it 13 mi. farther away than if you see it at Eielson. TWT turns around at mi. 53, you won't get any closer, and you can't get off if you want to stay longer. The 2nd time we went to Eielson, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and we had a beautiful view of Mt. McKinley in it's full glory.

 

The box lunches are available to purchase at Princess lodge. You place your order the night before, and pick it up in the morning before taking the Princess shuttle to WAC. It's very convenient. We also bought breakfast food (OJ, ceral- milk & spoon included- yogurt, etc) when we picked up the box lunch. You can eat on the shuttle bus. As a matter of fact, the rangers prefer you to eat on the shuttle busses.

 

Here is the website that will give you the Park shuttle bus times, based on your destination. http://www.reservedenali.com/ The Princess shuttle runs frequently between the lodge & WAC. I don't remember the exact times. It was about every 15 - 30 min. Princess will tell you what times their shuttle runs, & the Princess shuttle times are posted at the pick up point at the WAC.

 

We were very pleased with the narrative of the Park shuttle driver. Take good binoculars or a camera with a long range zoom, and you won't have any trouble viewing wildlife.

[alaskawdw12]

Just wanted to add my 2 cents...

I think the shuttle makes a lot more sense, since it's so much cheaper, and you can get off and on when you want. We took the Eielson shuttle, and really enjoyed all of the exhibits and the film at the Eielson center. We also went on a free ranger guided walk, of which they offer 2 at different lengths and levels of difficulty (you can read abuot them on the park website under "ranger programs"). For us, that was the best part of the whole ride.

The bus was also pretty comfortable, and my husband has a bad back.

 

I do have to say, though, that it's not for sure that your driver will provide a narration. On the way into the park we had a driver who didn't speak English...He was a very sweet guy, but he spoke spanish, and barely any English, so he didn't explain ANYTHING the entire drive, and he also was no good at spotting animals, or even saying what kind of animal we were looking at at one point...

Luckily, on the way back we had a great driver, who's been doing this for 28 years (if I remember correctly). He was fantastic! He knew everything about everything and it was crazy how he could spot wildlife off in the distance, while getting us safely to the front of the park.

So be prepared that even though I guess the majority of the drivers give good narations (the people who have answered you are the real Alaska experts here...I've only been there once) you may end up getting the one guy who doesn't speak English :) But you'll still see bears (probably)! so that's ok.

[PennyAgain]

The Spanish speaking drivers should be allowed to carry the folks for who Spanish is a preferred language but it seems that isn't how it works in the real world.

 

With modifications coming up for the was the shuttles run and what sort of buses are used, we hope that some modern detais are included.

[alaskawdw12]

I think he was just a new driver, because he also seemed to be struggling with the road a little. He'll probably get better with time and confidence. At the end of the day, the drivers are paid to get the guests in and out of the park safely, which he did :) It was just too bad not to get any info on Denali during the first four hours.

[frugaltravel]

Easy solution if you dont have a good shuttle driver is to just hop off the bus at Tek rest stop or elsewhere and hop on the next bus!

[petlady7]

Thank you everybody for your thoughts and info , very informative and much appreciated

[Budget Queen]

 

I do have to say, though, that it's not for sure that your driver will provide a narration. On the way into the park we had a driver who didn't speak English...He was a very sweet guy, but he spoke spanish, and barely any English, so he didn't explain ANYTHING the entire drive, and he also was no good at spotting animals, or even saying what kind of animal we were looking at at one point...

 

QUOTE]

 

It is never the "driver's" job to spot any wildlife. It's the passenger's responsibility. All you do is yell "stop" and the bus does.

[Budget Queen]

The other big plus for Eielson, is flush toilets!!!!!

