Address: | George Parks Hwy, Denali National Park and Preserve, AK, USA |
Phone: | +1 907-683-9532 |
Site: | nps.gov |
Rating: | 4.5 |
RO
Ross Statham
This is a really nice park, and we visited in July 2017 (yesterday). Delighted to give it five stars. If youre looking to see Denali (tallest mountain in north America at 20,300 feet), youll struggle to even see it (much less photograph it) while inside or outside the park. Yeah, I know, its strange, but true. But visit the park and plan to stay the whole day, and if possible, try to pick a "clear" or "mostly sunny" day to see Denali. As you probably know, Alaska weather can be challenging in this regard. Interesting statistic- the park says that only 30% of the people that visit the park see Denali; its heavily clouded over 2/3 of the time, and even on clear days theres no guarantee it wont be clouded over at the summit. Such was the case with us-- it was heavily clouded over that morning, but it cleared and we got GREAT views by mid-day. Guess that makes us one of the magic 30%. Another thing you need to know is that you cannot drive yourself to a place where you can view or photograph the peak except for a "maybe" place at mile 13, a nice trailhead that offers "potential" views of the Denali Summit from a distance. (Buses only past mile 15.) If you want to get closer, you have to buy a bus ticket at the visitor center and take the bus out deeper into the park. (Which I agree with, by the way, we dont need to be clogging up the parks gravel roads with thousands of cars, some of which would run out of gas!) Heres a tip for those who want to potentially photograph or view Denali without visiting deep inside the park- there are great views of Denali along Alaska State Highway 3, which parallels the park and runs from Anchorage to Fairbanks. Nice, free overlooks along the highway on clear days or partly cloudy days, with Denali to the west. The "South Overlook" at the Alaska STATE Park (about 30 miles north of Talkeetna, mile marker 133 or so). Even closer views about mile 150 or 160. You do NOT need a telephoto lens to get great photos. The National Park rangers at Denali National Park were great, as were the concessionaires and support staff. We got some great photos and had a super time. Definitely worth a visit!
DE
Denise Gehrand
McKinney Chalet august 16, 2017 To be fair, we are more of big, luxury type people. I like a restaurant in the same building. Breakfast just an elevator away. Here, the rooms are in 20 different buildings and all require taking a shuttle bus to main lodge. Sometimesthere are 2, sometimes none for half hour. All open to the weather. I was expecting a Lodge atmosphere with roaring fireplace and huge lobby. Its nice but since this is a hotel that takes many many tour groups, its very crowded. No seats at bar, all tables being used. We got off the train at 12 noon so the train people poured in as well as buses filled with tour groups. All rooms and all but one restaurant needs a shuttle to get to. Rain, wind temperature, you have to stand at an exact space with many others. Most times all the people waiting couldnt fit on the shuttle. There are no hotel room in main building. Rooms are miss matched and spread out. Ours was dark with low wattage bulbs. It was rustic but not dirty. Just inconvient to get around the property. The one restaurant in the main building was very good! We had to wait 20 minutes If you eat in there try to get the one table right in front of fireplace. Since this is the place where Holland America Takes their land tours, i thought it was be more upscale.
A
A Private User
If you use the walk-in camping area, exercise extreme care in placing food, cosmetic and medicinal items (as well as all cookware) in the bear-proof bins provided. Youre legally required to do so, with a large fine if you dont. These bins arent lockable... and every item we placed in the nearest bin was stolen. We provided written feedback to the ranger, on the form provided... and wrote a detailed letter to the superintendent of Denali National Park. We received no response whatsoever, either to our suggestion that bins be lockable, with a refundable deposit; or to our claim for reimbursement, with receipts attached. This matter will be pursued, as its a Catch22 situation: Ignore the requirement and youre fined; comply and suffer losses. A response to suggestions on the official form which included a feedback component would have been appreciated; and our more detailed letter to administration has been completely ignored. This experience was the only major loss suffered during our recent three months travel in North America.
PA
patrizia patrizia
Semplicemente bellissimo. Lho visitato con un bus proposto dallo stesso parco perché non si può guidare per conto proprio. I prezzi variano a seconda della durata dellescursione. Io ho prenotato quella di 11 ore che sono trascorse velocemente. Lautista fa fare delle soste per fotografie e fornisce spiegazioni. Se si è fortunati si vedono diversi animali. Io ho visto orsi neri e bruni, alci, capre di montagna....e se è sereno la cima del Denali tutta innevata. Vale la pena vederlo!
MI
Mike Gallagher
This is the most amazing park of any sort I have ever visited and stands out as one of the most amazing experiences of my life. The bus system not only makes the park more enjoyable (I cant imagine driving those roads and certainly would not have seen as much wildlife) it keeps the park wild and limits the craziness. As opposed to parks like Yellowstone where its hard to maintain your sanity because of the traffic and commercialism, this park allows you to really be in touch with nature and encourages you to explore. The level of professionalism of the staff is exceptional and the support they provide is amazing. I believe that the way the park is managed allows the rangers to be less of an enforcement presence and much more of a resource to visitors, helping you to set an agenda that meets your expectations and abilities. If youve never been to Denali, pack your stuff and go. You wont regret it.
MA
Matt Merkel
We barely got to see the peaks of Denali over the clouds that covered it for most of the day and I still give this place 5 stars. Its just so grand, so mind-blowingly huge and awesome, words and pictures do not do it justice. I recommend the full-day, full-length 93-mile bus tour out to Kantishna Roadhouse. Its the best way to experience the park short of backpacking deep into the wilds. The buses make numerous stops, about every hour and you will see lots of wildlife along the way – some of it at a fair distance, so bring high-powered binoculars or a camera with telephoto lens (400x or higher). We saw brown bear (with cubs), grizzlies, mountain sheep, moose, caribou, ptarmigan, bald eagles, brown eagles, arctic fox, hoary marmot, snowshoe hare, among other native species. Definitely a bucket-list adventure, made all the better by the Gold Dome train ride from Anchorage on the Alaska Railroad.
SP
Spencer Neukam
Large, beautiful park. I came here to backcountry backpack with friends - the terrain is far more challenging than anywhere else Ive been. Aside from the challenging terrain, it was extremely fun and so much more rewarding because of it. Backpacking here is truly a unique experience. There are no paths and you bushwhack your way wherever you want to go. I would return in a heartbeat, but be forewarned that the backcountry will wear you down much faster than you think if you really push yourself. Downside is that this park is somewhat expensive to take bus tickets inside the park, and only has a few hikes that you can do before paying for bus tickets to get in the park. Beautiful place though, well worth the visit if you can make it here. Weather is sporadic, come for a few days and only expect 1 of 3 days to be nice out.