Best Denali Park Excursions

Go flightseeing over Denali National Park in a very unique way: via helicopter. Lift off on a 50-minute flight —landing the helicopter on a glacier, putting on special boots, and going for a walk on the frozen landscape to get an up-close look at it. Or, visit Bus 142, made famous by adventurer Christopher McCandless. Flightseeing in a helicopter is much different from in a plane—learn all the benefits of this great way of checking out the Alaskan wilderness.

Fly Denali is the only company north of the Alaska Range with a permit to land on glaciers inside Denali National Park. The result is a world-class flight-seeing trip, with landings on Denali’s glaciers.

A lot of people swear to it: the best way to see Alaska is from an airplane, and there may indeed be no better way to get close to the face of Denali. This one-of-a-kind flightseeing operator makes it easy to see up close to the Great One without spending a great deal of time.

Denali Air flights see the majestic mountain a whopping 90% of the time, thanks to the company’s experienced pilots and its location just outside the park. And, everyone is guaranteed a window seat. Listen to your pilot narrate while you enjoy the views.

This is the only flightseeing company with an airstrip in Kantishna, inside Denali National Park. Because you depart so much closer to the mountain than other tours, in a one-hour flight, you’ll get 40 minutes circling the mountain. You may also combine a one-way park road bus tour with a Denali flightseeing tour for an incredible overview of the park.

Most people who visit the six-million-acre Denali National Park only see roughly the first dozen—or maybe 50—miles of the legendary park Road. But this tour takes you all the way to the depths of Kantishna—the heart of the Park where you have the chance to experience postcard-perfect views of Mt. McKinley. This tour makes for a full day—from about 6 in the morning until 7 or 8 in the evening—but it’s an adventure of a lifetime.

Denali is an absolutely stunning park—full of amazing wildlife and unforgettable scenery. And the best way to get an overview is aboard one of the park buses, which feature a trained naturalist who both drives and provides narration.

Explore all 92 miles of the Denali Park Road and have the entire trip narrated by an experienced driver. Not only will you see legendary landmarks such as Polychrome Pass, Wonder Lake and Reflection Pond, you will have opportunities to see the abundance of wildlife in the park.  Enjoy a hot lunch, explore the grounds, pan for gold, or take a short walk along the creek, or relax in a rocker at the lodge and soak up the scenery.

This is the only flightseeing company with an airstrip in Kantishna, inside Denali National Park. Because you depart so much closer to the mountain than other tours, in a one-hour flight, you’ll get 40 minutes circling the mountain. You may also combine a one-way park road bus tour with a Denali flightseeing tour for an incredible overview of the park.

Just outside Denali National Park, the Nenana River offers a unique rafting experience: The river is big and icy cold, with glacially fed waters. But this rafting outfitter based near the Park Entrance offers a soul-warming experience on the river, which makes an excellent counterpart to a bus tour through the national park. Choose a quick 3 hour trip on mild water or splash through some rapids. Or opt for a longer excursion ranging from 5.5 - 9.5 hours. 

Experience the thrill of rushing rapids or a mild whitewater float through one of America’s great wilderness areas with rafting from Denali Park Village. Operating on two stretches of the Nenana River for nearly 30 years, this company’s guides not only know the area, but also are versed in its natural history.  Their guide safety training program is among the most extensive in Alaska.  Add to that a private riverside launch, a brand-new boathouse, complimentary shuttle buses, and it’s hard to find a safer, more fun river trip near the park.

Traverse Alaska can craft fully-guided custom adventures, or set you up on a trip into the Alaska wilderness arming you with some know-how—and providing you with the independence to freely explore. Traverse Alaska’s owner, Joe and his local team can help facilitate stays in lodges, cabins, tents or yurts, and provide the necessary gear and instructions for anything from hiking to packrafting, sea kayaking to glacier trekking, on an independent or fully-guided trip.

