The McKinley Explorer
We are filled with big excitement again as our Land portion of the 14 day tour with Holland America Cruise Line begins. After our trip to Seward, we spent another day in Anchorage regrouping, washing clothes, and getting last minute supplies as now we were taking off to a pretty remote area. Although there are some stores, hotels etc. in the area of the McKinley Lodge, everything is priced at a premium. We would be traveling a lot on trains, busses and another flight on this leg. We checked out of our Airbnb at the Artic Fox Inn and met our tour host, Justin, and our group of about 35 at the Westmark Anchorage Hotel. There are a lot of reviews about this hotel and our opinion is that it was perfectly fine. So that Sunday morning we were shuttled to the Alaskan Railroad Terminal and off we go! The transport of the luggage is not as confusing as it may seem if you are new to these tours. Justin explained everything and the great news is that they handle your luggage 99% of the time. We kept our backpacks with necessities like camera, rain jackets and snacks with us everywhere. www.http://www.alaskatrain.com
I can’t go any further without saying that Justin, our Motorcoach drivers and every employee at every stop along the way of this tour provided outstanding service. There really isn’t anything we could complain about. Our jaws dropped every single day with something new.
It’s an all day ride in the spacious and comfortable McKinley Explorer. There is a full kitchen serving breakfast on white linen tables. We enjoyed Coffee, OJ, Eggs, Reindeer Sausage and Toast. It was delicious. In the snack car you can also get all kinds of beverages including alcohol, bakery items and other snacks. Don’t forget there are some breakfast items available at the Alaskan Railroad Terminal before you board. You’ll enjoy beautiful country views from the Superdome train.
It’s a peaceful trip and we were smart to use this time to relax. We pass through moody dark forests along the way through Talkeetna. The train stops here to let off backcountry hikers and climbers. Here you’ll also find rafting and great fishing as it’s located at the confluence of thee rivers, the Susitna, Chulitna and the Talkeetna. Excitement builds as we approach Denali National Park. From the train we board our tour bus and it’s a short ride to the McKinley Lodge.
The McKinley Lodge
The Lodge is a village of many separate hotel buildings surrounding a large public gathering area for entertainment with a stage, fire pits and the main lodge with two restaurants a full bar, gift shop and sundries. The service was very good from polite, efficient young servers from all over the world. You can order from the menu or at breakfast, a buffet is also offered. We ate almost every meal in the main restaurant. The food was very good, average meal about $20 per person. We did not use a meal plan. There are many options in this area for shopping for art, gear, food and beverage. The room was cozy, with refrigerator, nice separate “living room” with couch, comfy chair, tables, lamps and TV. It’s a 10 minute walk to the main lodge and there is a significant set of stairs to climb, but good gosh we are at Denali! Lots of pics and info, everything you need, right here. http://www.princesslodges.com
Monday morning arrives and we pack our packs with solid snacks, camera, scope and rain gear. We get a good breakfast and some caffeine, then board our bus to Denali for the Tundra Tour. It’s an upgraded school bus, pretty comfy with monitors to a powerful zoom camera operated by the driver, who by the way is a great narrator! I recommend this tour because you will learn a lot as your experienced guide shares their vast knowledge of the Park for hours. Also, the bus can go 43 miles into the park as opposed to private vehicles 15. This tour costs approximately $145 per adult, $65 for under16, and lasts about five to five and a half hours. This tour is part of our HA tour, no additional charge. The bus does stop frequently for breaks and handicap accessible buses are available. For wildlife we saw birds of course, Ptarmigans, Moose, Caribou and Bears. With an excellent eye you might see them from the bus but the guide will pull them up on the camera and use the monitors so you can get up close clear views. We got more out of the experience by having a 100X scope and Zoom camera lens. The bus will stop and give everyone time to observe the animals. We were very, very lucky to draw a 10:30 tour, some start at like 6:00 am! http://www.denaliparkvillage.com
Alaskan Sled Dogs
At the end of the tour we were able to catch a quick shuttle bus to the Sled Dog Adventure that was starting shortly. Rangers demonstrate and explain the role of the sled dogs in Denali. They transport Rangers and supplies in the winter and are more dependable than snowmobiles. We were bushed by the end of this demonstration so we hopped on the first bus back to the McKinley Chalet. The restaurant was packed so we bellied up to the bar for some big burgers and fries then staggered back to bed. https://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/sled-dog-demonstrations.htm
Jeep Adventure
Of course we book all of our excursions months in advance. We carefully study reviews online and do our best to make good choices as they are not cheap! It’s likely the tour companies know each other, their services and prices so that is good for competition. On this trip, maybe we were a little lucky also as every excursion was great. Our Jeep excursion began with the tour company picking us up at the Lodge in a small bus. We rode a little while picking up others at their hotels and condos then we rode about 20 minutes towards Denali and met the tour group at their headquarters. They were ready and had already assigned each couple their own Jeep and the group of about a dozen were off to the Old Denali Highway. The tour stops many times along the road at amazing vistas. There is plenty of time for photo’s and snacks. I recommend this tour because you’ll get close, about 40 miles from Denali Mountain. You’ll get to see an area a lot of people are going to miss and the tour leaders know what you want and what you need to be happy. For dinner it’s the big Musical Dinner Theater Show at the McKinley Lodge with your server telling the story of Denali! They serve Salmon of course, with BBQ Brisket, veggies, salad, bread and plenty of beverages. Tuesday is a wrap and we hit the sack as we are off to Fairbanks on the tour bus in the morning! http://www.denalijeep.com
Next, we are off to Anchorage, some cool stops along the way and an amazing river boat ride before we fly to the Yukon Territory, Dawson City and Whitehorse.
Thanks for keeping up with us!
Richard & Mary
