Denali NP

[fti]

Has anyone camped in Denali NP before or after a cruise? I am taking a cruise next summer and the pre-cruise excursions don’t give enough time in the park to suit me. I would like to camp at Wonder Lake campground for several nights.

 

I know it will require extra planning and equipment, but the benefits seem to far outweigh the costs.

 

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

John

 

[Budget Queen]

You are making a big mistake camping at Denali Park before mid August. Just OVERLOADED with a significant bug problem. I would suggest if going mid August, Wonder Lake is a great option to consider. I have walked through the campgrounds several times. Nice and spaced out of course, but no cover- trees except brush.

 

You should be able to do an independent tour for far less cost. :) An option would be to take the train round trip from Anchorage to Denali Park, I suggest on one leg you consider an overnight in Talkeetna, great funky real Alaska town. :) For the "camp like" atmosphere, consider staying in Talkeetna Roadhouse, downstairs rooms. :)

[SourDoughSteve]

There are problems with the latter part of August as well. It tends to be the supposedly non-existant rainy season. They say there's not a rainy season but once you've lived there you'll probably disagree. You also understand that you have to take the shuttle to Wonder Lake, you can't drive there during season. You should also note that the Parks department can close any of the campgrounds or restrict it to hard sided campers at any time due to animal activity. One of the sights is restricted right now. It's a very risky option and BQ is probably right about doing a customized tour to include the number of nights you'd like to spend near the park.

 

Check with a destination specialist!

[JohnQ]

Do Denali campgrounds allow tents or hard sided vehicles only?

[Budget Queen]

Do Denali campgrounds allow tents or hard sided vehicles only?

 

 

Plenty of tents there. (only thing allowed at Wonder Lake) :) But areas do close, for example Igloo Campgrounds has been closed for 2 years due to the wolf pack there. http://www.nps.gov/dena/home/visitorinfo/camping/index.html

[fti]

Sorry for digging up an old thread but I wanted to give an update on our trip the end of June 2006. We did indeed camp at Wonder Lake. Yes, we had mosquitos but we planned for them, bringing mosquito nets, DEET and a mosquito repelling candle lamp.

 

The main reason for wanting to camp at WL rather than taking the shuttle bus ending up being exactly what happened. Mt. McKinley is often clouded over during the day. But often at night or earlier in the morning, it is visible.

 

Our first night there just as we were cooking dinner, at 7pm the mountain started making itself visible. All the shuttle busses were long gone by this time. It got clearer and clearer until it was totally visible with no clouds until 1pm the following afternoon - ironicaly right about the time that the first shuttles busses would have arrived (actually the very earliest shuttle bus arrives about 11am). I was able to get great pictures from the campsite, from reflection pond at sunset, and from the road near the campsite.

 

Then the following day the mountain became visible again later in the day - we would have totally missed it if we took shuttle busses.

 

I know that camping is definitely not for everyone. But I am convinced that you have more of a chance of seeing Mt. McKinley if you camp at Wonder Lake. You just need to be sure you prepare yourself well for it. Plus, the campground fills up most dates by about March or April if not sooner, so you definitely need to plan ahead.

[Chenega]

I teach geography at the college in Anchorage and there is a tendency for mid August to start our unofficial rainy season. You can play the odds but this year had over two weeks of rain, flooding, road washouts to Denali, and other weather related problems.

 

I usually recommend mid-May to the end of June for the best chances at good weather.

[fti]

I teach geography at the college in Anchorage and there is a tendency for mid August to start our unofficial rainy season. You can play the odds but this year had over two weeks of rain, flooding, road washouts to Denali, and other weather related problems.

 

I usually recommend mid-May to the end of June for the best chances at good weather.

 

I know it can vary greatly, but I tell you our weather the entire two weeks was incredible - the last week of June at Denali and the first week of July on the cruise. We could not have asked for anything better (the only days it rained were our travel days or the last day of the cruise between Ketchikan and Vancouver).