Delani afternoon trips

[MSEm]

We are to arrive at Denali about 12:30 PM for 2 nights. We will have the 8 hour tour into the park. Any suggestions as to optional activies for the afternoon and or evening that we arrive at Denali? Thanks for the help.

[fti]

We are to arrive at Denali about 12:30 PM for 2 nights. We will have the 8 hour tour into the park. Any suggestions as to optional activies for the afternoon and or evening that we arrive at Denali? Thanks for the help.

 

I assume your 8 hour tour into the park is on the day after you arrive. Are you going on your own? If you have the Tundra Wilderness Tour, you might consider getting a refund for that and booking a shuttle bus yourself instead. You can get a shuttle bus to Wonder Lake (my favorite) or Fish Creek. They take longer, but if Mt. McKinley is "out" you won't regret it.

 

In any case, for the afternoon you arrive, there is lots to do. The sleddog demos at the park headquarters are nice. Ask at the visitor center re: transportation and times (or www.nps.gov/dena). You can see the exhibits and film at the visitor center, and the film at the wilderness access center. There is also some good hiking (easy to moderate) near the park entrance.

 

If you have a car you can drive the first 15 miles of the park road to the Savage River. Sometimes you can spot a moose or wolf, and sometimes Mt. McKinley is out and visible from the park road (about mile 11 or 12 I think).

 

For your day on the bus, if you take the shuttle (or even the TWT for that matter) you can get off the bus, do some hiking then catch any bus back. This is a little-known secret of the tour buses. You CAN get off the TWT bus and catch any shuttle bus back to the entrance. Very few people get off the buses which is a shame since it is so nice to get out and feel like you have the park to yourself! There are no formal trails except near the park entrance (and the McKinley Bar Trail near Wonder Lake) but find a spot that is fairly level and with low "tundra" and go for it.

 

John