Excursions mt McKinley

[lovetotraveltx]

I'm looking at a princess cruise tour that gives you a whole day of free time at their mt Mckinley lodge. Does anyone know what excursions you can do from there?

 

Thank you!

[Loonbeam]

They have a list, plus they have a shuttle to Talkeetna and there are tons of private options there. You might want to check the Alaska port of call forum for suggestions.

 

That said, we took that day as a quiet day and just waited for the mountain to come out while hanging in a hot tub.

 

I'm looking at a princess cruise tour that gives you a whole day of free time at their mt Mckinley lodge. Does anyone know what excursions you can do from there?

 

Thank you!

[capriccio]

The absolute best excursion we have ever done on any cruise anywhere was the summit flight out of Talkeetna over Denali. Obviously it requires good weather plus you have to be okay with a small plane and wearing an oxygen mask because you are over 20,000 feet. I was nervous about the plane and the mask but managed just fine -- the views are spectacular and breath-taking (good thing we had the masks :D). It's not cheap but we considered it a once in a lifetime excursion.

[hllwdcruiser]

I've been doing a lot of research on these boards - and we decided to spend less time in Mt Mckinley (only one night) and more time at Denali (2 nights) (DA4,DB4) - we are then going to do either the Tundra Wilderness Tour or take the shuttle offered by the park in Denali on our full day there. From what I've gleaned, the Natural History Tour included in many of the cruise tours does not go far enough into the park.

Because of our budget, we could not include Mt Mckinley for more than one night although there are cruise tours that have Mt Mckinley and Denali for two nights each (HA5,HB5). If we were in Mt Mckinley for two nights we would definitely take the shuttle from the lodge to Talkeetna and book the airplane tour on our own. I would still like to do that - but am not sure if it is feasible with only one night...

Edited March 11, 2014 by hllwdcruiser

[capriccio]

If we were in Mt Mckinley for two nights we would definitely take the shuttle from the lodge to Talkeetna and book the airplane tour on our own. I would still like to do that - but am not sure if it is feasible with only one night...

 

We did it staying at the McKinley lodge for only one night - our luggage was picked up in the morning, we took the hourly (I think) shuttle into Talkeetna, then did a late morning flight, walked over to the train station and got on our train to Anchorage. Worked like a charm! We went with K2 but booked it thru Princess.

[Psychedout]

They have a list, plus they have a shuttle to Talkeetna and there are tons of private options there. You might want to check the Alaska port of call forum for suggestions.

 

That said, we took that day as a quiet day and just waited for the mountain to come out while hanging in a hot tub.

 

did u see the mountain? We hung out also but the day was over cast never saw the Mt. :(

 

Hugh :cool:

[Psychedout]

I've been doing a lot of research on these boards - and we decided to spend less time in Mt Mckinley (only one night) and more time at Denali (2 nights) (DA4,DB4) - we are then going to do either the Tundra Wilderness Tour or take the shuttle offered by the park in Denali on our full day there. From what I've gleaned, the Natural History Tour included in many of the cruise tours does not go far enough into the park.

Because of our budget, we could not include Mt Mckinley for more than one night although there are cruise tours that have Mt Mckinley and Denali for two nights each (HA5,HB5). If we were in Mt Mckinley for two nights we would definitely take the shuttle from the lodge to Talkeetna and book the airplane tour on our own. I would still like to do that - but am not sure if it is feasible with only one night...

 

Do Denali, we did and had a brown bear walk right in front of us : eek:

 

Hugh ;)

[hllwdcruiser]

We did it staying at the McKinley lodge for only one night - our luggage was picked up in the morning, we took the hourly (I think) shuttle into Talkeetna, then did a late morning flight, walked over to the train station and got on our train to Anchorage. Worked like a charm! We went with K2 but booked it thru Princess.

 

Thanks for the info! We just booked for 2015 and I am still doing a happy dance :D before the sticker shock sets in.:eek:

Booking it through Princess on such a tight schedule is probably the best idea- I've heard of people being stranded on top of the mountain due to bad weather rolling in - at least if that happens Princess will either hold the bus or make sure you get to your next destination.

[lovetotraveltx]

Do Denali, we did and had a brown bear walk right in front of us : eek:

 

Hugh ;)

 

We would have 2 nights in Denali princess. Just trying to figure out the Mt. McKinley lodge time.

 

Thank you!

[CruiseGirlKS]

did u see the mountain? We hung out also but the day was over cast never saw the Mt. :(

 

Hugh :cool:

 

That happened to us too! I was so bummed.

[Psychedout]

That happened to us too! I was so bummed.

