Denali info please!
 

The folks on this forum have been very helpful, so I hope I'll get more help just before our mid-August trip. We have two days of shuttle tickets for Denali; we're two couples driving around the state, taking photos, hiking and taking in Alaska's beauty. This is a very mundane question, but necessary: On the long trip on the shuttle, are there places to use "the restroom" ? We're on the park shuttle buses which I know do not have restrooms, so I'm wondering what people do when the need arises! I understand that one of the visitor's centers is closed, so we need to know what to expect....do we not eat or drink for 8 hours before the trip!!! Also, any suggestions about the shuttle trip: ie what to bring, where to hike/ walk, photo opts, how to survive the bus ride, etc. Thanks for all the help. And I promise a trip report when we return.

Hi-
I just returned from Alaska (haven't done trip report yet, but will) and took the 11 hour Wonder Lake shuttle bus in Denali. There are several restroom stops with port-a-potties. Eileson Visitor Center is closed, but there are some port-a-potties outside there. We brought granola bars, trail mix, fruit, tuna sandwich makings (bread, little packs of mayo, tuna in the pouches), bottled water. I was a little careful about how much I drank, and I didn't have a problem. (I too was a little afraid of this). I would bring several layers of clothing, including a rain jacket/windbreaker. The bus driver will stop for animals or photo ops...you just holler out to them to stop. Can't help w/ hiking options...only "hike" we did was to walk up a small hill on one of the rest stops. I absolutely loved the bus trip...I'd do it again any day!

Besides water and snacks, take binocs--you will see many grizzlies but they will only be a fuzz ball without them.

It will be a very dusty trip. It's a dirt road and you will have the windows on the bus down (if you're having clear weather). Take wet wipes or a wet wash cloth. I wished I had put all our stuff in an enclosed back pack or sack. When we got off the bus, all our things were covered in dust.

No one on our bus got off and hiked. The area is very open and there are no marked trails. We did see a few people walking along the road but when the numerous buses go by they are really eating dust!!

Rest stops are often.

I'm curious about having two days of shuttle tickets. Are you staying inside the park and coming back out the next day or doing the round trip bus ride two days in a row? One trip was plenty for us.

Chelsea,
Wow, two days on a school bus!!! Do you really like wildlife that much or plan to hike a lot? Actually, a couple of years ago, we flew in to Anc and went up to denali before our cruise back to Vanc. Since we were pushing the road opening dates, we went to Toklat River on first day and to Eielson visitor center on second day, the first day it was open. I think these were 7 hrs and 8 hrs. Last yr, we went to Wonder Lake in last few days of Aug. It was an 11 hr trip but didn't seem that long. As already stated, you stop about every 1.5 hrs or so for restroom and stretch breaks, plus stops for wildlife whenever someone spots them. We have seen grizzlies on each trip, close to bus and lots of other wildlife.

This last trip, we took softsided cooler with sandwich materials from subway. We had them put wet stuff in baggy and made our own sandwiches when we were ready to eat. The previous time, we had bought sandwiches the night before from one of the hotels and they were all soggy. Lession learned. We had our own drinks, snacks, jackets, binoculars, lots of camera and video gear plus batteries, film and extra memory cards.

We have yet to get off and hike in denali. We have walked around at Wonder Lake and at rest or photo stops but due to weather or whatever, did not see need to get out and hike. On our last trip, we did have one guy who got off several times before rest stops and hiked to the bus as we took off again.
Instead of Eielson center, they are using Fish Creek as their rest stop, turnaround or whatever until construction at Eielson is completed. The time goes much faster than you would think. At least on the first day. On the second we had drizzle, and a not too friendly bus driver!!! But in Aug, we got the same driver again,(out of hundreds?) and he was much better. If you sit in the front, they opened the bus door so I could shoot photos thru open door which was much better than glass. Have a good trip.

Potty stops are about every hour and half. Denali Park has plenty of hiking options, so check in at the visitor center for current information. Myself, I would just do one trip to Wonder Lake and use the other day for other activities.

I always take a cooler, I get ice from where I am staying for drinks, that I have purchased either in Fairbanks, Anchorage or Wasilla. THE only areas with large grocery stores. I take a loaf of bread and peanut butter and jelly- no refridgeration and make what you want. :) A bag of chips and if not staying in a B&B, a 4 pack of muffins again from the grocery. :) Be sure to pack plenty of napkins and plastic knife. :)

As always, you guys and gals are a big help. Several of us are very relieved (no pun intended!) to learn about the facilities. Also, we will definitely not prepare our sandwiches ahead of time and will pack well to avoid dust. I have been thinking that maybe our group should reconsider 2 days on the shuttle. Thanks for all your help. Any photographers out there that would be willing to part with some suggestions?

