Denali National Park - Fairbanks, Alaska

 

Denali National Park

Located in Fairbanks, Alaska, Denali National Park is a vacation in and of itself.  If you’re traveling to Alaska, Denali is one attraction that you can’t miss.  It’s well worth the time to travel to Denali if you’re visiting Anchorage and if you’re in Fairbanks, you’re just a short drive away.

Denali National Park is managed for the good of the animals, so it’s not your typical national park.  When you enter the park, you will then need to ride a bus to the actual main part of the park.  This bus ride is a must, as it will allow you to view the park with an experienced guide and you’ll have the opportunity to see the wildlife that Denali has to offer.

There are no animal enclosures in this park.  Grizzly bears roam the park naturally and Denali is one of the best ways to see bears.  Anywhere else in the state, you could easily pay $400 a person, but you don’t have to here.  It’s only about $30 a person to take the bus ride.  The park’s main goal is the safety of the animals, so they handle park visitors in a manner to avoid scaring the animals and causing them stress.  This is ideal for you, because you’re more likely to see the wildlife because they are at ease with their surroundings.  There are a wide variety of wildlife animals that live in the park including moose, caribou, Dall sheep.  If you’re lucky, you might see wolves and even beavers, but these are harder to catch.

It is important to be aware that the bus ride through Denali is long, but well worth it.  The drive is also rough, as there are no paved roads, only narrow gravel roads.  The only vehicles the park allows on these roads are their busses.  You need to spend at least one day in Denali devoted to the bus ride.  You also need to be sure that you make reservations well in advance. 

If you’re goal is to see the massive Mount McKinley, it’s important to realize that it’s not seen from all parts of the park.  It may be the largest mountain in the US, but Denali is a massive park as well.  The best way to see Mount McKinley is if you take the longest bus ride from the south part of the park, but by doing this you often give up your opportunity to see a lot of the wildlife.  One option that many people choose is to take a helicopter ride around the mountain.  This is a pricey option, but will provide you with a view of the mountain that few will ever see. 

Because Denali is such a large park, there are numerous hotel accommodations around the park.  You’ll also find plenty of hotels in Fairbanks.  Check out HotelsCombined.com for the best rates.