Tundra Wilderness Tour

[cruis'n sus'n]

I know it's on here somewhere, but who would you recommend for the ALL DAY TUNDRA WILDERNESS TOUR? Thank you in advance, Susan

[fti]

There is only one company, Aramark, that operates this service for the NPS. You can go to www.nps.gov/dena for more info. You can not book on their website until at least December 1.

 

Another option besides the TWT as it is called is to book a shuttle bus. It costs about 1/3 the price of the TWT and uses the same road. You don't get the snack that you get on the TWT but I prefer the shuttle busses. You can go further on the shuttle busses for less money than you can on the TWT. If you think about a shuttle bus, go at least as far as Fish Creek but I strongly suggest you go as far as Wonder Lake. If you buy your ticket to Wonder Lake and decide during the trip to not go that far (weather, mountain not being out, etc) you can just get off that bus and catch a different one back. If you go to Wonder Lake before early August be sure to bring mosquito repellent. Mosquitos can be pretty bad near Wonder Lake the first part of the summer. But Wonder Lake is the closest you can get to Mt. McKinley from the park road.

[Yukon]

I know it's on here somewhere' date=' but who would you recommend for the ALL DAY TUNDRA WILDERNESS TOUR? Thank you in advance, Susan[/quote']

 

A search will pull up hundreds of posts recommending it. In Denali, the longer you go, the more wildlife you're going to see. As was just said, though, the shuttle bus gets you in even further for a lor less money.

 

Murray

[NancyIL]

I'm thinking she means the Kantishna tour: http://www.denaliwildlifetour.com/

[Yukon]

I'm thinking she means the Kantishna tour: http://www.denaliwildlifetour.com/

 

If you Google "ALL DAY TUNDRA WILDERNESS TOUR" you get only one hit, Aramark's regular TWT to the Toklat River.

[cruis'n sus'n]

Thank you for your quick replies...Yes, I wanted to go as far as we could, but it looks like they will not be booking until June 7, so I'm having to shuffle some things around to be able to do it...Thanks again, Susan

[NancyIL]

Thank you for your quick replies...Yes' date=' I wanted to go as far as we could, but it looks like they will not be booking until June 7, so I'm having to shuffle some things around to be able to do it...Thanks again, Susan[/quote']

 

 

If you mean that particular Kantishna tour, it opens June 5th.

[cruis'n sus'n]

Well, I called and booked the Kantishna Tour and they only had 5 seats left on the bus...WoW, I was cutting it pretty close....Thanks for your help, Susan

[fti]

Well' date=' I called and booked the Kantishna Tour and they only had 5 seats left on the bus...WoW, I was cutting it pretty close....Thanks for your help, Susan[/quote']

 

Just so you know, that Denali Wildlife Tour that you signed up for is NOT the shuttle bus. That costs you $139 and gets you a hot lunch. The shuttle bus travels the same road to Wonder Lake or Kantishna (Kantishna only with the camper busses) and costs $25-$40. Just so you are aware of the difference.

 

You can not make shuttle bus reservations until December 1.

[Budget Queen]

I never recommend the one day Kantishna bus tours, essentially all you get is that costly lunch, you just do not have any time for the activites given the overnight guests. You are far better off taking the $45 Wonder Lake shuttle bus IF you are not going overnight.

 

I also never recommend the Tundra Wilderness tours, mile 53, for independent visitors, take the shuttle to at least Fish Creek, mile 63. Or the same distance Toklat shuttle to mile 53, for about $30.

 

You must bring all your own food and drink with you on the shuttle buses.

[shamrockace]

I know you've answered some of these questions over and over and seem to be the expert, so hopefully you can help me.

 

We are booked on the Tundra Wilderness Tour thru Princess. I know you recommend we ask for a refund and go by shuttle. We have 2 days in Denali, so time shouldn't be a problem. But do you have to make reservations on the shuttle in advance and does it ever fill up? Also, my husband has difficulty walking distances, so would the shuttle be too much walking and should we stay on the Tundra?

[Jennifer25]

Does anyone know if the buses are comfortable for this 8 hour tour? Are they like school buses or greyhound buses? Also, how many restroom stops are there during the 8 hours? Thanks!

[Jennifer25]

Duplicate post

[fti]

I know you've answered some of these questions over and over and seem to be the expert, so hopefully you can help me.