 

We sat in the Lodge, hope for an opening in the clouds :(

 

Hugh :cool:

[capriccio]

In 2007 (and I imagine now too) you leave your name at the front desk and they will call you if the mountain comes out . When we were there we received the call at 11:30 ("This is Jody at the front desk - quick the mountain is out.") just as we were going to sleep. It was quite funny seeing folks running out of the small lodges, putting on clothes, and trying to take pictures all at the same time :p. It was still light out and many of us sat on the lodge's deck for 2 hours watching the mountain. The next day (when we had our summit flight booked) it was still out so we were very lucky.

[gingera]

Not everyone gets to see the summit of Mt McKinley.....however, it was such a clear day that we were able to see it when we were at the lodge..

what an amazing sight.

 

We were disappointed with the trip into the 'interior' of the park. The road was well travelled and it seemed as though everyone else travelled the same road.

 

We did see one elk, but so far away that we couldn't see it without binoculars.

 

We did have a great trip in Talkeetna...we did a river trip and saw some wildlife....we are from the upper Midwest so we are kinda spoiled with the wildlife.....but, that trip was really nice.

[lhsail]

We did two nights at McKinley and were so glad, but we lucked out and the mountain was out the entire full day there. We started the day early with coffee on their large deck, took a musher tour for the sake of our then 12 year old son, then we're still on the deck at 11:00 that night with a glass of wine. I amazed myself with how enthralled I was with that mountain.

 

We also had a disappointing tour of Denali, hardly saw any wildlife. As you can see, there are many different possible experiences. I also thought the McKinley lodge was much nicer, although the rooms weren't anything overly special.

[Loonbeam]

Yes we did, mostly. It was kind of funny. We were only there one night, the day we arrived was totally overcast, same when we got up in the morning..

 

This was what it looked like on our way back from breakfast (good food at the hotel btw)

 

 

We're packing up in the room and we hear people yelling "The mountain is out" so we dropped everything and ran back to the main lodge (and I do mean RAN)

 

 

Snapped as many pictures as I could, people kept handing me cameras on a bench and we just cranked people through assembly line style to get the shots (my wife had to yell to get US in one shot)

 

You can see the clouds moving back in...

 

 

30 mins later and about 75 photos it was gone.

 

Moral of the story, pay attention and be quick! (BTW, you can also request at the desk to be put on a wakeup call list if the Northern lights appear - we were not so lucky)

 

 

did u see the mountain? We hung out also but the day was over cast never saw the Mt. :(

 

Hugh :cool:

[hllwdcruiser]

We were disappointed with the trip into the 'interior' of the park. The road was well travelled and it seemed as though everyone else travelled the same road.

 

We did see one elk, but so far away that we couldn't see it without binoculars.

 

Wow - that's really distressing - isn't the tour around 8 hours round trip and you only saw one animal? So many on this Board tout the Tundra Wilderness Tour as one of the best parts of their trip - I wonder if it has something to do with the time of day or a particular month.:confused:

Edited March 12, 2014 by hllwdcruiser

[caribill]

Just trying to figure out the Mt. McKinley lodge time.

 

 

Here is what we did:

 

Chulitna River Rafting 2AK-TKA-750 8:00 AM – 1:30 PM Approx. 6 hours

Excursion originates and ends at the McKinley Princess Lodge. Raft from near (5 minute ride) the McKinley Princess Lodge to the town of Talkeetna. Guests will return to lodge on the McKinley Princess Talkeetna Shuttle (1 hour).

Take off on a peaceful, scenic rafting trip (3.5 hours) that takes you down the glacier-fed Chulitna River, through the stunning Chulitna Canyon and ends 19 miles downstream in the historic town of Talkeetna. Before you board at the river's edge, you'll participate in a brief safety lecture and demonstration (10 minutes). Upon launching, have your cameras ready; during your four-hour journey through the pristine wildlands of Denali State Park and the borderlands of Denali National Park you'll discover many examples of what makes Alaska so breathtakingly beautiful.

On clear days, the view of Mt. McKinley's snow-covered peaks and the entire Alaska Range is unparalleled for photo opportunities. For a small additional fee, a professional photographer is available to take pictures of you, your raft and guide - with the most magnificent scenery in the world in the background. In addition to the sweeping, picture-postcard-perfect views of the mountains, the lush and remote portion of the Chultina River reveals a treasure trove of untouched wilderness.

There is no whitewater on the Chulitna River, so bring your camera. Tour duration may vary depending on river conditions. Raingear, personal flotation device and river boots will be provided.

Excursion originates and ends at the McKinley Princess Lodge. Raft from the McKinley Princess Lodge to the town of Talkeetna.

