Anchorage is a great place for lots of conventions; I can say that because I attended one last summer. After the convention, I had two free days before heading back to my home. It’s a pity that I come all the way to Alaska, and had so little time to see the state. I had heard so many things about Denali National Park, and that it is one of the top destinations one must visit when in Alaska. So I did an online search in Google for Denali Vacation, and number of results overwhelmed me.
I looked into the Denali Lodges website, and that was just what I was looking for. They had 2-nights/ 3-days Denali vacation package, called Denali Backcountry Express. It matched perfectly with my schedule and is reasonably priced.
Single Room Cabins
I took a Motorcoach next morning from Anchorage to Denali. There were many options available. I could have taken Alaska Railroad Train, but I wanted to have more time in Denali, and the train would have brought me there at 3:45 PM. I could have driven, but I wanted to have a luxury of looking at the scenery from the road rather than focusing on the road. Enjoying my ride, looking at the Palmer Hayflats, the rugged Chugach and Alaska Range mountains, I arrived at Denali Cabins at noon. I had the whole afternoon to myself.
The friendly staff at the front desk of Denali Cabins suggested me to go on a ranger led guided moderate hike at the Denali National Park entrance. At the end of the trail, there was a lake, and for the first time in my life, I saw beavers, busy in building their damn. The calmness of the area, the stillness of the water, and the scent of the air, literally transported me to some other place. I spent my entire afternoon there, and returned to Denali Cabins after having a hearty dinner at Salmon Bake.
The next day, after a deluxe continental breakfast, it was yummy. I took the full day backcountry-adventure trip, and it is aptly named Denali Backcountry Adventure. It is a completely narrated bus trip from Denali Cabins all the way to the end of the restricted park road deep inside Denali National Park. At the end of the road, there is Denali Backcountry Lodge, where we stopped for about two and half hours. We had a full buffet lunch, and the rest of the time, I went on to do some gold panning, trying my luck. No luck!!!
The return trip back was equally amazing, more opportunity to see the wild life. Some travelers opted to fly out for a scenic flight of McKinley. I decided not to do that because I do not feel comfortable riding small plane. I admired the mountain from the road, gazing at its reflection in the famous reflection pond, and again marveling its massif from stony ridge. Both on the way in and out, I saw lots of wild life, seeing especially the mama bear with her two cubs amidst the backdrop of the mountain was mind-boggling.
The bus brought me back to the park entrance around 7 PM. I got off at the entrance headed to one of the eatery in the touristy “glitter gulch” area. Denali Cabins runs a convenient shuttle from Denali Cabins to this area every hour. After a nice dinner at one restaurant, the name escapes me now; I took the shuttle back to Denali Cabins. Wow, what a wonderful day!!
Last day of my stay in Alaska, I am still at Denali Cabins. After the breakfast, I just stroll around the property, relax in the lounge, and learned about the area. After such a long day yesterday, I needed that. I got on the Motorcoach heading back to Anchorage at 3 PM right from the cabin. There were other activities that I could do like ATV tours or rafting, but I just decided to relax for the remainder of my stay. The Motorcoach conveniently dropped me right at Anchorage airport at 7 PM, a perfect connection for my 10 PM flight home, a perfect Denali Getaway for a short time. It surely is a teaser for me to return next year, and I will make sure I do, and I will make sure I stay in that wonderful lodge deep inside Denali National Park. I LOVE DENALI.