 

We are booked on the Tundra Wilderness Tour thru Princess. I know you recommend we ask for a refund and go by shuttle. We have 2 days in Denali, so time shouldn't be a problem. But do you have to make reservations on the shuttle in advance and does it ever fill up? Also, my husband has difficulty walking distances, so would the shuttle be too much walking and should we stay on the Tundra?

 

Yes, the shuttle busses do fill up. You can either make a reservation far in advance, or call a couple of days in advance (they hold back something like 30% of the seats for booking no earlier than 2 or 3 days before departure). Check the website www.nps.gov/dena for the exact info.

 

If you purchase two days of shuttle bus tickets, you get a third day free but you probably don't have the time for that. You can either take the shuttle bus into the park both days as far as you want, take the shuttle bus the second day only to a certain point and do some hiking, take a Discovery Hike the second day, or stay near the park entrance and do some hiking and seeing the visitor center and sleddog kennels the second day. If it were me, I would try to get into the park both of your days and see the visitor center/sleddogs later in the day one of the two days.

[fti]

Does anyone know if the buses are comfortable for this 8 hour tour? Are they like school buses or greyhound buses? Also, how many restroom stops are there during the 8 hours? Thanks!

 

They are more like heavy duty school busses. "comfortable"? Well the seats are padded but you stop fairly often for wildlife so often you are up out of your seat with your camera or binoculars in your hand poring out the window.

 

The bus stops about every 90 minutes for a restroom break.

 

You can get off the bus at any time along the park road or at a rest stop and get on any bus behind it, subject to availability. The only time they won't let you off the bus is within 1/2 mile of when they just spotted wildlife.

[Budget Queen]

Yes, the shuttle busses do fill up. You can either make a reservation far in advance, or call a couple of days in advance (they hold back something like 30% of the seats for booking no earlier than 2 or 3 days before departure). Check the website www.nps.gov/dena for the exact info.

.

 

 

For clairfication- they release 35% of the seats at 7am 2 days before. Just call them with a credit card reservation. I have done this the last 2 years.

[Budget Queen]

I know you've answered some of these questions over and over and seem to be the expert, so hopefully you can help me.

 

We are booked on the Tundra Wilderness Tour thru Princess. I know you recommend we ask for a refund and go by shuttle. We have 2 days in Denali, so time shouldn't be a problem. But do you have to make reservations on the shuttle in advance and does it ever fill up? Also, my husband has difficulty walking distances, so would the shuttle be too much walking and should we stay on the Tundra?

 

 

With your limited time, yes definately make advance reservations. In season, the shuttle buses are booked solid. Walk up space rarely available.

 

The buses are heavy duty suspension school bus type.

[agabbymama]

Budget Queen - I went against your advice and booked a cruisetour instead of independent travel. I hope you will still offer your advice. I'm on HAL with a Tundra Wilderness Tour. I noticed this thread and started reading. I didn't realize that Denali had sled dogs/kennels with demonstrations. The website says that a free bus leaves Denali's Visitor Center for the kennels approximately 1/2 hour before each demonstration. Unfortunately I can't find a map showing where the visitor center is in comparison to where we will be staying with HAL. Can you offer any advice on this?

[mom23guys]

We took the tundra wilderness tour last summer. Although the bus looked like a school bus from the outside, the seats were more like regular tour bus seats inside.The driver was equpped with a camera and there were small video screens inside the bus. He was able to zoom in on some distant wildlife which helped us locate them with our binocular. The driver said the busses were new last summer. We were thinking of taking the shuttle but wanted a worry free vacation. After checking out the shuttle buses, I was glad we opted for the TWT. We saw everything but wolves. We did get the first bus of the morning though, I think that helped us even though 5:20 was crazy early. Our driver was also fantastic. Some of his photos were included in the book of photos they gave us on the trip.

I know everyone recommends the shuttle but don't be afraid of the TWT.

[Budget Queen]

We took the tundra wilderness tour last summer. Although the bus looked like a school bus from the outside, the seats were more like regular tour bus seats inside.The driver was equpped with a camera and there were small video screens inside the bus. He was able to zoom in on some distant wildlife which helped us locate them with our binocular. The driver said the busses were new last summer. We were thinking of taking the shuttle but wanted a worry free vacation. After checking out the shuttle buses, I was glad we opted for the TWT. We saw everything but wolves. We did get the first bus of the morning though, I think that helped us even though 5:20 was crazy early. Our driver was also fantastic. Some of his photos were included in the book of photos they gave us on the trip.

