Fairbanks/Denali 4 nights to do list
Jan 2nd, 2016, 04:33 AM
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Fairbanks/Denali 4 nights to do list
My DH and I ( in our mid 60's) and daughter and son-in-law (in their late 30's) are taking a Princess cruise from Whittier to Vancouver from July 2-9, 2016. This is our first (and probably our only) time to visit Alaska.
We have signed up for the land tour on our own and need advice on the not to be missed sights and the best way to travel.
Here is our itinerary:
Jun 28--travel to Fairbanks arriving around 7:30pm (hotel to be determined)
Jun 29--Fairbanks
Jun 30--Denali (Princess Wilderness Lodge)
Jul 1--(McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge)
Jul 2--catch cruise in Whittier
We are outdoorsy people, interested in photography and wildlife.
I would love any input on the best way to see Fairbanks--should be rent a car?...and what to see?? I know it is often iffy on the visibility of Mt Mckinley (...errr...is it called Mt Denali, now??) and if we had a car in Fairbanks and we had great weather, would you suggest we drive down to Mt Mckinley?
Also, I read somewhere that shuttle busses in Denali need to be booked 6 months in advance...true?? What stops in Denali would you suggest?
Thanks for any input you may have.
We have signed up for the land tour on our own and need advice on the not to be missed sights and the best way to travel.
Here is our itinerary:
Jun 28--travel to Fairbanks arriving around 7:30pm (hotel to be determined)
Jun 29--Fairbanks
Jun 30--Denali (Princess Wilderness Lodge)
Jul 1--(McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge)
Jul 2--catch cruise in Whittier
We are outdoorsy people, interested in photography and wildlife.
I would love any input on the best way to see Fairbanks--should be rent a car?...and what to see?? I know it is often iffy on the visibility of Mt Mckinley (...errr...is it called Mt Denali, now??) and if we had a car in Fairbanks and we had great weather, would you suggest we drive down to Mt Mckinley?
Also, I read somewhere that shuttle busses in Denali need to be booked 6 months in advance...true?? What stops in Denali would you suggest?
Thanks for any input you may have.
Jan 2nd, 2016, 04:39 AM
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Be careful with your timing to catch cruise out of Whittier. There is a tunnel for train and car traffic, but it only operates in 1 direction at a time. It would be quite a trip to get from Denali to Whittier in 1 day to catch a cruise - not even sure you can do it.
When we were in Alaska, the mountain in question was just referred to as Denali (not Mt anything)
When we were in Alaska, the mountain in question was just referred to as Denali (not Mt anything)
Jan 2nd, 2016, 05:37 AM
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Thanks, Gail. I believe the cruise line will provide transportation from Denali to Whittier, but I need to verify that. Now that the holidays are over I am starting to get things in order for our trip this June.
Jan 2nd, 2016, 06:12 AM
#4
DW and I will be visiting Alaska for the first time about 3-4 weeks ahead of you. We are flying to Anchorage and renting a car.
My plan is to take the shuttle bus to the Eilson Visitor Center (MP 66). I don't consider the narrative from the tour bus driver to be worth the extra money.
The tour and shuttle bus tickets are now on sale.
Click the link from this Park Service website. http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisi...ing-denali.htm
We have reservations at a B&B for 3 nights in the North Pole area.
After we leave the Fairbanks area, we are going back through Anchorage all the way to Homer.
My plan is to take the shuttle bus to the Eilson Visitor Center (MP 66). I don't consider the narrative from the tour bus driver to be worth the extra money.
The tour and shuttle bus tickets are now on sale.
Click the link from this Park Service website. http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisi...ing-denali.htm
We have reservations at a B&B for 3 nights in the North Pole area.
After we leave the Fairbanks area, we are going back through Anchorage all the way to Homer.
