3 days in Denali w/ an overnight in Fairbanks
 

Hi!

I'm taking my wife to Denali in early July for a 'long weekend'. We stay one night in FAI on the front end, and I have two questions:

Can anybody recommend a charming, but relatively cheap, lodging option for the first night? We take the Denali Star to DNP first thing the next morning. Specifically, can anybody tell me anything about the Fairbanks Downtown B&B?

We'll be in Denali the afternoon of 01 July until the afternoon of 04 July. What are the two or three 'don't miss' activities? My initial thoughts are the all-day hiking tour through DNP, a glacier hike, and a whitewater trip.

Any thoughts / input appreciated - thanks!

-Jeff

Denali NP has implemented a shuttle bus system to access the park.
You have to deceide, which destination your are interested in and then make a reservation for the shuttle bus. I recommend to do this early, as a lot of visitors will have the same plan and number of seats in the busses are limited.

If you go until the end of the park road (Wonder Lake), there is no time left for hiking. The bus tour will consume most of your time. Maybe you can do a short walk, before the bus returns to the park entrance. Alternative you can do a longer hike close to the park entrance.

I assume you are looking at a Discovery Hike?? These require some strict standards so be certain to review guidelines. There are also plenty of independent hiking from the entrance. In July- I would never go via shuttle to Wonder Lake- significant bug problems. I would go to Fish Creek and then return, as mentioned you need reservations. Minnie St. B&B is excellent and located downtown Fairbanks, walking distance to the train depot. There is no "glacier hike" in Denali Park unless you are looking at a fly in? The rafting is only so so in my opinion.

Thanks for the responses!

Tom, it sounds as if Wonder Lake is a bit of a crapshoot - an all day trip, significant bug issues, no guarantee of a view. Lots of places everywhere in the world are like that, though. We have 2 full days in DNP, with 1/2 days on each end. Do you think WL is worth using one of our full days for? We definitely plan on doing a couple of the 'park entrance' hikes.

BQ, we went ahead and booked at Minnie St. The pictures on the website looked inviting and the people I spoke with seemed very helpful and accommodating. Thanks for the heads-up on the Discovery Hike; can you provide any more info? The DNP website won't post any updates until June. The gear list will be handy whatever we decide to do!

Sounds as if we might pass on the WW rafting. I ran the Rio Grande through New Mexico a few years back, but my wife has never been WW-ing. Do you think a first-timer might enjoy it, even if its only so-so?

I realize any glacier walks would be a heli-hike from DNP. Can you provide any input on these trips (or on the flightseeing for that matter)? They sound intriguing but a bit pricy. Good bang for the buck or look elsewhere?

Sorry for running on a bit; thanks again for for your time and help!

-Jeff

The best flightseeing options are out of Talkeetna. There are a few venders out of Denali Park- Talkeetna Aero is one.