The Last Frontier—Alaska’s Denali National Park·Guide
Thanks to my travel companions for providing the pictures
Denali NP was founded in 1916 and opened for tours in 1923. It covers an area of more than 24,000 square kilometers. It was originally established to protect local animals from hunting, and now it has become the largest wildlife refuge in Alaska and the national park that attracts the most tourists in the state every year. Many animals live here, such as black bears, brown bears, reindeer, moose, gray wolves, etc.
In Denali, if someone asks you how many (how many there are), it is definitely not asking how many people you have or how many days you will stay, but how many deer and bears you saw. During my 4 days and 3 nights in Denali NP, I saw more than 10 bears and deer, and a few others such as foxes, gophers, badgers, and ptarmigans, but I did not see wolves - this species. Too alert.
McKinley, the highest peak in North America with an altitude of 6,194 meters (20,320 feet), is also located in Denali. Due to its proximity to the Arctic Circle, McKinley was covered by glaciers and the climb was quite difficult. It was not until 1913 that anyone climbed McKinley for the first time.
Overview
Almost all activities in Denali NP are located near major thoroughfares. The red 15 miles is the paved road where you can drive by yourself, and the yellow road behind is where you can only take the shuttle bus.
Accommodation in the park <—need to book in advance!!!
You can stay at the lodge/hotel at the entrance of the park and then enter the park every day, or you can choose to live directly in the park . Accommodation in the park is in short supply, especially in the Wonder Lake area opposite McKinley, so reservations need to be made far in advance. There are several accommodation options:
Good quality and low price, it is the choice of most people. We stayed for 3 nights. And because the campground is well managed, it is relatively safe, and there are special storage areas for food and other things. The campsites in the park include:
Riley Creek (Entrance Area)
Savage River (MP13)
Sanctuary River (MP23)
Teklanika River (MP29)
Igloo Creek (MP35)
Wonder Lake (MP85)
Of the above campsites, only the first two can be reached by car, while the rest (MP15) require taking a shuttle bus. Some campgrounds only provide tent sites, while others also provide RV sites. Riley Creek provides bathing services including bath towels). After camping for a few days, we eagerly came here to take a shower...
Most of these campsites are $9-20/night (group site is $40/nihgt), and some places charge a $5 reservation fee. For specific fees, please see:
To camp in the countryside, you need to apply for a permit in advance. After the park management office approves your application, it will allocate an area to you, and you can find a place to camp in this area. A large area of wilderness and inaccessible areas is your territory.
It stands to reason that no hotel should be built in Denali NP, but in this evil capitalist society like the United States, it is not strange to have private areas deep in the park. Private property owners have built some lodges deep in the national park. You can imagine how expensive they are and not something we can afford to live in. There are mixed reviews on Tripadvisor. Some people think it's worth it, while others call it the most expensive mistake... Since I haven't verified it, I won't recommend it here. You can search Denali lodge or Denali hotel online to find their prices and reviews.
Note: There are many self-proclaimed Denali Lodges that are actually at the entrance of the park rather than deep inside the park. The way to tell is to look at their address. If the address is on Parks Highway, then it is at the entrance of the park. If it is Denali Park Road, then it is inside the park.
Transportation within the park <—can be booked in advance
For the sake of protecting the environment and animals, private cars are not allowed to enter Denali NP except for the first 15 miles. You can only take the Shuttle Bus.
You can buy a one-way ticket, and the return trip will stop at a moment’s notice (as long as there are seats on the bus). Since everyone chooses to take the early bus into the park, the first bus (7:15am) is often full. Just in case, it’s safer to buy your tickets in advance. You don’t have to buy it too far in advance, I just bought it 2 days in advance. The website to buy tickets is:
www.reserveddenali.com.
There are often problems with the system. In this case, you can call to buy tickets. The phone number is also on this ticket purchase page. When you buy the ticket, the system will automatically charge you $10 for the ticket. If you have a national park annual pass, you can go to WAC to get a refund.
Tickets purchased in advance can also be changed or canceled for a fee of $4.