I agree that you only need one day on the bus, though someone had suggested to us that we do two: the first just to ride, see the wildlife, and decide where you want to hike the second day, and the second to get off and explore. We opted for one day anyway, but most of the people on our bus did get off and hike when the scenery and mood struck them. Instead we did the walk along the Savage River for part of our second day (suggestion: keep going after you get to the bridge). It's the last point you can drive to in your own car. A nice walk on a trail in a charming valley.

For the photography question - I really wish I had a telephoto lens on this trip, mostly for wildlife shots. The whole area was very scenic, so lots of opportunities for photos.

Florida1,

I was just debating that question. I have a Nikon D100 and am debating between taking my 80-200mm f2.8 (so acts as a 120-300mm on the digital body) or a Sigma 50-500mm zoom.

The 50-500mm is a bit of a pain to hike with, but still do-able.

Any thoughts?

Thanks!

The 80-200 2.8 should be enough. Is your 50-500 larger? That 80-200 is a handful, which is why I got rid of it. Wasn't thinking digital in those days. I carried a 28-85, 70-210, and 400 with me plus digital which goes to 320. I think 300 would be fine most of the time, especially great glass like your 80-200, where you could crop and still get good quality. On the shuttle I mostly had my 400 Tokina on, but on one trip, had to try to switch to 70-210 when the grizzly was about 10' from bus! With people hanging over your shoulder trying to get a picture!! Bring lots of film, batteries, memory cards, etc in case you shoot more than you think, or have a problem with a card or batteries.

Thanks... the 50-500mm is a monster (92mm filter thread). I have the older 80-200 (no tripod mount), so it weighs a bit less and I've carried it throughout Africa and South America (so I'm pretty comfortable with it).

I usually carry a ton of memory but I may take my laptop with me and download as I go this time.

I'll take a 2x teleconverter just in case.

Thanks for the advice.

Astein
The convertor was the thing I forgot to mention. With your 2.8 speed, you could still use during most of day. My 2.8 had a hard case which was about 12-14" long and about 6" diameter and after carrying it on about 10 trips and only using it once, I didn't really need this much glass!! Now I wish I had it back! Also used portable cd burner on last trip to burn three or four cds as we went.

Thanks JG...

Yeah, it is a bit of glass, but still one of the best lenses ever made. I've got about 4 gig of memory, but am debating the laptop or a card transfer device. May just take a few blank CD's and a card reader and try to borrow a PC at one of the B&B's.

Happy Shooting!

astein12, I'm glad some others could answer your question! I'm not that familiar with lenses, just knew that I wanted one that was telephoto! A little off subject, and maybe better off in the photography forum, but any thoughts on the Canon Digital Rebel XT? I am thinking of purchasing this camera, but am gathering opinions. Thanks!

A good camera... some complaints about build quality/cheap feel.

Nikon has a new model, the N50 which will be priced very similarly that's probably worth looking at (granted, I'm a Nikon guy, so a little biased).

If you currently have either Nikon or Canon lenses, I'd pick my direction based on that.

Sorry, make that the D50.

Thanks so much for the advice! I actually don't have any lenses yet...am truly a beginner in this field. So I will definitely check out the Nikon D50 as well.

Sorry Chelsea, hope we answered your questions before heading off on another direction.

If you are serious about photography the two day shuttle ticket may make sense. First day, ride the shuttle and pick out where you want to spend time hiking and shooting pics on the second day. Stop at the rangers office to get some suggestions for where to hike in that area the second day. Polychrome Pass is absolutely beautiful and not too far in. That could be an interesting hiking area. There is also a place called something like Marmot Valley or Marmot Rock. There are lots of marmots and picas and what eats them there. Not terribly challenging for hiking but we spent a good half day there but we spent at least a half day there. It is also a good place for scree hopping. I brought a 80-200 lens with 2x converter. Used the converter almost all of the time. If you like landscape shots you should bring a wide-angle and if you like close-ups the tundra is awesome - lots of beautiful wildflowers. In addition to food, don't forget rain gear. Denali is a once in a lifetime trip and you don't want to let a little rain stop you. Have a great trip!!!!

First, I apologize for hijacking this thread!

2nd, Thanks katrinasl. We are planning to do something like that. A good hike day 1 and a return to the areas we want to reshoot on day 2.

I plan on taking the 80-200mm, a 17-35mm zoom (although trying to borrow a 15-30mm), a 28-300mm zoom, and a 50mm f1.4. Rain, snow, sleet, hail, locusts... we'll be ready for it all. Have never let weather stop us before