I know everyone recommends the shuttle but don't be afraid of the TWT.

 

 

You were lucky, this is only one of a small number of new buses and no one has any guarantee they will get one. So plan on the school buses and delight if you get one of these new buses.

 

It's not a matter of "being afraid of the TWT". It's the triple cost and short distance involved. ALL buses passing by your points of wildlife, would have seen the same thing you did, only the shuttles go farther which equals more. It is a big bear habitat 10 miles past mile 53, where the TWT turns around. This is just another option to consider when making entrance decisions going into Denali Park.

[Budget Queen]

Budget Queen - I went against your advice and booked a cruisetour instead of independent travel. I hope you will still offer your advice. I'm on HAL with a Tundra Wilderness Tour. I noticed this thread and started reading. I didn't realize that Denali had sled dogs/kennels with demonstrations. The website says that a free bus leaves Denali's Visitor Center for the kennels approximately 1/2 hour before each demonstration. Unfortunately I can't find a map showing where the visitor center is in comparison to where we will be staying with HAL. Can you offer any advice on this?

 

 

Where are you staying??? Most likely they will have visitor center shuttles. The dog sled demos are 10am, and 4pm, another mid day??

 

http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/kennels.htm

[agabbymama]

Where are you staying??? Most likely they will have visitor center shuttles. The dog sled demos are 10am, and 4pm, another mid day??

 

http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/kennels.htm

 

BQ - Thanks for the reply. I'm not sure where we will be staying. I have no paperwork from HAL yet, as the cruisetour isn't until August. I don't know if my documents will show me where we are staying once they come. I thought I read somewhere that HAL uses McKinley Chalets, but that's just a guess. Will have to wait until closer to the time, and decide if I want to do the Husky Homestead tour at a cost or the Denali kennels for free.:p

[NancyIL]

Budget Queen - I went against your advice and booked a cruisetour instead of independent travel. I hope you will still offer your advice.

 

You needn't feel defensive about booking a cruisetour! You booked a great one - and I know you are very happy with your decision. I would probably do the same if I were going from Skagway to Dawson City to Fairbanks to Denali to Anchorage. :) Enjoy your planning!

[Host Caroline]

I agree with Nancy! You have a great tour planned and there is NOTHING wrong with a cruisetour = "different strokes for different folks" as hokey as that is.:rolleyes: Everyone in the CC community has their own opinions and preferences so advice you ask for/get should be considered as just that = "advice".. to be considered but I'd never base a vacation decision solely on what someone else told me they preferred.

Been to Alaska numerous times and goin' back again this year = there's no "wrong" way to see this beautiful land.:D

[agabbymama]

NancyIL and Host Caroline,

 

Thanks for your words of encouragement. I heard the call of the wild, when I was researching and planning. I would love to do it all, but time and money just don't allow. I would love to be there for the Iditarod (although I can't imagine those temps) and my sister-in-law was very put out that I wouldn't go to the Arctic Circle or Nome. But I tried to do as much in the 10 day timeframe that I could squeeze in and see more of Interior Alaska this time. I did enjoy the Inside Passage cruise, but wanted more this time. Three of the four of us are so excited we are about to climb out of our skin and we still have 8 months to go. My hubby is the stick in the mud. He really wanted to do some fishing this time, until we started looking at prices of tours and licenses and such, he changed his mind in a hurry. I'm still hopeful that maybe once we get there he may still be able to. There is supposed to be a store somewhere in Dawson City that rents gear and sells licenses. We'll see if he changes his mind once we are there. Right now he is adamant he wouldn't enjoy it at $300-350 for an actual tour. And Denali has a short fishing trip for like $180. Time will tell.

 

We went all the way to Australia (spent all that time and money) and he wouldn't pay $100 for a tour to see Crocodiles or the Southern Most Point of Australia. I did, he found a $.50 bus to a $2.00 War Museum and was a happy camper. Host Caroline, as you said, "Different strokes for different folks".

 

And I agree, there is no "wrong" way to visit Alaska!:p