Note: On the day we went, because too many people bought tickets online, the company temporarily added an extra bus based on demand. There were two buses departing at the same time at 7:15, and half of the seats on our bus were empty. Later, the driver said that the company only called him last night to inform him to come to work. Along the way, many people mistakenly thought we were going to Kantishna and stopped the bus. The driver had to take the trouble to explain that we were a temporary extra bus and today's early train was double.
There are three types of buses in the park:
Green Shuttle Buses: As the name suggests, it is a shuttle bus, and you get on the bus at WAC (Wilderness Access Center).
Note: Most people choose the Shuttle bus, which has a fixed timetable. You can ask their staff for it, or you can arrange your itinerary flexibly. But their timetable seems to be adjusted frequently. After the staff gives me the timetable, I always ask me to confirm with the driver to see if they have made adjustments. The driver drove faster when we went and arrived at the Eielson Visitor Center early, so other cars stopped for 30 minutes and our car stopped for 45 minutes.
Camper Buses: Buses for campers, with a special place for luggage at the back of the bus.
Note: What is a bit confusing here is that we only saw two types of buses in our previous travel notes and official website - shuttle buses and Tour Buses. Later we learned that there are also camper buses! The best way for us to go camping is to take camper buses, because the shuttle buses are usually full and there is no room to put our luggage. Fortunately, because there were too many people there that day, they temporarily added a shuttle bus, which had enough space, so our luggage occupied a spot. And it should be noted that, unlike other buses, Camper Buses depart from the visitor center, and we have not seen any relevant information before. On the way back, we discovered that many campers, like us, thought this trip also started from WAC, so they parked their cars at WAC. . . It seems that many mistakes have been made. The driver was kind enough to take a detour to WAC and drop us off.
Tour Buses: They have many tours, such as Tundra Wilderness TourNatural History TourWindows Into The Wilderness, etc.
Note: We often see white buses along the way, that is, various tour buses. The tickets we bought can only be used freely on various green buses, but not on white tour buses. The main difference between the two is the price, the tour bus is much more expensive.
Shuttle buses charge different fees based on the distance of the destination (Camper bus is $30, which is the cheapest, and Tour Bus is based on the tour package you choose). Here we only talk about Shuttle Buses, which have 4 destinations to choose from:
Note:
– Remember to check the start and end times of the shuttle bus. For example, the bus to Wonder Lake does not start until June 8th, but the bus to Toklat starts on May 20th.
– Eielson Visitor Center is actually a good transfer station, and most shuttle buses will stay here for half an hour or more. Some videos are sometimes played in the center. For example, this year they are promoting the 100th anniversary of the first landing of McKinley. They also offer some Ranger programs that take you hiking to nearby places. There are several trails nearby, and you can also walk on your own without a ranger. After participating in the activities here, you can take the next bus to continue moving forward or return. After staying one night at Wonder Lake, we took the early morning bus here the next day. We walked a trail by ourselves in the morning, followed another trail with Ranger at noon. After returning to the visitor center, we took a bus towards the entrance for one stop. Then we took the bus back to the visitor center at Toklat River. We happened to see a bear moving near the visitor center, so all the trails were closed until the bear left. Then we took the bus back to Wonder Lake. We just went back and forth in the car to see the animals.
On the outbound journey try to line up as early as possible, and then grab the seat to the left of . For the same reason, sit on the right side on the return trip. Because the road is built along the mountain, there are mountains directly on the right, and canyons and streams on the left. Most animals will appear on the left, and Dall Sheep on the mountain is often the only one on the right. And McKinley is also on the left side of the road.
The morning bus goes there and the evening bus back, because morning and evening are the peak hours for animals, especially at sunset (8-9 o'clock). The animals are so arrogant that they run directly onto the road. We even saw a male mouse crossing the road. On the road, everyone had to stop and wait for it. It is worth mentioning that you can drive in the first 15 miles of Denali NP by yourself. You can also choose to drive yourself and stroll around the door in the morning and evening.
Try to have sunny or cloudy days. Animals will take shelter on rainy days. On the contrary, there are more animals on sunny days and it is easier to photograph.