Byers Lake Nature Walk 2AK-TKA-420 3:30 PM – 6:30 PM Approx. 3 hours

Take an easy stroll (2 hours 20 minutes) around the pristine and tranquil Byers Lake in Denali State Park. This crystal clear lake is tucked between the Talkeetna Mountains and the Alaska Range, giving you some of the closest and majestic views of Mt. McKinley. Our well-seasoned nature guides are eager to share their knowledge of the Park and its inhabitants. They can help you spot trumpeter swans, loons, beavers, bears, and spawning salmon, so keep your eyes open and cameras ready. Watch for blueberries and cranberries in season, enjoy wildflowers like wild iris, dogwood, and twinflowers, and take home a healing salve made from native plants. The walk also includes a visit to a family's historic log cabin built when the area was home to trappers, traders and gold miners.

Dress for the current weather conditions. Bring cameras, binoculars and insect repellent. Limited raingear, head nets, umbrellas, hats, gloves and overboots will be provided.

Excursion originates and ends at the Mount McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.

Tour operator provides transportation to and from excursion (15 minutes each way).

[caribill]

In 2007 (and I imagine now too) you leave your name at the front desk and they will call you if the mountain comes out .

 

When we woke up around 7 AM, the mountain was there in all its glory.

 

 

The phone call did not come until two hours later.

[caribill]

We were disappointed with the trip into the 'interior' of the park. The road was well travelled and it seemed as though everyone else travelled the same road.

 

 

We had a great variety of wildlife during our tour including:

Grizzly bears

Moose

Caribou

Golden eagle

A wolf

Arctic ground squirrels

Dall sheep

Lynx

Ravens

 

To see what our tour was like, see our report on Cruise Critic at

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

[Host Jazzbeau]

We had a great variety of wildlife during our tour including:

Grizzly bears

Moose

Caribou

Golden eagle

A wolf

Arctic ground squirrels

Dall sheep

Lynx

Ravens

 

To see what our tour was like, see our report on Cruise Critic at

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

 

And this could have been the very next bus after the one with only an elk. That's how it goes in Denali.

[Loonbeam]

True -

 

We had all the rares. Eagle, Wolf, Bear with Cubs, Close up Daal sheep, THREE good mountain views. But the whole land trip, not ONE moose.

 

This was in Sep btw.

 

And when I say close up sheep, I mean it.. This was with a short-range lens, NOT a zoom:

 

And this could have been the very next bus after the one with only an elk. That's how it goes in Denali.

[hllwdcruiser]

We had a great variety of wildlife during our tour including:

Grizzly bears

Moose

Caribou

Golden eagle

A wolf

Arctic ground squirrels

Dall sheep

Lynx

Ravens

 

To see what our tour was like, see our report on Cruise Critic at

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1727858

 

Caribill - I just want to thank-you for your report on your trip. Reviews like yours are such a help to those of us in the planning stage. You so lucked out on the deal you got for your trip - we looked at the connoisseur but it was way beyond our budget, booking this early.

 

The raft excursion you took looked amazing - do you remember what time you arrived at Mt Mckinley? Do you think we would arrive early enough to be able to do it - do you remember if they offer afternoon tours?

[hllwdcruiser]

True -

 

We had all the rares. Eagle, Wolf, Bear with Cubs, Close up Daal sheep, THREE good mountain views. But the whole land trip, not ONE moose.

 

This was in Sep btw.

 

And when I say close up sheep, I mean it.. This was with a short-range lens, NOT a zoom:

 

 

Awesome photo!

From what I've read the wildlife is more active in Spring (May/early June) and fall (late August/September) and also early morning as opposed to late afternoon....

I think we'll set our expectations on low (no sightings) and be happily surprised even if a squirrel crosses our path!

Edited March 12, 2014 by hllwdcruiser

[Loonbeam]

That would be in line with what we saw. That said, we also saw almost NO sea life, while cruisers in June July were reporting whale pods and seals galore, etc.

 

Awesome photo!

From what I've read the wildlife is more active in Spring (May/early June) and fall (late August/September) and also early morning as opposed to late afternoon....

I think we'll set our expectations on low (no sightings) and be happily surprised even if a squirrel crosses our path!

[caribill]

The raft excursion you took looked amazing - do you remember what time you arrived at Mt Mckinley? Do you think we would arrive early enough to be able to do it - do you remember if they offer afternoon tours?

 

Our tour spent two nights at the Mt. Mckinley Lodge and we took the two tours on the full day we had there. We arrived there about 4:30 PM the day before the full day.

 

This partiucular tour was not offered in trhe afternoon, but other tours are.