Denali Excursions
 

We will be doing a cruise/tour through Holland America in late May/early June. Our travels include a full day of free time at Denali. Has anyone done a raft ride in Denali? Per Holland America, we have to book the raft ride while in Denali (we can't pre-book with Holland America). Can anyone recommend a raft excursion company? Are there other "must-do's" in Denali? Thanks for your help.

I'm doing the same cruise/tour with HAL in June, too. So, am interested in any replies your get about Denali.

If you are refering to white water rafting-we went (through Princess)in 2000. It was something I really wanted to do and while the experience was interesting, I can't say I'd highly recommend it. It was only about a 2 hour "tour" and most of it involved getting into and out of the protective clothing-it's glacier water and brutally cold of course-my feet were frozen. Our traveling companions visited a sled dog compound and enjoyed holding puppies. We all went on an unbelievably long bus ride through the park but we got lucky and spotted quite a few animals at very close range-and there's the possibility of seeing Mt.Mckinley, we didn't. There's also a golf course there! Good luck with your Alaska adventure.

My family did a rafting "float" a few years ago. At the time, there were no<BR>real rafting companies, they were all<BR>floating down the river. It will be ICY COLD.<BR><BR>Do not expect to be able to hike or explore on your own in the Park. It is supervised tours ONLY. For your protection. You may see a lot of wildlife on the tour, you may see nothing. Luck of the draw. <BR><BR>Expect it to be fairly rainy on the cruise--Southeast Alaska is technically a temperate rain forest. Ketchikan gets 188 inches of rain per year. Expect nights to be cool--in the 40s and 50s. Not so rainy on the "mainland." But May can still be quite chilly. I remember the year I got married in Anchorage, it snowed on May 15. <BR><BR>Wear lots of layers. Take mosquito repellent. Be prepared for the most awsome scenery you'll see in your life.<BR><BR>I've done Denali twice ( actually, most of us Alaskans still call it McKinley ),<BR>and didn't see much wildlife either time. Once in June, once in Aug.<BR><BR>We've done two cruises, one northbound, one southbound, and loved them both. We hit the most incredible weather each time. The first time, the sign on a store in Ketchikan said " 11 days of sun in a row! Can you believe it?" The second time was almost as good. The cruise two days before us hit rain or overcast the whole trip.<BR><BR>By the way, you want to see glaciers in overcast, not bright sun, as they are much bluer. <BR><BR>Enjoy!

Thanks for all the replies. This is my 4th cruise to Alaska, so I know about the weather. But it will be my first on the land portion, and haven't been able to find out much on Denali, so much appreciated your inputs.

We saw very few rafters in the river outside of Denali (which is where you would raft). The water is glacier run off and it is more like slurry--very nasty with mud and gravel.<BR><BR>The bus ride in the park is long and dusty but we saw several grizzlies and moose and lots of caribou. Saw McKinley for two days. I understand we were very fortunate.<BR><BR>The park tour will take 8 hours which will take up a good chunk of your one day. I wouldn't even go to the area if I weren't going to tour or hike the park. There isn't much else there to see/do.<BR><BR>We couldn't wait to get back down to the Kenai Peninsula to spend our vacation time.

Denali is all hype. Also long boring trip. Do Seward/Denali.<BR><BR>Paul