The thick clouds and fog I was hoping would clear by afternoon, are still hanging around. Yes Please! As we watch the landscape transition from forested taiga to treeless tundra, we are constantly on the lookout for wildlife. The nearest year-round community is Healy, 19 kilometers away. The tour includes a snack meal. My only complaint was that the small, school bus type windows were not the best for scenery viewing. sales@knightlytours.com, Explore the pristine wilderness with an experienced naturalist who will share insights about the land and its wildlife. The 92-mile park road was constructed between 1923-1938. By continuing to use this website, you agree to their use. To protect the wildlife and vast wilderness, vehicle access is limited on the parks only road. The Tundra Wilderness Tour will operate a modified tour. The tour depart from Denali Cabins and follow the Denali Highway (not the Park Road) for 65 miles with narration provided by guides. We may not see the High One, but another intriguing landscape is just up ahead- the Polychrome Pass. You will also see rolling tundra, taiga forests and breathtaking scenery on this unforgettable adventure. INSPIRATION & EXPERT ADVICE FOR INDEPENDENT TRAVELLERS. A snack will be provided. Please confirm directly with service providers. As I stare across the glacier carved valley towards the Alaska Range, I see the effects of the years dry weather. Denali National Park is a rich ecosystem, one that remains largely undisturbed, a remarkable feat in todays age of over-development. Covering all seven continents, The world your way shows you how you can see the world with us. Deep down I know that we are not going to be able to see Denali, North Americas highest peak. It was renamed Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980 and expanded to be larger than the state of New Hampshire. No part of this site may be reproduced without our written permission. Anchorage, Alaska 99501. Visitors must rely on the Denali shuttle bus to get around or take a narrated Denali bus tour to discover the park. They also offer a narrated program and include a snack or boxed lunch. This narrated bus tour is a seven- to eight-hour trip that heads to the Toklat River (at Mile 53) and focuses on wildlife viewing. And keep an eye out for a view of Denali The Great One. Location: Denali National Park is about 386 kilometers north of Anchorage and 193 kilometers south of Fairbanks. The bands of yellow, brown, tan, white, orange and even purple, are a reminder that Im standing on volcanic debris spewed 50-60 million years ago. It features trip ideas from our specialists alongside hand-picked stays and experiences, and introduces our approach to creating meaningful travel experiences. I want emails from Lonely Planet with travel and product information, promotions, advertisements, third-party offers, and surveys. The duration of the tour may vary, depending on road and weather conditions, particularly in the shoulder seasons of May and September. ALL children must purchase and occupy a seat. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Were not normally fans of bus tours, but we did get value out of the Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour. We were given a boxed lunch and water to drink throughout the day. Visitor Centre: The Denali Visitor Centre is located near the park entrance and is only open in the summer season (roughly mid-May to mid-September). The most popular Denali bus tour takes you through the pristine wilderness of Denali National Park. We stayed in a lodge not far from the park on Alaska Highway 3. Fees and Operating Hours: A park pass is required to visit Denali National Park and entrance fees are charged year round. Current information about park fees and operating hours can be found on the National Park Service website. The park entrance is along Alaska Highway 3 (also called the George Parks Highway). Make sure you book your accommodations many months in advance. Content and Images All Alaska Tours Inc. | Website Design and Development by, Subscribe to the Under the Midnight Sun Newsletter, Transfers from designated hotels only in the park entrance area, Narrated bus tour into Denali National Park. Stepping off the bus, the dreary day is instantly brightened by the colourful rock layers of Polychrome Pass. ST39468, 2022 Audley Travel | Audley Travel US, Inc. (Delaware 5398866), You can find all your favorites in the menu. Wildlife viewing will be offered in Igloo Canyon and Sable Pass, and a snack box will be provided. For your convenience, here is a list of hotels near Denali National Park. We work with agents and advisors to provide the best Alaska experience for your clients. Hotel information for the night prior to the tour. An experienced driver and naturalist guide will provide an overview of this national parks many landscapes and its wildlife. If you are in the initial planning stages, please feel free to continue to peruse our website for ideas. The trip includes stops for wildlife viewing and photography and will operate June 4-Sept. 16. Initially, Im surprised by what I see. Creating a vibrant visitor industry through authentic experiences that positively impact the communities where we live. (Snack included). The parks only road is closed for much of winter. Shuttle buses allow you to disembark/re-board anywhere along the