Jan 3rd, 2016, 05:21 PM
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We were in Fairbanks last summer and enjoyed the Riverboat Discovery trip. Yes it is touristy, but it was fun. Their gift shop has nice souvenirs at a reasonable cost. For a snack, try their ice cream. It was very good and a large serving. I would think you would need a car in Fairbanks. I doubt you would want to drive to Denali and then back to Fairbanks in a day. It is a boring drive.
I would book tickets for the bus tour at Denali soon. The buses through the park service are fine. When we were there in late August the weather was perfect and there were lots of people trying to get tickets. We went as far as Eilson. That's as far and we wanted to ride. We were so lucky. Beautiful weather, got to see Denali, and saw lots of wildlife, but no grizzlies.
I would book tickets for the bus tour at Denali soon. The buses through the park service are fine. When we were there in late August the weather was perfect and there were lots of people trying to get tickets. We went as far as Eilson. That's as far and we wanted to ride. We were so lucky. Beautiful weather, got to see Denali, and saw lots of wildlife, but no grizzlies.
Jan 4th, 2016, 02:04 AM
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June is a good time to see baby animals. We took the bus tour to end of roadway and back (13 hours on a school bus - not sure I would do it again). But we saw baby animals of all varieties, including moose, bears, foxes - some very close to roadway.
A heads up. The road in the interior of the Park is not paved. There are no guard rails. It is about 2 inches wider than a bus - and when you meet a bus going in the opposite direction the bus often clings very close to a terrifying drop-off - if that is the type thing that scares you half to death (like it did me).
June is nice since it never really gets dark.
A heads up. The road in the interior of the Park is not paved. There are no guard rails. It is about 2 inches wider than a bus - and when you meet a bus going in the opposite direction the bus often clings very close to a terrifying drop-off - if that is the type thing that scares you half to death (like it did me).
June is nice since it never really gets dark.
Jan 12th, 2016, 06:38 AM
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You find some interesting information in my extensive trip report:
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-land-tour.cfm
We visited Fairbanks justly briefly to walk through Pioneer Park which we considered Fairbank's main attraction.
For Denali, just take the regular shuttle bus. The more expensive buses are the same type of school buses and the only difference is that they give you a picnic box. The drivers of the regular shuttle buses are fantastic. They stop at each wildlife sighting and give excellent explanations and tell stories.
Reserve your tickets online in advance. We took the bus all the way to Mirror Lake which was a waste of time since Mount McKinley was in clouds and we did not see any more animals on this last leg of the drive. Better hike a bit around Eielson Visitor Center (which is the obvious place to eat your picnic lunch which you bring with you).
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-land-tour.cfm
We visited Fairbanks justly briefly to walk through Pioneer Park which we considered Fairbank's main attraction.
For Denali, just take the regular shuttle bus. The more expensive buses are the same type of school buses and the only difference is that they give you a picnic box. The drivers of the regular shuttle buses are fantastic. They stop at each wildlife sighting and give excellent explanations and tell stories.
Reserve your tickets online in advance. We took the bus all the way to Mirror Lake which was a waste of time since Mount McKinley was in clouds and we did not see any more animals on this last leg of the drive. Better hike a bit around Eielson Visitor Center (which is the obvious place to eat your picnic lunch which you bring with you).
Jan 13th, 2016, 08:59 AM
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Marlene,
I see some big holes in your plan.
- Why are you going to Fairbanks? If you do not have specific known activities/sites, then you should not be picking a destination just because it exists.
- McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge is not in or near Denali. It is over 100 mile south of the park entrance and, IMO, not an appropriate accommodation for visiting Denali. You will use up 4-6 hours a day (round trip) just being in a car going between the hotel and the park.
- Is this a pre-booked tour package or is this just your starting ideas of a do-it-yourself land based trip?
- last day of Denali to Whittier... it's a long drive and I'd want to be closer to Whittier on that last day.
The mountain...
- it is simply called Denali
Denali Nat'l Park...