The Black Diamond ATV Treasure Hunt backcountry adventure, just outside Denali, offers both a skilled guide and a splash of think-for-yourself adventure. Your ride can be fast and exciting or slow and leisurely—it’s up to you. Unlike some other ATV trips, you don’t have to do the driving; a pro is at the wheel of the Polaris ATV. You’ll explore old coal-mining trails and the Dry Creek River Bed, where Athabascan Indian artifacts have been found and where old sourdoughs’ abandoned cabins still stand.

Drive your own 4-wheel all-terrain vehicle (ATV) on this exciting off-road journey through the backcountry adjacent to Denali National Park. Black Diamond puts you in control: stop whenever you want, take pictures of the spectacular scenery, and laugh as you experience Alaska as it was meant to be: rough and wild. Explore old coal-mining trails and spill out onto the Dry Creek River Bed, then head high up on Black Diamond Peak to take in the entire Healy Valley and breathtaking mountain scenery.

This tour is an adventuresome alternative to a bus ride into the park. Denali ATV Adventures offers several tours that let you explore the areas surrounding Denali National Park. On your journey, you’ll splash through rivers, drive over tree root-rutted trails, and four-wheel up to some of the area’s most spectacular vistas. Drive your own ATV, or be the passenger and enjoy the ride. 

This is your chance to experience the spectacular scenery along the Denali Highway, a road recently ranked #2 worldwide as a 'Drive of a Lifetime' by National Geographic Traveler Magazine. You’ll be given the opportunity to take the wheel, or if you prefer, just sit back and enjoy stunning views of the peaks and glaciers of the central Alaska Range. There is a guide in the Jeep up front, but you can stop wherever, whenever, and as often as you want to take photos, look for moose, wolves, caribou, and bears, and take in the sweeping views of regal mountains in all directions.

Traverse Alaska can craft fully-guided custom adventures, or set you up on a trip into the Alaska wilderness arming you with some know-how—and providing you with the independence to freely explore. Traverse Alaska’s owner, Joe and his local team can help facilitate stays in lodges, cabins, tents or yurts, and provide the necessary gear and instructions for anything from hiking to packrafting, sea kayaking to glacier trekking, on an independent or fully-guided trip.

Forget the trailhead on your next hike. Instead, take a short but very scenic helicopter ride to a special wilderness area just outside Denali National Park and start your trek from there. Your guide will lead your small group on a soft-adventure hike above the tree line, with sweeping views. You’ll learn about identifying animal tracks and the local flora and fauna, and of course have the opportunity to spot wildlife like bears, moose, and Dall sheep. If you’ve never gone heli-hiking before, now is the time to try it out.

Go on the typical zipline and you get a lovely ride under a canopy of trees. But with this unique zipline tour—the only one in the Denali National Park area— you ride above the tree line, so that you can take in sweeping, 360-degree views of miles around, including the tundra and the Alaska Range.

Get the insider’s perspective on the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race from veteran musher and Alaskan celebrity Jeff King, who has claimed first place four times. He will regale you with tales from the trail and introduce you to his dogs during a tour of his sled-dog training center, the Husky Homestead. Here, for more than two decades, Jeff has offered visitors a look at what goes into creating a championship team and carving a life in the Alaska Interior.

The Cabin Nite Dinner Theater, performed out of the Denali Park Village, offers a true-to-life Gold Rush tale of Alaskan adventures in the early 1900s. Enjoy songs, dance, humor, and a large family-style meal topped off with berry cobbler.

This show at the McKinley Chalet Resort tells the story of the first ascent of Mt. McKinley. Laugh, eat, and be merry while the actors and actresses do double-duty as your servers for an all-you-can-eat meal of salmon and ribs.

To get a real sense of old-time Alaska, climb into Black Diamond's family-friendly Covered Wagon Adventure for a trip through time. While guides fill you in on the area's history and natural treasures, you'll be pulled by two draft horses through the Alaskan tundra, with the mountains of nearby Denali National Park hovering overhead. Hear the history of this coal-mining area as you pass through the wilderness.