road. Vehicle Access: Private vehicles may only travel along the first 24 kilometers of Denali Park Road to Savage River. Here are a few more pictures of Denali National Park to convince you to visit! I can unsubscribe any time using the unsubscribe link at the end of all emails. To find out more, read our Privacy Policy Close & Accept This site uses cookies. Yes, its a bear! Your entire vacation is designed around your requirements, Select your preferred style of accommodations, Create the perfect trip with the help of our specialists, All our specialists have traveled extensively or lived in their specialist regions, The same specialist will handle your trip from start to finish, Make the difference between a good trip and an outstanding one, Hand picked by us or our local partners as the best available, Offering more than just dates and names, they strive to offer real insight into their country. Call one of our experts or arrange a video appointment for ideas and advice. Leaving Polychrome Pass, I am thankful that this wilderness area is being protected, not only for the enjoyment of future generations, but also for the wildlife that call it home. At the historic Savage Cabin, there will be a half hour interpretive walk and talk. The National Parks Service has announced that up to 25 transit buses a day will be on the road during peak season (June 16-August 17). Support Travel? Tour length is 3 to 8 hours, depending on road conditions and weather. The rivers that normally course through the valley are not much more than a bed of silt. Soon, far off on the distance, I see a patch of brown moving across the slope of a hill. Denali really is a living masterpiece. A grizzly no less! Denali is home to more than 160 species of birds, 37 species of mammals and hundreds of species of plants. I also found it frustrating to try and take pictures without any control of the viewing angle I got. There will be a 30-minute theater viewing of "Across Time and Tundra" and a 20-minute cultural talk at Primrose. For information on positions and how to apply, please visit our travel careers website. Thank you for your interest in touring Alaska! Here is our experience on a Denali National Park bus tour, followed by some interesting facts about the park and tips for visiting. More information about the Denali buses and tours can be found. Sitting at the back of an old, refurbished school-type bus, we stare out the windows as we slowly make our way along the single dusty, dirt road of Denali National Park. Six million of acres of wild land surround us. We are Rhonda and Mike, a Canadian couple who make it a priority to travel every chance we get! Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Pinterest. Sure enough, as our driver pulls up to the viewpoint, all we see is a wall of white cloud. Thank you! Read More, Come Experience Alaska with us! This is a three to eight hour narrated tour that takes you between 50 to 90 kilometers (30 to 60 miles) along the wilderness road into Denali National Park. The road will be open for visitor transportation as far as Mile 43 of the 92-mile road. Along the way, stops will be made at scenic overlooks so you can view and photograph scenery and wildlife potentially including bears and moose. A young moose even decides to cross the road right in front of our bus! Up to 24 long tours and 39 short tours will be offered daily. The landscape is not the jagged, snow-capped mountains I was expecting. View Mat-Su Valley's Visitor Read More. This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged. We do not have next year's pricing and itinerary finalized for this tour yet. Not long later, we encounter a herd of caribou casually roaming the tundra. Home City-Based Day Tours Denali Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour. Now, more than ever, I am thankful to have seen such great views of Denali the day before, during the drive from Anchorage. 2022 Lonely Planet. All rights reserved. Click here to accept. Home to an impressive amount of large mammals and a beautiful landscape of high alpine tundra, the parks shining star is North Americas tallest peak- Denali. Instead, it is far more colourful and diverse. I was at the mercy of where the bus driver stopped (or didnt stop)! Get info about the valleys hidden treasures! Denali is the only national park patrolled in winter by dog sled. As our tour continues further into the park, my excitement from seeing a grizzly slowly is replaced by disappointment. Sign up for our monthly newsletter, Under the Midnight Sun, with the latest updates about new multi-day tours and day trips from Alaska Tours. Flightseeing in Ketchikan- Misty Fjords National Monument, All Aboard the McKinley Explorer- A Ride on the Scenic Alaska Railroad, Cruising to Margerie Glacier in Glacier Bay, Alaska, Discovering the Beauty and Intrigue of Drnstein. Due to a landslide near Pretty Rocks, the Denali Park Road into the national park will not be fully open in 2022, prompting changes to how visitors can access the park. Denali National Park Bus Tours: There are three different options for bus tours of Denali National Park- a Natural History Tour, the Tundra Wilderness Tour, and the Kantishna Experience Tour. Tour buses do not allow people to disembark as they wish, but stop for wildlife, scenery and restroom breaks. Seller of Travel Ref. The Tundra Wilderness Tour