I go to Denali at least twice a year and here's my favorite way of visiting the park (I either camp at Riley Creek or stay about 12 miles south at McKinley Creekside Cabins):
- get up very early so to by on the park road by 6am. I then self-drive into Savage River (about 15 miles one way). It's a great quiet/peaceful time on the road and there's always the chance of wildlife .
- get a 7:30-8:00 am SHUTTLE booked to Wonder Lake. If the weather is not cooperating (i.e. not likely to see Denali) then turn around at Eielson.
- in the early evening (6-7pm 'ish), do another self-drive to Savage River
- Day 2 - do it all again. Use the 1st day on the shuttle to determine plaecs you want to get off to hike/walk on day 2 (keep a shuttle schedule in your pocket so you have an idea when shuttles may be passing by to get back on).
Rental car...
- I think having a car while in AK is invaluable. It's likely it doesn't cost any more/less than other forms of transportation, and it gives you options and convenience. Driving in AK is very easy.
I see some big holes in your plan.
- Why are you going to Fairbanks? If you do not have specific known activities/sites, then you should not be picking a destination just because it exists.
- McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge is not in or near Denali. It is over 100 mile south of the park entrance and, IMO, not an appropriate accommodation for visiting Denali. You will use up 4-6 hours a day (round trip) just being in a car going between the hotel and the park.
- Is this a pre-booked tour package or is this just your starting ideas of a do-it-yourself land based trip?
- last day of Denali to Whittier... it's a long drive and I'd want to be closer to Whittier on that last day.
The mountain...
- it is simply called Denali
Denali Nat'l Park...
I go to Denali at least twice a year and here's my favorite way of visiting the park (I either camp at Riley Creek or stay about 12 miles south at McKinley Creekside Cabins):
- get up very early so to by on the park road by 6am. I then self-drive into Savage River (about 15 miles one way). It's a great quiet/peaceful time on the road and there's always the chance of wildlife .
- get a 7:30-8:00 am SHUTTLE booked to Wonder Lake. If the weather is not cooperating (i.e. not likely to see Denali) then turn around at Eielson.
- in the early evening (6-7pm 'ish), do another self-drive to Savage River
- Day 2 - do it all again. Use the 1st day on the shuttle to determine plaecs you want to get off to hike/walk on day 2 (keep a shuttle schedule in your pocket so you have an idea when shuttles may be passing by to get back on).
Rental car...
- I think having a car while in AK is invaluable. It's likely it doesn't cost any more/less than other forms of transportation, and it gives you options and convenience. Driving in AK is very easy.
Jan 13th, 2016, 09:55 AM
#11
We have signed up for the land tour on our own...
I'm interpreting "on our own" as meaning you've booked a a pre-cruise tour for the two of you and not for your daughter and son in law. Is that right?
If you have booked a cruisetour through Princess then I'd think things like booking the shuttles in Denali NP will be arranged for you. Certainly your documentation from Princess should say if it is or isn't, and it should also indicate what the tour includes in Fairbanks itself. I'd imagine they have some options for that day.
Actually, it sounds like this tour - http://www.princess.com/find/cruiseD...ourCode=T6ACB3 - in which case you're not going to see much of Denali and (IMO) way too much of Fairbanks. It honestly wouldn't be my choice of how to spend your days, but maybe I'm wrong and it's a different tour or schedule.
I'm interpreting "on our own" as meaning you've booked a a pre-cruise tour for the two of you and not for your daughter and son in law. Is that right?
If you have booked a cruisetour through Princess then I'd think things like booking the shuttles in Denali NP will be arranged for you. Certainly your documentation from Princess should say if it is or isn't, and it should also indicate what the tour includes in Fairbanks itself. I'd imagine they have some options for that day.
Actually, it sounds like this tour - http://www.princess.com/find/cruiseD...ourCode=T6ACB3 - in which case you're not going to see much of Denali and (IMO) way too much of Fairbanks. It honestly wouldn't be my choice of how to spend your days, but maybe I'm wrong and it's a different tour or schedule.
