Tundra Wilderness Tour - trolley???

We have cancelled the Tundra Natural History tour into Denali with our Princess land tour. We want to go farther in the park on the Tundra Wilderness Tour. We can book it independently at a cheaper price than thru Princess. The tour leaves at 7:10 am. The trolley at Denali Princess lodge does not start service until 7 am. Does this mean that I must book thru Princess to get transportation to the tour, Has anyone else had this problem? Appreciate any help!! Thanks.

You might want to consider the Eielson Shuttle bus instead of the tour. The shuttle buses to Eielson leave every 30 minutes or so, so you can choose a departure time that works best for your schedule, like 8am or later so you can utilize the Princess shuttle. Check the schedule for your specific date:

http://www.reservedenali.com/tours-shuttles/shuttles/eielson-visitor-center/

The Eielson shuttle goes a little further into the park than the TWT, 1/3 the price, same road, same 8 hr trip.

There's no lunch or snack served on the shuttles so buy a sack lunch and drink at the Lodge or any other restaurant.

If you want to stay with the TWT .... it's about a 40 minute walk from the lodge to the Wilderness Access Center in Denali where the buses depart. Easy flat path next to the hwy.

Or an expensive taxi service. Check the Denali Chamber of Commerce web site for the vendor.

Thanks so much for the post. Alaska seems like a difficult trip to plan. Appreciate any and all information.

Thanks so much for the post. Alaska seems like a difficult trip to plan. Appreciate any and all information.

Here's more details on the shuttles. https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/shuttles.htm

book through http://www.reservedenali.com I'd suggest the 8am shuttle to Eielson. This is assuming you are overnight at the Denali Princess that night- 2 nights there? There is also the option to get to Wonder Lake depending on your interests.

When you pick up your tickets, take your Princess Cruise tour paperwork with you so you can request a refund of the park admission fee which you've paid with Princess. When you book the shuttle bus through the above, it is automatically added with refunds only in person. (current last year)

We are at Denali for two nights. I have cancelled the Denali natural History tour with Princess with refund. I just need to decide what would be the best. If I schedule another tour on my own (which is cheaper) can I get transportation to the tour. The more I read the more I get confused. Lol. Thanks everyone for your help.

I've read trip reports where Princess has sometimes provided a late pick up from the park when people were exiting after 7pm. Perhaps they do so before 7am as well. I don't know the circumstances of the after hours shuttle; maybe it's available on demand, or only if several people ask for it, or maybe you just have to pay extra. Call and ask Princess.....

But again, taking the Eielson shuttle would eliminate your transfer problem. Same road, same restroom stops, same wildlife sightings and stops, but the Eielson shuttle goes to Mile 66 instead of 62, and takes you to a lovely destination (the Visitor Center has rangers, exhibits, ranger led hikes, trails, running water, and an awesome view of the mtn if its out). The shuttle doesn't provide a drop down screen for viewing animals far away, or lunch/water, or narrated speech from the driver as the TWT does. About $45 vs $145.

If you choose to walk, there's a well worn bike path along the Parks Hwy that you can easily follow. After you cross the big bridge over the Nenana River, take the Jonesville Trail as a short cut into the Park, then follow the road to the Wilderness Access Center WAC. (If you're traveling early in the summer, be mindful of moose along the trail as it's a popular for cows with their young, and they don't take kindly to 'intruders'. ) Here's a map, Look to the upper right corner. Your hotel is just above where it says NENANA CANYON, the Jonesville Trail is just below.

https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/upload/zFront%20Trails%20w%20icons%2006-2.pdf

Good luck with your choice!.

Hi all,

I would like to thank everyone for your help with my question. Your answers have solved our traveling problem. We scheduled the Eielson Shuttle!!! It has solved the connection problem and also saved us money!!!! Can't be better. Thanks so much!!!

Cindy

We are going to be at the Denali Princess in August 2017 and was wondering the same thing about the Natural History Tour.....a long time and was wondering if it was worthwhile. Did you book the Eielson Shuttle through the cruise line??

We cancelled the Natural History Tour and booked the Eielson tour through this site. http://www.reservedenali.com.

It goes into the park to the 63 milepost. Looks great.

We cancelled the Natural History Tour and booked the Eielson tour through this site. http://www.reservedenali.com.

It goes into the park to the 63 milepost. Looks great.

Eielson goes to mile 66, the visitor center. 63 is the end of the TWT , Stony Hill.

We are going to be at the Denali Princess in August 2017 and was wondering the same thing about the Natural History Tour.....a long time and was wondering if it was worthwhile. Did you book the Eielson Shuttle through the cruise line??

What would you like out of your Alaska trip? What you have now is equal to going to Disneyland and not getting past Main Street.

Sorry, no, in my opinion, the NHT is a costly waste of time. You do NOT get into the park. The Park service offers the same distance on the Savage River Shuttle bus, for FREE. No you do NOT involve the cruise line, if you decide on the Eielson Shuttle bus. You also have to pack all your own food and drink. You must be able to do this independently.

All the details are here, http://www.nps.gov/dena and http://www.reservedenali.com

You would be advised to look this over carefully and know the details, so as to make the right decision for you.

The good thing is Princess has been refunding the tours. A jackpot offer to take advantage of. My minimum distance into Denali is Eielson, nothing shorter for me.

We have cancelled the Tundra Natural History tour into Denali with our Princess land tour. We want to go farther in the park on the Tundra Wilderness Tour. We can book it independently at a cheaper price than thru Princess. The tour leaves at 7:10 am. The trolley at Denali Princess lodge does not start service until 7 am. Does this mean that I must book thru Princess to get transportation to the tour, Has anyone else had this problem? Appreciate any help!! Thanks.

Last September we were staying at Princess Denali Lodge and, due to a mix-up by Princess, we were cancelled from their tour :mad: . So, we booked the TWT through the National Parks Service and were picked up from the lodge at about 7 am. We made a couple more pick-ups before arriving at the NPS bus transportation hub just inside the park where we were shown to the relevant bus as guests had been picked up for different tours.

Lou

Just spoke to someone at the Reserve Denali 800 number. He informed me that the tour buses have much better seats than the shuttle buses. The shuttle bus seats have regular old bench "school bus seats". He said the tour buses have been upgraded with comfortable seats. Anyone who has been on both, would love to hear their experience... Thank you

Just spoke to someone at the Reserve Denali 800 number. He informed me that the tour buses have much better seats than the shuttle buses. The shuttle bus seats have regular old bench "school bus seats". He said the tour buses have been upgraded with comfortable seats. Anyone who has been on both, would love to hear their experience... Thank you

If you are thinking it's a tour bus, you are going to be very disappointed. There are the same type seats on some shuttle buses and all tour buses. They have been upgrading at least the last 5 years.. None of the buses are more than bucket type basic vinyl seats. . Windows are the old style, push in tabs/drop down. It's still a "school bus". High entry steps etc.

I don't find the seat uncomfortable, and ride even the regular padded bench seats all day.

You'll need to access your needs overall, and maybe a long distance trip isn't for you on any of these buses? Take a look around google and see if you can find some photos of the seats?