[Budget Queen]

 

Another big difference between the shuttle bus and the TWT, is that TWT only goes 53 mi. into the park. Eielson is at mile 66. The differences between that 13 mi. are 1) you miss Eielson if you take TWT. It's a very nice visitor center, with displays, running water, great views of McKinley, hiking trails, picnic tables, etc. The first time we went to Eielson, McKinley was not visible, but the clouds parted briefly so we could see it. I have a beautiful picture of the clouds in the foreground & McKinley in the background. 2) if McKinley is visible, you will see it 13 mi. farther away than if you see it at Eielson. TWT turns around at mi. 53, you won't get any closer, and you can't get off if you want to stay longer. The 2nd time we went to Eielson, there wasn't a cloud in the sky and we had a beautiful view of Mt. McKinley in it's full glory.

 

.

 

This is not accurate. Most Tundra Wilderness tours, go to Stoney Point mile 63.

 

At Eielson there is an Aramark employee, that dispatches the buses and accounts for the seats. Upgrades for Wonder Lake are available but in short supply, with McKinley viewable. Head right over- if interested. You also have to check in with them if you are NOT returning on your same bus out of Eielson.

[PennyAgain]

I am a very good animal spotter and it doesn't take long for the shuttle drivers to pick up on that. And I can yell.

 

The shuttle buses make a lot of noise, especially the brakes. Do not assume the driver can hear you. Really speak up!

 

It is better to yell 'Stop' as BQ says rather than the all to common, 'What's that?' 'Is that an animal?' etc.

[alaskawdw12]

It is never the "driver's" job to spot any wildlife. It's the passenger's responsibility. All you do is yell "stop" and the bus does.

 

It's not his job to spot the animals, but it does help when you have a great driver who can also help with spotting them. Our driver on the way in didn't even stop on time when the whole bus was yelling...we kept missing things. Not a big deal, even though a lot of people were getting angry. I knew we were switching buses at Eielson, so I didn't let it get to me.

[frugaltravel]

Note - some of you guys need to learn how to use/edit quotes. It really is not that hard :)

 

It's not his job to spot the animals, but it does help when you have a great driver who can also help with spotting them.

 

As was said earlier, if you don't like a bus driver, just get off anywhere, even along the road, and catch another bus. Most drivers whose buses I have been on spot wildlife that is in front of the bus (which can be often if there are lots of turns in the road). Most drivers don't spot wildlife off to the side. They need to keep their concentration on the road.

 

I have had some bus drivers who are great spotters, some not so much. YMMV.

[alaskawdw12]

Note - some of you guys need to learn how to use/edit quotes. It really is not that hard :)

 

 

 

As was said earlier, if you don't like a bus driver, just get off anywhere, even along the road, and catch another bus. Most drivers whose buses I have been on spot wildlife that is in front of the bus (which can be often if there are lots of turns in the road). Most drivers don't spot wildlife off to the side. They need to keep their concentration on the road.

 

I have had some bus drivers who are great spotters, some not so much. YMMV.

 

Better?

 

My whole point of this whole thing was just to say that you can't assume that you'll get great narration from the driver. Everyone on these boards always writes that all the drivers give great narrations and know the parks like the back of their hands. I just wanted to tell the OP that that's NOT true, and you might get a driver who doesn't talk the entire drive.

Yes, you can switch buses along the way, and that's valuable information for the OP.

I just think it's important for people to know that you're not paying for narration, so you might not get it. That's all I was saying. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

BTW, we couldn't get off the bus, since we wanted to make it in time for the ranger walk.

[frugaltravel]

My whole point of this whole thing was just to say that you can't assume that you'll get great narration from the driver. Everyone on these boards always writes that all the drivers give great narrations and know the parks like the back of their hands.

 

I would say that you are incorrect in what you think people on this board say. Not everyone says that all the drivers always give great narrations. I have never said that and I assume you included me in "everyone." I know Budget Queen also does not say that. In fact, I have mentioned more than once that there are some drivers, especially but not only, if you get onto a camper bus within the park, where the drivers don't give as good of a commentary.

 

I think that the regular visitors to Denali Park will say that most shuttle bus drivers give a very good commentary, with some drivers being excellent. In my dozens of days in the park (probably hundreds of days), it is very rare to get a shuttle bus driver who gives no commentary.