travels over the Park Road for 43 miles before returning. The two big lodges there are owned by the cruise companies and are often full as part of their Land & Sea Alaska Cruise packages. Join our mailing list to receive the latest updates and travel inspiration, All prices are in USD unless otherwise stated, CST#2117258-40 | Fla. Please consider booking your accommodations through the included link. A hearty lunch will be served at Alpine Creek Lodge. Interested in a career in travel? Beyond that, you must use the park bus system. It feels so deserted, so isolated and I hope the animals are still able to find enough water to thrive. The tour bus program began in 1972 as a way to lessen traffic and minimize visitor impact. We describe our travel style as "laid back luxe" and enjoy a mix of outdoor adventures and historic sites. See Your Travel Professionalor call Knightly Tours: | 1 (800) 426-2123 by booking accommodations through the site we use and love! As part of the tour, there will be a 20-minute interpretive walk and talk at the historic East Fork Cabin. Start planning your tailor-made trip by contacting one of our Alaska specialists. During the rest of the year, access to the park is limited and dependent on weather conditions. We saw so much wildlife and luckily the animals were not as far away from the bus as I was expecting. As animal lovers, we opted for Denalis Tundra Wilderness Tour, an excursion that would showcase the parks natural wonders. The Denali History Tour is 4 1/2 to 5 hours long and will turn around at Mile 17. It costs you nothing extra and helps support this website. Soon, we spot a group of Dall sheep grazing in a meadow high on the hill. The 5 to 5 1/2-hour tour will turn around at Mile 43. Best Time to Visit Denali National Park: Summer is the main visiting season (late May- early September). The bus will stop frequently to allow you to view the wildlife from the vehicle as well as having rest stops en route. If you would like estimated pricing, please contact us at 1-866-317-3325 or fill out the form below. Additionally, the free Savage River Shuttle will depart the park entrance every 15 minutes. We did the Tundra Wilderness Tour, which was an 8-hour journey along the Denali Park Road. Pursuit is also offering an all-inclusive Denali experience with a helicopter trip to Denali Backcountry Lodge at Kantishna, featuring private cabins, seasonal cuisine and outdoor recreation opportunities. That endeavor is aided by the presence of dropdown video screens on the bus your driver will take footage of the local wildlife and project said content onto the screens. Privacy & Cookies: This site uses cookies. The National Parks Service has also announced some changes to popular visitor experiences within the park, due to the road closure. Call or email us your tour questions or to customize your Alaskan vacation. While wildlife populations can fluctuate, Denali is currently home for more than 1,900 moose, 1,700 caribou, 2,500 Dall sheep, 300-350 grizzly bears and 100 wolves. Youll get the chance to see some of the magnificent creatures that live here. In 1917, the United States Congress passed a bill to establish Mount McKinley National Park. The bus drivers are certified naturalists and provide in-depth information about the park. Still, I cant believe Im watching a bear roam around, carefree, in its natural habitat. Accommodations: There are some campgrounds in Denali, but most people stay in lodging outside the park. Children between 4 and 8 years old (up to 65 pounds) must be in a booster seat. 600 Barrow Street, Suite 200 There is only one road into Denali National Park. The rest of the year, the Murie Science and Learning Center (MSLC) acts as the parks main visitor centre. As thrilled as I am to be seeing all this wildlife, my fingers are crossed well spot a bear. Denali National Park is one of Alaskas most special places. The buses stop for wildlife viewing and restroom stops, but are not narrated, like tour buses. Children 4 years old and younger or less than 40 pounds must be seated in a car seat. 2022 Mat-Su Convention and Visitors Bureau. Get events, specials and more delivered to your inbox. In 1986 Mount Augustine erupted near Anchorage. This delightful tour will give you a comprehensive overview of this magnificent wilderness, and wildlife sightings of grizzly bears, wolves, caribou and other animals will be a highlight. Information was updated January 2022, but can change without notice. The free Riley Creek Shuttle will loop around the entrance area continuously. I try my best to get some photos, but even with my long lens zoomed all the way to 400mm, the bear is not much more than a speck. You can enjoy this activity as part of the suggested tours below, or we can weave it into a trip shaped entirely around you. No. Parents are responsible for providing the appropriate car/booster seat. Purchases made through links earn us a small commission, at no extra cost to you. Denali National Park Buses: There are two types of bus service in Denali- shuttle and tour. Of course, wildlife sightings can never be guaranteed, but in our experience the tour was a success in that aspect. The Denali Backcountry Adventure is a new tour offered by Alaska Collection by Pursuit, who owns and operates lodges and attractions across Alaska.
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