koala

Is it better to do the natural history tour or just go on the shuttle busses on your own so you have more time to stop and potentially go for a hike? What time of day is best to go?

koala

I meant the Tundra wildnerness tour not the natural history tour.

hpeabody

When I went to Denali I went on the Tundra Wilderness tour as part of my cruise/tour package. I actually felt it was quite good. I have not attempted to go into the park on my own. So I can't compare.

Mine was Tour#1 for the day ... at 5:20 AM. (But, again, that was set up by the cruise/tour co) I do understand that early is best, because it is not real hot yet there is more chance the animals may be out.

tracilee

When my husband and I went to Denali in May of 2006 it was recommended to us to take a shuttle bus rather than the organized tour bus. We were told that the shuttle bus drivers often provide commentary that is as good as the tour drivers. We were really happy with our decision. We took an early tour, 7AM I think, and had a wonderful driver who provided great information. He seemed to know all the places where the animals were hiding - we saw bears, caribou, wolf, sheep, fox, moose - it was incredible.

We stayed on the bus for the entire roundtrip to Toklat, didn't get off to hike. The bus did make a couple stops so everyone could get out and walk around or use the facilities. Most people brought a sack lunch and drinks. It worked out great for us, so I would definitely recommend it.

Have fun!

BudgetQueen

I never recommend the TWT to independent visitors. My min. distance in is Fish Creek/Eielson, definately superior with those extra 10 miles and 1/3 the cost.

Many people do ride the same bus round trip on the shuttles, but you will be able to get off the bus anywhere you choose without wildlife. Be advised there are no trails.

I like the first bus out, my preference only.

repete

I'll take all the busses I can get in Denali ... the buses aren't bad either.

lifelist

I prefer the regular shuttle buses - less crowded; more flexibility; and the drivers do provide commentary. I second the recommendation for early morning buses - the earlier, the better. Wildlife is more active around the edges of the days.

My strategy is usually to stay on the bus all the way to the turn around point. I'll pay attention to areas I might want to spend some time or do some hiking. I just have the shuttle bus driver drop me off on the way back. It's easier to catch a bus heading out then going in.

amdc

Be prepared when getting off the bus to hike or wander on your own, to stay off the bus for a while. When we did this it began to rain pretty hard and each bus that passed us told us they were full. We finally hitched a ride with a park employee in his pick up truck. It's not a guarantee you'll get onto the next bus that passes. We didn't really mind until we were soaked.

john2003

This thread covers very well the decisions that we are making. We have two nites at Denali in late June and plan to use the shuttle buses for our day trip.
At this point I am trying to determine if we should go to Toklat River or Fish Creek. I think we will want to hike for around 3 hours. Some elevation change is fine but we don't want a strenuous hike!
I think we may have a couple of options.
1.Book the bus to Fish Creek and get off and hike there. Is this a nicer hiking area than Toklat? Downside seems to be no facilities or restrooms.
2. Book the bus as in 1. Stay on the bus or catch the next bus back to Toklat River so we see the extra 10 miles. Then get off and do our hike.

Does this makes sense?

Any further thoughts on the differences in the hiking experience between the two locations or other pros and cons would be appreciated.

Bill_H

At this point I am trying to determine if we should go to Toklat River or Fish Creek. I think we will want to hike

At Toklat you're in a braided river channel and can hike up and down the river on the gravel quite easily and safely IF you can wade across several feet of fast moving stream, which most people can't.

Fish Creek is in a higher, more open area and hiking is much better there.

Getting off at Polychrome Pass is also a good idea, this is high and beautiful and once you are a ways off the road you won't see many people. You can hike down as long as you wish and then vector out to the road and get picked up by a bus.

Bill

john2003

Bill, thanks for the response. I think we will ride to Fish Creek and either hike there or bus back to Polychrome Pass for our hike.

LyndaS

This is a question I had too, thanks everyone on my behalf too for the answers.

We will be there at the end of May. Is the shuttle something I should book, or can we leave this to when we get there, as I can't imagine it would be too busy at this time?

tracilee

We also went in late May, Memorial Day weekend, and I did book the shuttle in advance. As I remember I had booked the 7:30AM, but we were running early that morning and were given the option of taking the 7:00 bus because it was not full, which we gladly accepted. I don't remember how far in advance I had made reservations, but I'm guessing it was a few weeks out. If you know you want a specific time, it is probably best to go ahead and make the reservation.

Have fun!

BudgetQueen

You absolutely have to book a shuttle bus in advance. You take a big chance with walk up space. In May, it is a limited bus schedule.