 

The ranger-led walk (Eielson stroll?) is at 1pm and the Ridge Hike is at noon, both from Eielson. The easiest solution is to book an early shuttle so if someone gets a driver with little or no commentary, get off the bus and wait for the next one. Even in the "shoulder" season, at least two buses get to Eielson before noon. In the peak season, no fewer than 9 buses get to Eielson before noon.

[Budget Queen]

Better?

 

My whole point of this whole thing was just to say that you can't assume that you'll get great narration from the driver. Everyone on these boards always writes that all the drivers give great narrations and know the parks like the back of their hands. I just wanted to tell the OP that that's NOT true, and you might get a driver who doesn't talk the entire drive.

Yes, you can switch buses along the way, and that's valuable information for the OP.

I just think it's important for people to know that you're not paying for narration, so you might not get it. That's all I was saying. Nothing more, nothing less.

 

BTW, we couldn't get off the bus, since we wanted to make it in time for the ranger walk.

 

How many trips do you have in Denali?? Overall, the Eielson and Wonder Lake shuttle bus drivers are excellent. Even on the tour buses, it is a BIG mistake to just sit back and think the dirver/guide is going to show you everything.

 

You will find on shuttle buses, sometimes a"different" type of passenger who is involved, very intently, with wildlife spotting. I know I am. All the eyes possible, yields the most wildlife.

[vbmom87]

My whole point of this whole thing was just to say that you can't assume that you'll get great narration from the driver.

 

I am sure some people reading your post will appreciate you making them aware of your experience. The general tone on this forum over the last few years has been that the shuttle drivers usually provide good narration. However, I have come across a few posts where people, like yourself, got a driver who did not offer much narration. However, these posts are definitely in the minority, and unless you are a regular reader of most of the threads on this forum you may not have come across it. You bringing it up again is a good thing, so future travelers planning to go on the shuttle will know that there are no guarantees.

 

I am really sorry you did not have a better experience as I know how much a good presentation can add to any experience.

 

It is true that people have the option of getting off the bus and trying to get on another one, but not everyone would be comfortable doing that, and we posters need to be more sensitive to others. What seems simple to one person, can be quiet trying and stressful to another.

 

I hope if you ever get back to Denali you have a better experience.

[PennyAgain]

It is my habit to get down off a shuttle bus and spend time alone in Denali NP, but as mentioned above, most visitors are not willing to do this. I crave my time alone.

 

I have waited with people who got down off the shuttle to do some walking and then got cold feet about being so alone. I wave down the next shuttle in the direction they want to go and the looks they have when I walk away from that shuttle are priceless.

 

Old woman out walking alone makes some people very nervous.

 

When I get to the point where walking in Denali NP is not a good personal decision, I'll still enjoy riding the shuttles.

[frugaltravel]

It is true that people have the option of getting off the bus and trying to get on another one, but not everyone would be comfortable doing that, and we posters need to be more sensitive to others. What seems simple to one person, can be quiet trying and stressful to another.

 

I agree on all points, but if someone gets off at a rest stop, as I suggested upthread, it is a lot less daunting to those who might not feel comfortable walking along the park road. Heck, you can lock yourself in the bathroom until the next bus comes :D

[vbmom87]

Heck, you can lock yourself in the bathroom until the next bus comes :D

 

Too Funny!!!!

 

However, even getting off at a rest stop and waiting for another bus, would not be as simple as it sounds to some people. I know that for many travelers, it would simply be part of the adventure of the day. However, for others, it would make for a very stressful experience. We all have our limits of comfort. It is good to know what they are, so we don't stroke out. :eek:

[petlady7]

Thanks to everybody for their input , will be going on the shuttle instead of the TWT , so much cheaper , I will do some research myself on the NP beforehand so if I get a driver that cannot narrate then at least I will have some insight into the history of the park etc.

I think with so many people on the shuttles with eyes glued for wildlife I would prefer the driver kept his eyes on the road !!

Really looking forward to my Alaskan trip in June 2013