Denali National Park

R

ryskey

100+ Posts
I have visited the NPS website, so I know what my options are.

I want to lose myself in the wilderness for a few days, so I'm interested in the backcountry treks. Are these worth the effort (planning, supplies, pain in the *** factor), or should I just spend nights at one of the lodges and just make a bunch of day trips?

Any other suggestions will be appreciated.
 
Go deep. The lodges are cool. But you'll get an experience you'd never even dream about by going as far into the park as possible.

You won't regret it.
 
We just returned from there last Friday and it was our 2nd visit to Denali. (My sister lives in Alaska). Unlike Yellowstone, there is not a big lodge in the Park.

We have young children (7 & 4) so we didn't camp, but we did the 8 hour bus tour. Along the way we would pick up hikers and campers. some had been out there for days. There are many marked trails, and other "social" trails used by hikers and animals alike. If you are into camping, I would encourage you to take your tent, check in with the rangers, hop on a bus and get off at your desired destination. During the day we could spot tents and hikers off in the distance. It can be dangerous but if you are experienced and have common sense you should be just fine. I think there is a lodge at Kantishna, but i'm not sure. Also, there are some camping sites within the park off the single road, if you want to be near a few amenities (water) at night. It is stunningly beautiful so you will have no trouble losing yourself. Just stay away from all the Princess buses and lodges and you'll have a great time.

Also, If you have time to, visit the sled dog kennels for a neat experience. Good luck.
 
Cool. So it sounds like putting in the effort will be worth it.

There's a quota system for the different regions of the park. For most regions, there's a max of 6 people or so. Since this is peak season, I'm worried we won't be able to get in, or if we do, we'll be relegated to the not-so-desirable regions. Anyone know the likelihood of everything being booked?

Thanks for the replies. And good info, kitties.
 
There is lodging at Kantishna. My boy and I are going to Denali on the 10th. I think you are way too late to get what you might prefer, but I've only been told to start early. We are going to ride a non-park bus all the way in and then fly back out around Denali. We're then going down to Kenai to cacth some fish. We are also signed up to do the dog sled thing and raft the Nenana on the 11th before we drive South, hopefully catching the tide bore at Turnagain Arm on our way to the fishing lodge.
 
I was referring to most everything you need a reservation for, especially lodges in the park area, but I have no personal experience. I think you can buy your bus ride online and I'm told people show up and wait for several days to get into the park. You really can't drive yourself into the park like most other parks. Maybe 14 miles out of a 75 mile drive into Kantishna? I didn't want to lug the camping gear up to AK (my son didn't want to camp and it's his trip) so I didn't look into that aspect. I didn't look into quotas in other words. All the stuff I read said that there are a shitload of tourists that don't get to do what they want because they just show up and there is a lot of pressure.

The tide bore will be most pronounced about the time you arrive. I think the lowest tide of the month is the day you arrive. I think you can pick up halibut trips off the rack in Homer or Seward without too much trouble. I also think that the better salmon guides will be hard to hook up with. You will be arriving at the best time for the silver salmon run if my spies are correct. I have been told that the famed "combat fishing" is really during the king salmon run and shouldn't be as bad in mid-August if you are thinking of doing fishing on your own.

Jeff King supposedely has one of the best dog-sledding tours. He has won the Iditarod a few times. I think he was disappointed with a 3rd or 5th this year. I spent 30 minutes on the phone with him and he and his partner are very nice people. I can't remember her name. Husky Homestead is the name of their organization. I'd get a reservation.

My raft trip is throughThe Link The bus ride is throughThe Link It's a tad bit more expensive and they won't drop you off and pick you up with the flexibility of the park busses, but we are only spending one day in Denali park itself. Ours is mainly a fishing trip and Denali is an add-on for us.

We`are staying south of the park on Carlo Creek where we will use a 1-weight to fish for grayling.

We are going south to Kenai on the 13th to do a day of float fishing on the Kenai, a day of halibut fishing out of Homer or Seward, a day of saltwater salmon fishing and a trip on a float plane with the bears. I'm told a resourceful person can show up and book a flyout, but it's kinda like showing up in Port A looking for a guide. Who knows if you'll get someone who knows what they are doing?

Alaska for Dummies was a good start for us. There are supposed to be some good trails in the Girdwood area, including a tram over the water near an old gold mine that is hand powered. I spoke with a cousin of an acquaintance. The cousin lives in Anchorage.
 
That's a hell of a trip.

I can't afford guides so we'll be doing most of the fishing on our own. We probably won't get the best experience that way, but I'm sure we'll have a good time. I'll look into the options you suggested.

Yeah, I am worried about the park being too crowded. Apparently it's impossible to make reservations for the backcountry treks- we'll just have to show up and ask which regions are available. I hope there aren't too many people, but it appears that might be the case. Oh well, we'll just have to have a backup plan.

We're probably not as prepared as we should be, but there's just so much to do so I'm sure it'll be fun no matter what.

Thanks for the info. Good stuff.
 
There is a book called Alaska Fishing on a Budget. You are welcome to my copy. It's a how-to for fishing from the roads. You might find it at Borders or B&N. My boy just doesn't like fishing enough to make him work real hard for it (or the attention span to do the same type of fishing all day for several days in a row) and I just don't ever get enough sleep in my own bed to not have a nice comfy room in AK.
 
I've actually seen that book. I was looking for regular Alaska guidebooks on Amazon and ran across it. I'll definitely make the purchase (I'd feel guilty about taking someone else's). I appreciate the recommendation and other advice.
 
Hey ryskey, check out Denali State Park too.

This is immediately adjacent to the NP on the south side. You get the same terrain and similar views.

BTW, and this is for Nick too, as you drive north on the Parks Highway (named after George Parks, not the NP), check out Hurricane Gulch. Hurricane Gulch. It's 175 miles north of Anchorage and about 40-50 south of the park entrance.

This is the view from the bridge...

0782_hurricane_gulch_down.jpg
 
After flying most of the day we are going to drive 5 hours to Denali. I'm thinking that we will make stops like Hurricane Gulch on our drive from Denali to Soldotna. I'm thinking breakfast in Talkeetna (inspiration for Northern Exposure) , lunch around Anchorage, Beluga Point for the tide bore and then a hike in Girdwood followed by dinner in Soldotna and then the fishing lodge on the banks of the Kenai.
 
I know, but the boy wants to buy some moose **** and we will need some breaks. That will be the first thing crossed off the list.
 
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