Regarding animal distribution:
MP0-MP15 (Entrance to Savage River): There are a lot of moose, especially at sunset, they will strut onto the road.
MP15-MP23 (Savage River to Sanctuary River): It is said that this section is called moose county, but I saw almost no animals.
MP23-MP53 (Sanctuary River to Toklat River): It is said that this section is called wolf county, but I did not see a wolf from beginning to end, but I saw a few foxes. Someone online saw wolves and puppies here several times. Dall Sheep is also very common. I saw several of them across the Toklat River, so I looked through the telescope at the observation deck. It was very clear and I could even see the sheep's mouths chewing.
MP53-MP66 (Toklat River to Eielson Visitor Center): It is said that this section is bear county. Many people have seen bears in this section. We even witnessed an animal war - a mother bear and two cubs were playing. The male bear wanted to come and attack them, but the mother bear fought back and fought off the powerful enemy~~ As expected, motherhood makes you stronger.
MP66-MP85 (Eielson to Wonder Lake): It is said that there are not many animals in this area due to the vegetation, and indeed we only saw one Caribou.
MP85-MP92 (Wonder Lake to Kantishna): On a short stretch of road, I didn’t see any animals.
Clothing <—Waterproofing is very important
I’ve mentioned it before, but I’ll emphasize it again because it’s really important! ! It’s best to wrap your clothing in layers. If it’s too hot for hiking, remove a few pieces and add more if it’s cold. The most important preparation is waterproof clothes and pants! Because the weather here is changeable, it often starts raining as soon as a cloud floats over your head. Once when I was cooking noodles in Wonder Lake, I suddenly found a Chinese man running out with his calves bare. I was still sighing at that, the physical fitness of our Chinese people is so powerful, and the old Americans next to me were all wrapped up tightly and wearing hats. To protect yourself from the cold, this girl really exalts the prestige of China! I heard someone chatting the next day and found out that the Chinese mother and daughter went hiking at Wonder Lake the day before. As a result, a burst of rain came and the mother and daughter were soaked from head to toe. They had no clothes to wear, and that’s why the thing I saw the day before appeared. That scene. After that, the mother and daughter never left the tent again. Others also lamented, how can you come to Alaska to hike with such waterproof measures? Therefore, jackets and waterproof pants are standard equipment for visiting here-unless you don’t plan to hike.
food
There is no food sold in the entire Denali NP, so you have to bring it in yourself. Even if you only plan to come in and out in the morning, remember to bring lunch. If you are camping like us, you need to calculate the staple vegetables and fruits you will eat in the past few days and then carry them. If camping, food should be placed in a special food storage room on the campground. Food must not be placed in your own tent sites to prevent bears from following the scent and coming to you. If you are hiking with food, remember to put the food in a food container to prevent bears from treating you as food. There are many restaurants one mile north of the park entrance, where you can go for a good meal in the evening.
Hiking/Trail
To better appreciate the beauty of Denali, just sitting on the bus is not enough. There are two types of hiking here, one is led by a ranger, and the other is walking at will.
Led by Ranger:
a. Guided Walks: The park provides some short hikes led by rangers every day. They are long or short, and you can choose according to your own needs. The number of people is limited, first come first served, sign in and gather at the designated place at the designated time to set off. This guided walk is only available at Denali Visitor Center (entrance) and Eielson Visitor Center (MP66).
b. Discovery Hike: This is a full-day activity led by ranger, going to a different place each time. It clearly states: Hikes take place off-trail and can be difficult—please weigh it before deciding whether to participate. You need to book this in advance at the Denali Visitor Center and buy a bus ticket to the depths of the park.
PS: We originally wanted to participate in this, but then gave up due to lack of time.
