nodumblond

All good suggestions, which I appreciate.

The short answer re: options is: not much. The (independent) jeep tour shuts down . . . wait for it . . . the day before we arrive; their rentals stop a week before. I called the local car rental companies and they are either too pricey (really? Over $1000 for a vehicle? for a day?) or out of options that would allow us to progress past mile 14. A recommendation to Turo (think AirB&B for vehicles) listed options . . . in Anchorage. The Tundra Wilderness Tour is, sadly, not an option this late in the season. I appreciate all the feedback, and your grace in not wagging fingers at my not doing more research before booking. Maybe it will be one of those "got a taste and want to go back" experiences. Having said that, if anyone knows anyone near Denali that would be willing to take an intrepid couple on a private tour in the park, let me know. Thank you all!

Thank you so much for this!

So we were REALLY excited that HAL had a promo on a land and sea cruise we could afford that took us to Denali for a half-day (I know, I know, not nearly enough time, but you take what you can get when you can get it). Because of DH's work schedule, we had to choose the very last one they had, leaving Fairbanks on 9/16/23 for the park. We're not particularly thrilled with HAL's ShoreEx offerings (only 14 miles into the park on a bus? really?), and sadly, the transit buses stop running . . . two days before we get there. Feh. Does anyone have any suggestions on companies that might still be running tours into the Park itself that late in the season? Are we better off doing a Jeep tour down Denali Highway or an ATV trip to Black Mountain? We're fairly independent travellers and could do some hiking, but DH's knees limit what he can handle. Thanks for whatever feedback you can share.