Princess tour lodge questions in Alaska

[cusematt4]

Hi all,

 

A few questions regarding the Princess Denali and Mount McKinley lodges.  We are going on a conneseour tour.

 

-Aside from the one included tundra tour, what is there to do during the days at each lodge that isn’t a separate paid for excursion?  Is there anything to see or do on or around the properties?

 

-What is there to do at night after dinner?  Is there any on premises live music (piano or guitar player) or entertainment?

 

-Does either lodge have a small gym for workouts?

 

-Are there any organized activities around a fire pit at each property?  Are there any daily activities?

 

Thank you.

[Torfamm]

Have you checked the Princess Lodges website? It has some good information. Here are activities at McKinley, ranger talks, walking trails etc. 

 

https://www.princesslodges.com/princess-alaska-lodges/mckinley-lodge/mckinley-amenities/

[Thrak]

At the McKinley Lodge we take the day trip into Talkeetna. Wander the town, buy yet another mug for my wife in the shops, visit the visitor center and find out how many people are currently climbing the mountain, etc. and, of course, have excellent beer and a bite to eat at the Denali Brewing Company brew pub. (Not only have we visited that brew pub on a couple of cruise tours, but have also visited the actual brewery a short way out of town while on a 7 week camping trip up to Fairbanks. I love their beer. Wish I could get the Chuli Stout here at home but Alaska is a long way from home.)

 

At the Denali Lodge we go across the street for beers at 49th State Brewing. They carry many beers including, not only their own, but also beers from Denali Brewing Company just outside of Talkeetna that I referenced above. (Another chance for me to have Chuli Stout. 😁)

 

Note: I don't think the Salmon Bake is still there across from the Denali Lodge. I believe it was another victim of Covid. However, we loved talking with some of the employees there in the past. They told us about "The Bake Mistake". It seems that the Denali Lodge would hire a bunch of new folks each year who would cross the road to visit The Salmon Bake - a restaurant and bar. They didn't realize that, due to the time of year, it wasn't going to get dark and then would be surprised when they discovered they were up waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too late for their first day of work the next day. (In Alaska the bars are only not allowed to serve alcohol between 5:00 AM and 8:00 AM so it's possible to be drinking until a couple of hours before the new folks were due at work.)

Edited May 16 by Thrak

[frugaltravel]

At the Denali Princess Lodge you can go to the dog sled demonstration, the visitor center, do some hiking in the front country as they call it. There's also a free shuttle that goes 15 miles into the park if you wanted to get more time looking for wildlife or enjoying the scenery.

[arizonaperson]

@cusematt4

I do not believe either of the lodges mentioned have a gym. But there are walking trails and hiking options.

Denali wilderness has a fire pit, but not sure if they tell stories around it. Don’t remember any music or piano bar, maybe they have that currently? Most centers around outdoor activities or nature in the theater in one of the lodges.

We were not on a connoisseur tour ,but a land tour with a Princess cruise after and we did not have a lot of free time per se. Everything was seamless they gave us what time we needed to do what and what time we needed to put luggage out,etc.

what time we needed to be on a bus  & what time we needed to be on a train, etc.

In the evening we were exhausted. We did have the most time at the Mt McKinley Lodge and we took the complementary bus into Talkeetna way before our tour time  to see the sled dogs and we were able to explore around that town. Otherwise, in Denali, we were only there for one night and the tundra wilderness tour was almost immediately after we arrived and checked in. So not a lot of free time for us.

Yours might be different timing?

Edited May 16 by arizonaperson

[Paula_MacFan]

Each Princess lodge website has a list of amenities and activities such as trails with maps. There are also many YouTube videos with detailed property tours, as well as activity overviews.

[Elizabeth K.]

There are interesting talks at the lodges. Look at that schedule. We heard one by a climber who had a slide show and talked about the preparation and the climb itself. It was pretty interesting. One morning while we awaited the bus to take us to Fairbanks we listened to a park ranger talk about what it's like to live up there year round. They aren't long. Maybe 45 mins.

[Mark_K]

When we did it, the connoisseur hosted a get together around the fire pit at McKinley with drinks and appetizers, a happy hour at Denali, and a special dinner at Fairbanks. This was pre-COVID,though.