I am planning my trip to Alaska this July with my 2 children, ages 5 and 9. I have read in this forum and in travel guides that the bus ride into the park would probably be too long for the kids to handle. Now I am thinking about a raft trip that allows 5 yo and taking the 'Denali Sightseeing Safari' to get a feel of the place (even if it doesn't really go very far into the park). Has anyone done either and can provide feedback? Other options that might be better? We are planning on taking the train from Anchorage to Denali, so we won't have a car. Thanks!

One thing I think you shouldn't miss is the free dog sled demo in the park. One option you may consider is to reserve the shuttle as far as Eielsen and if the kids get cranky you always have the option of getting off anywhere before Eielsen and signing up for the next bus back (children under 14 are free on the shuttle buses). Also pick up the junior ranger activity guide to take on the bus (http://www.nps.gov/dena/home/visitor...iorranger.html). There are several short guided hikes near the entrance offered through the NPS.

Personally, I would never take a 5-yr old rafting, even on a "float", unless they were very very good swimmers. My husband used to be a guide and rivers can be very powerful, no matter how calm they look. I know of at least 1 recent drowning on one Denali float trip in recent years.

I also meant to draw your attention to the denali discovery pack for kids too.
http://www.nps.gov/dena/home/visitor...discopack.html

The dog sled demo is definately on our to-do list. The activity pack sounds great, thanks! As my 5-yo is not a good swimmer, I appreciate your comments about rafting and will not be doing it until he's older.

Have you (or anyone)gone on/heard about "Denali Sightseeing Safari" where they take you sightseeing on big-wheeled customized Jeeps that go thru the water and around the perimeter of the park? I'm thinking about that as an alternative to the bus to get a flavor of Denali in a child-friendly way.

Our rafting trip outside Denali in June several years back was tough--of course, we were looking for white water, not a float. Because the water is glacial melt, it is extremely cold. In June the current was strong and the river deep. Although we were wearing wetsuits, the guides were honest with us that we needed to stay in the raft no matter what--that floating downstream to shore or until a slow spot where the other raft could pick us up just wasn't as feasible as the warmer rivers we had rafted in California or Colorado. We happened into a great raftfull of people with several SERIOUS athletes, so we had a great time, even circling to go through some rapids a second time. However, I wouldn't have wanted my 5 or 9-year-old child on that stretch down through Denali. Yes, our guides also told us of the drownings in the area. Maybe there are other streams or other stretches of the river appropriate for children.

I just returned from my stay in Alaska--we spent two days in Denali. Although we had no children with us, I think that whether or not the kids can handle a siteseeing bus ride depends on the animal activity, which is anyone's guess. This week, we could only go about 30 miles into the park since the road was closed beyond Savage River. Sometimes it was difficult to see the animals (those white dots on the mountain side!) even with a good set of binoculars. The views are phenominal, regardless of animals, but I'm not sure young children would appreciate it. If you are not set on your Denali plans, I would recommend a Kenai Fjords cruise out of Seward. We went out on Major Marine's 8 hour cruise. We had a beautiful day and saw lots of wildlife on that---humpback whales, sea lions, bear, puffins, porpoises and otters. Oh, and did I mention how beautiful that scenery was?!! A ranger from the National Parks Service was on our cruise with us, and gave commentary on everything we saw. No doubt about it, if I was going to Alaska with kids, I'd recommend this! Feel free to email me if you want more details. Enjoy your trip!
Sue

I too would not recommend the Nenana, even a float trip with a 5 year old. Also are your kids prepared for an 8 hour train trip?? Be certain to have plenty of activities, game boy, dollar store activity books etc. I would NOT recommend booking the bus to Eielson and "just getting off the bus" you could be waiting for some time at the side of the road for 4 seats. There will be NO services. Only way I would even consider this if you want to take a chance and get off at one of the rest stops and go from bus to bus seeing if there is space, only place that a list is maintained is at Eielson. Do you realize that the Denali sightseeing Safari tour is 50 miles away from the Denali Park entrance, where the train drops you off? I agree, if you still decide to go, do take advantage of the wonderful visitor center ranger activities, usually tame, and the sled dog demos. Although I rarely recommend it you may want to consider the Natural History tour??? As for wildlife sightings- binoculars are necessary.

Thanks everyone. Based on what I've read here as well as other guide books, we are NOT going to do the float trip because my son is not a strong swimmer. I've also decided to drive to Denali instead of taking the train. I'll just have to pull over a bit more to take in the view, but I think it will allow us to go at a more leisurely pace and still get there faster than the train!

Other than distance from the park entrance, other feedback about Denali Sightseeing Safari?

We will be going to Seward afterwards to take in the coast, so this is our interior Alaska portion!