Two Days in Denali on a Princess Land Tour during mid May before Park bus service

[Ber2048]

ago

We will be staying at the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge on May 13 and 14 2024. I was surprised to find out that the Park buses are not operating until May 20. Has anyone been on a Princess Land tour during this time of year? They are giving us a History tour, but that only goes into the park for 15 miles. The Park is open to mile 30 on these dates. We will have almost the whole day free the day we arrive. Is there enough to do and see around the lodge and the park entrance.

Other than some excursions outside the park, there doesn’t appear to be much offered. Walking the trails around lodge and park entrance is an alternative providing they aren’t too snow covered or slushy. Has anyone taken the shuttle lodge to the park? Do they run often? It has been suggested we rent a car and drive to mile 30 on our own. Would like to know if anyone has done this for just that short time. 

[AKStafford]

I'm not a fan of the land tours offered by the cruise lines. And I think it's borderline criminal that they offer ones to Denali National Park before the buses into the park start running. It's just a desperate money grab.

My recommendation would be to cancel the land portion and book your own great trip using a rental car.

[wolfie11]

I agree with booking your own tour.

[Ber2048]

6 hours ago, AKStafford said:

I'm not a fan of the land tours offered by the cruise lines. And I think it's borderline criminal that they offer ones to Denali National Park before the buses into the park start running. It's just a desperate money grab.

My recommendation would be to cancel the land portion and book your own great trip using a rental car.

That was my first thought when I found the buses aren’t  running. There are probably folks who never even realize it. . We are used to being independent land travelers. Alaska is vast, and this is our first visit. Hoping renting a car in Fairbanks for a day, and in Denali for a day will give us some independence. 

[wolfie11]

Keys to Denali is the only car rental near Denali.  I would book soon.  You should also check your times in Denali.  Some of the tours arrive in the afternoon and depart the next afternoon, giving you two half-days in the park.

[Northern Aurora]

45 minutes ago, wolfie11 said:

Keys to Denali is the only car rental near Denali.  I would book soon.  You should also check your times in Denali.  Some of the tours arrive in the afternoon and depart the next afternoon, giving you two half-days in the park.

 

 

What happened to Alaska Auto Rental?  Their website still lists Denali as an option.

[Ber2048]

I checked with Keys to Denali a few days ago. They had a car available that we could use on a gravel road. Planning on booking in the next couple of days when I have my timeline confirmed. I liked this land tour because we have three nights in Fairbanks, and two nights in Denali. We arrive in Denali at 1:00 P.M. on May 13 and depart early morning on May 15. We have to decide if we still want to do the history tour plus renting the car. Alaska Auto rental was extremely expensive. Thank you for your suggestions. 

[corgigrl]

Best way by far to see Denali is by air. It is pricey, around $400-$500 per person, but oh sooo worth the cost if you can do it. We lucked into an awesome flight in early May 2023 and the weather was perfect. Highly recommend.

[Ber2048]

That sounds wonderful. Good weather makes all the difference. Thank you for your suggestion. .  

[corgigrl]

Just one of the hundred or so photos I took.

[donaldsc]

On 2/6/2024 at 3:50 PM, wolfie11 said:

Keys to Denali is the only car rental near Denali.  I would book soon.  You should also check your times in Denali.  Some of the tours arrive in the afternoon and depart the next afternoon, giving you two half-days in the park.

 

To add to Wolfie's comment - the cruise line will usually put on their itinerary without saying the real schedule.  You have to read cruise ship itineraries very carefully on any cruise that you might book.

 

DON

[Ber2048]

Thank you for your suggestion. Our cruise doesn’t have anything else planned for May 13 other than leaving Fairbanks in the morning and arriving in Denali at 1:00 PM. 
since we don’t have anything scheduled for the rest of the day, we were  hoping to go into the park weather permitting. We really only need a car for that day. May 14 is our History tour, and we plan to take it unless it is cancelled because of weather. It was pointed out to us that on a bus you are sitting up higher, and also not driving. You can focus on the scenery. It is also a good idea to drive into the park two times instead of one. There was a jeep rental that would rent for four or six hours, but unfortunately they are not doing that this year. I was hoping someone from our cruise would be interested in sharing a car with us for just May 13. Would love to see more of the area, but I’m sure whatever we see will be

amazing.