Pre Cruise Denali on own - Advice?

[Cruiser Nonna]

Thought maybe the end of July (if cruise avail) of doing a Southbound sailing - Seward to Anchorage. Have been to Alaska before but not to Denali and am taking my family (2 adults, 17yr and 11yr) - a pre-cruise land tour is out of the budget but wondering if anyone has done a 2night or 3 night pre-cruise stay in Denali on their own?

 

Did you fly into Fairbanks or Anchorage - how did you get between the city and the park?

 

How did you get from Denali to Seward?

 

If anyone has any information that they could share - would be most appreciated.

 

Thank you for your help

[Emeraldtx]

Well I haven't done it YET, but we're doing a post-cruise land tour on our own that includes Denali. Lots easier on the wallet, plus you get to do WHAT you want WHEN you want. There are plenty of places around Denali to stay, depending on your wants/budget.

 

We chose Denali Lakeview Inn (denalilakeviewinn.com). Check tripadvisor.com for lots of options. Be sure to include the town of Healy in your search; it's right down the road.

 

As for transportation; rent a car. In your short time-frame, I would probably fly into Fairbanks. Good luck and have fun!! There is a TON of great information/guidance on these boards!

[Budget Queen]

I would not go to Fairbanks, first off, far fewer flights there and second, extremely limited and very costly one way cars available.

 

I suggest an Anchorage flight. Rent a round trip Anchorage car. Many rentals available.

 

Allow 6 hours for the drive Anchorage/Denali park with stops along the way. Spend 2 nights at Denali park and take the SHUTTLE bus to at least Fish Creek. http://www.nps.gov/dena Also park activities and a nice visitor center.

 

the Denali Park Hotel, is very nice and a bargain compared to some lodgings. In Healy.

 

Since you are sailing out of Seward- ideal is to take the Alaska RR. Leaves around 7am each morning. So you need to get at least 3 nights for this touring and if you want to go to Denali Park. Just not recommended with any less time. Too much time in transit.

 

With this train transfer, I also highly recommend you consider a Kenai Fjords boat tour- just fantastic for varied wildlife and a close up glacier view. Far, superior to anything from your ship.

[fti]

I agree that you should spend two nights and take the shuttle bus. Personally I prefer the bus to Wonder Lake - incredible scenery, especially if Mt. McKinley is out and more chances to see wildlife, especially moose and beavers. Note - until early to mid August, mosquitos can be a problem near Wonder Lake. Bring 100% DEET bug spray. You won't regret going all the way to Wonder Lake, even if it is cloudy.

 

Also, be sure to spend time at the park entrance, either the day you arrive or the day you leave. Visitor Center (film and exhibits), Wilderness Access Center (film), sleddog demos and light hiking are all possibilities.

 

I have stayed at the McKinley Creekside Cabins south of Denali NP and have really enjoyed them. Reasonably priced, good restaurant attached, various types of cabins.

[Nancyquilts]

Fairbanks is a lot closer, but Anchorage would work best for BQs reasons. Nancy

[Cruiser Nonna]

Thank you so much as always for your help and suggestions - definitely helps to have more ideas in the planning.

 

Please know how much I appreciate it!!

[44disney]

If you like to hike, there is a very nice 4-5 mile roundtrip hike up Mt. Healy at the front of Denali Park. You can park at the visitors center and get trail directions there (and there also is a beautiful introductory movie to the park), and the access trail to the Mt. Healy trail begins right at the center.

 

It is a beautiful hike, starting in a forest and ending above the tree line. The view from the top is magnificient, but there is no view of Mt. McKinley (you have to go further into the park for that). The elevation change is about 1800 feet, so you need to be in pretty good shape to make it all of the way up, but it can be done in half a day. Our 6 year old daughter made it without a problem, though we had to split up (me with our 10 year old son, my husband with my daughter) on the way down because she was going a little slower.

 

Another hiking option is further into the park, at Savage River. It is a much shorter (I think about 1 1/2 miles) loop trail, and you can drive to it (it is at the furthest into the park that you will be allowed to drive to -- after that it is bus traffic only, with a few exceptions). You will not see Mt. McKinley on this hike either, but it is very beautiful and is very flat. On the drive, you can pull over whenever you want and take your time looking at the views and taking pictures.

 

Make sure you bring your rain gear if it seems appropriate -- we hit patches of rain on both hikes but the fog it created, especially on the Savage River hike, made the scenery even more spectacular.

 

Best of all, the hikes are free! This was great for our budget! We did fit in a river rafting adventure in the morning (just outside of the park) before one of the hikes which was pretty cool. The rafting varies from heavy on the white water to pretty tame, which is what we had to do because of our daughter's age. The other thing that we did in the area was a visit to Iditarod winner Jeff King's kennels -- interesting but probably only worth it if this is a topic that appeals to you.

 

Enjoy!