Getting around Denali w/o a car

[NW Mom]

Hi -

 

We are staying at the McKinley Chalet in Denali this summer and we are interested in Kantishna Air's Fly/Drive tour, where you take their driving tour into the park to Wonder Lake, then they fly you back to the airstrip near the Denali entrance.

 

My question is how do we get from the airstrip back to the hotel? The tour does not provided transportation to the hotels and we aren't able to walk significant distances.

 

I read that the McKinley Chalet has a shuttle system, but when I booked our stay there, the agent acted like they only go to/from the train station a couple of times a day.

 

Do you know where the airstrip is? Is it near the train station or the park entrance? Are taxis available? Shuttles?

 

Any info you can give me on how to get around Denali without a car would be very appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Stephany

[Budget Queen]

The vendor does not transport??? No, the "airstrip" is not by the depot or the lodge you are staying at.

 

I suggest you call them back and ask them how to get there???

[NW Mom]

Thanks BG. Unfortunately, we are talking with the vendor via email and he is responding sporadically right now and has only said that we have to arrange our own transportation from the airstrip back to our hotel.

 

So I thought I would ask how others have gotten around.

 

Is there any sort of public bus or taxi or some other way to get around between the airstrip, park entrance and glitter gulch?

 

Thanks very much for your help with this!

 

Stephany

[greatam]

Unless I am horribly mistaken, the airstrip Kantishna uses is across the tracks from the train depot.

 

Last time we went flight seeing in Denali (2 years ago), we got off Greg's plane, walked across the tracks and "hitched" a ride with a shuttle into "glitter gulch" where our friends had our car.

 

I could be wrong and thinking of someplace else, but I just asked DH and he stated "don't you remember BEGGING the shuttle driver"??? No, I don't but he states it was from the train station where I was BEGGING.

[Budget Queen]

This poster, I though has mobility limitations? The airstrip is by the depot, but, maybe my recall isn't real accurate?? I remember it a couple "blocks" walk, from the depot???

 

I wasn't clear in my reply and probably wrongly assumed more of a limit. If they can walk a few blocks then the depot "shuttle" is doable. But I doubt this shuttle runs anytime other than around noon or 4pm??

[greatam]

I was BEGGING one of the hotel shuttle drivers. We weren't staying at that hotel. But you can easily make arrangements for a taxi before you leave for flightseeing. And I would almost bet that you could get the taxi to pick you up at the airport, instead of the train depot.

 

IIRC, it wasn't a far walk to the train station-at best, a block, but it seems like it was shorter than that. But as you point out, the shuttles will only be there during "train times".

[Pssunshinegal]

There is at least one cab company, Caribou Cab. They are based out of Healy, so I don't know if you would have to wait 15 minutes for one to be dispatched to Glitter Gulch, but I don't think that there is a problem with getting one. I am currently in Belize, but when I get home, I will call my best friend who lives in Healy and ask her about cab arrangements in the summertime and post again.

 

Janice

[NW Mom]

Thanks all for your replies.

 

GreatAM - There are taxis around Denali? I thought I had read that there were NO taxis (which I thought was hard to believe and a very big missed business opportunity!).

 

A taxi would solve everything!

 

Thanks,

 

Stephany

[Pssunshinegal]

Stephany,

 

Well there aren't street corners and it isn't like you can go out and flag a cab or a cab stand at the hotels. I will try and get more specific information for you on how to make arrangements and post again.

 

Janice

[NW Mom]

Hi Janice,

 

<Well there aren't street corners and it isn't like you can go out and flag a cab or a cab stand at the hotels.>

 

Too funny! Thanks very much for checking on potential taxi sources!

 

Hope you are having a great time in Belize,

 

Stephany