Traveling north from Anchorage on Parks Highway, heading to Wasilla or Denali National Park, at about Mile 25, you will see an exit to Thunderbird Falls. Thuderbird Falls and Eklutna Lake are very popular spots for locals on a beautiful day. Whether you want to hike about, bike, fish or just paddle along, this is the perfect getaway for a whole family. Continue reading
Tag Archives: Tour
Alaska Independent Tours VS Escorted Tours
Alaska Denali Tours mostly offers self-guided independent tours. You can completely customize your activities, lodging, and transportation to fit the Alaska experience you are looking for. However, if you are the kind of traveler who likes to be with a guided group, Alaska escorted tours might be a better choice. To help you decide, here is a list of the benefits of both styles of touring in Alaska. Continue reading
Whale Watching Cruise, A True Alaskan Adventure
It took us about four hours to drive from Wasilla to Seward on a beautiful spring day, and what a day it was. Not a hint of cloud anywhere, deep blue sky silhouetted the south eastern horizon across the Palmer Hay flats as we drove south that morning. The jagged Pioneer Peak with its upper still white with last week’s snow. It casted a beautiful shadow across the flat, with rays of morning sun shimmering down and a thin sheet of mist cresting its peaks. The mountian was a sight to behold, and a good omen for things yet to come. Continue reading
Getting To and From Denali
When traveling to Denali you have three options. You can drive a car; take the Denali Motorcoach, or the Alaska Railroad. All three have advantages, but for the whole experience of the scenic drive we recommend the Motorcoach to Denali and the Railroad from the park. With these two options you don’t have to worry about missing a turn, or other drivers. You can simply enjoy the beautiful ride. Along the road to Denali Park entrance you can see cliffs littered with rusty rocks. The trip is beautiful, and rare is the drive that lacks wildlife. The Motorcoach is comfortable, air conditioned, and features an onboard restroom. The driver will stop when a photo-op arises, and will explain various areas of the trip. They will tell you what rivers you are crossing, and any questions you have are answered. Want to know why caribou don’t loose their horns? Our drivers have the answer. When you arrive at the park entrance you have around an hour to mull around and get a quick lunch before taking the bus to Denali Backcountry Lodge at Kantishna. By taking the Motorcoach to the park you eliminate the need to stay a night at the park entrance.
On your way home you should take the rail. The Alaska Railroad is a slightly longer trip, but it is well worth the comfort. You have the option of booking your seat in a car with the elevated viewing deck to see as much as you can. Alaska is a vast land and there is much to see. By taking another route back to Anchorage you can see the other side of most of the rivers, and plenty of animals. The friendly local guides on the train will answer any questions you have; they can even point out wildlife you may have otherwise missed. Travel in luxury circa-50’s style railcars and enjoy the fine dining aboard the Denali Star Train. With stops in Wasilla and Talkeetna you are guaranteed the trip of a lifetime.
Remember on your vacation with Alaska Denali Tours the most recommended way to travel to and from Denali is by Motorcoach and Alaska Railroad; you can’t go wrong with the style and comfort offered by our first-class transportation.
Lodging at Denali National Park
We stayed at the Denali Backcountry Lodges last summer. It was breathtakingly beautiful, and had all the amenities of home, minus the noisy neighbors. We were just 95 miles into the park but if felt like we were in another country. The sheer wildness of Denali National Park was wonderful. We had moose come within feet of our cabin, they’re HUGE! I thought they would be the size of a deer, but they’re more like the size of a Suburban! After the moose left the area and we could leave our cabin, we went on a hike around Kantishna. It takes a little while to focus on the small things in such a vast landscape. Slowly we saw the tiny flowers, the subtle colors of all the different trees, and the shimmer of lycan and caribou moss. The week before we can saw some rain so all the flora was extra lush, it was really beautiful.
We saw a few other animals while on our adventure. Caribou wandered around, and we saw two bears. A few bird nests littered the trees, and we got so see a few ground nests. The coolest thing we saw was still the moose at our front door. The rustic feel of the lodge was wonderful, and the staff was very helpful. A great trip all in all!