Without Ranger leading:
Most people hike by themselves. The advantage of this is that it is more flexible and is not limited by time or number of people. When walking on your own, you can choose to take their trails (plank roads) or off-trails. When we were staying at Wonder Lake, we met an American couple who kindly lent us a book about various trails in Denali NP, which introduced hundreds of trails. While I was reading with gusto, the Wonder Lake campground administrator reminded me: Although the book said that Wonder Lake has 5 or 6 trails, there is only one official trail here, which is the McKinley Bar Trail, and the rest of the trails are either They discovered it themselves, or they planned to build a trail but it has not yet been completed. You may find that the trail disappears as you walk, and you need to trek through the bushes by yourself~~
According to the guide provided by the park, there are only 17 official trails in the park, which can be downloaded at www.nps.gov/dena. But I think off-trail is more interesting, but it requires a higher sense of direction. Some people once almost got lost while walking.
Note: It needs to be emphasized here: when hiking, you often encounter animals. We encountered moose, but some people also encountered bears! It is important to keep a safe distance when meeting animals . Animals are very territorial. Once you step into their safe range, they will feel offended and will start to attack you. Bears are more domineering and need a safe distance of 300 yards (275 meters), while other animals such as deer, wolves, sheep, etc. only need a safe distance of 25 yards (23 meters). When you are outside a safe distance, you can do whatever you want and take photos freely. But when you are within a safe distance, the first action is to slowly exit the safe distance (don’t run, otherwise It stimulates the animal's hunting instinct). Safety first, don’t ignore the safe distance just to take pictures. Someone once met a bear and wanted to take a picture before leaving. As a result, the enraged bear slapped him to death.
My hiking is a combination of trail and off-trail. Of the 17 existing trails, I walked 3 of them, namely the Tundra Loop Trail, the Thorofare Ridge Trail and the McKinley Bar Trai. I recommend everyone to give it a try.
A very popular entertainment project in Alaska is to take a small plane to see McKinley. Many people choose to go to Talkeetna and fly to Denali, but I found that there is a small plane directly in Denali NP, and the price is half of Talkeetna—— It’s also the cheapest among the ones we asked about, costing just over 200 dollars, but I’m not sure if it goes to McKinley. It is located between Wonder Lake and Kantishna.
Unfortunately, it rained during the few days we stayed in Denali NP, which was not suitable for taking a small plane, so we did not participate in this project. Instead, it cleared up on the day we left the park, so we went to a company called Denali Adventure Tours at the entrance of the park. The company took a flight before leaving. The tour was called peak experience, and it cost more than 300 dollars after discount (25% discount for groups of 4 or more people).
Watching McKinley from the plane~
Note:
1. Personally, I feel it is best not to book in advance because the weather is too unpredictable and flying on a cloudy day is very depressing.
2. Before booking a small plane, you should ask clearly about their service content. Some claim to take you to see McKinley, but in fact they only fly to a place 5-7 miles away from McKinley for you to see from a distance, but ours is close to McKinley. The two peaks are flying, and many times I was worried whether the plane would hit them. But having said that, small planes are a very common means of transportation in Alaska because they have many places that cannot be reached by car. Almost everyone can fly a plane. We encountered airflow during our tour. When I was very nervous, I glanced at Uncle Bob. He was sitting calmly and calmly - only two fingers were symbolically placed on the steering wheel, and he didn't take the airflow seriously at all. Something!
3. Regarding the seats, the previous online guide said that it is best to choose the seats towards the back. The seats in the front are easy to take pictures of the wings or propellers. But I just wanted to experience the small plane anyway, and I didn’t plan to take many photos, so I ran to the co-pilot’s seat. It’s not very good to take pictures from the side because it’s blocked by the wings, but it’s unexpectedly good to take pictures from the front! Moreover, the plane sometimes tilts very sharply. At this time, you don’t have to worry about the wings when taking side shots. So the seats are a matter of opinion, the front and back are fine, but the row behind the driver is not very good, the front cannot be photographed, and there are wings on the side.
Our dedicated pilot Bob took us around left and right, and kept saying: "Okay, let me change the angle, so the friend on the right can take pictures. Okay, I will go around again, and the friend on the left It’s time to take pictures. Okay, I’ll turn around now, and my friend on the right is getting ready..." Finally, he happily took us along the mountains to find dall sheep.
Finally, I attach a beautiful picture stolen from Lao Gao to end the Denali National Park part.
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