Denali National Park Day Tours & Attractions
If you want to explore Denali beyond the Park Road, you have to consider a few other excursion options—from jetboats to jeeps, and even golf or dinner theatre. One great excursion option is flightseeing—a safe but also thrilling way to see Denali (Mt McKinley) in ways that only mountain climbers can come close to matching, Another is rafting, where you literally go with the flow as you move through the wilderness. Choose your favorites, and let the park open up for you.
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Denali National Park
Flightseeing Tours View All
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.
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.
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 ...more
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.
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.
Park Road Tours View All
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..
The best way to get an overview of Denali National Park is aboard one of the park buses, which feature a trained naturalist who both drives and provides narration. Available tours include the Natural History Tour (4−5 hrs), Tundra Wilderness Tour (7−8 hrs), The Eielson Excursion (8−9 hrs) or The Kantishna Experience (11−12 hrs)
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.
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.
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 flexible alternative to the standard bus tour is a great option for independent travelers. Get off anywhere, spend a few hours hiking, then catch another bus back to the park entrance (as long as a seat is available). You can take a short ride before starting your adventure, or travel out to Kantishna, at the end of the park road.
Rafting Tours View All
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..
Re-opening in 2022. Please visit our website for other activities available during your stay. 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 ...more
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 - ...more
Jeep & ATV Tours View All
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.
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 ...more
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 ...more
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 ...more
Jeep & ATV Rentals
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 ...more
ATV rentals for 2, 4, 8, or even a full 24 hours to explore many of the fun trails just outside of Denali National Park on your own. Unguided doesn’t mean unaided: Denali Toy Rentals will outfit you with a helmet, goggles, and trail map, as well as lots of insider tips and suggestions on where to go, customized to your interests.
Guided Hiking View All
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..
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 ...more
The Denali National Park Visitors Center is actually more of a campus. The center itself is the main National Park Service welcome and information center and it is surrounded by other facilities that include a restaurant, bookstore/giftshop, bag check, bus stop and the Alaska Railroad depot.
Zipline Tours View All
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.
Dog Sledding Tours View All
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 ...more
Performances & Evening Programs View All
Enjoy dinner, dessert & theater about Denali history
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.
Re-opening in 2022. Please visit our website for other activities available during your stay. 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.
Horseback & Covered Wagon Tours View All
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.
Golf Courses View All
Imagine teeing off under the midnight sun, surrounded by the Alaskan wild. The relaxing environment, fresh mountain air, and spectacular panoramic scenery make playing Black Diamond’s nine-hole golf course a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This course was built in 1995, right on top of the Alaskan tundra. The rugged grass is challenging, but designed for easy driving (via power cart) or walking. Hazards include moose-hoof prints, tundra marsh, ...more
Visitor Information Centers View All
Information on wildlife, trails, Denali history & more
Built in 1939 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Wonder Lake historic ranger station was built to serve as quarters at the west end of the road. Today it primarilly serves visitors. The Park staff use additional structures for summer housing. The compact site has individual ranger bunkhouses, a headquarters building, a shop, a pump shed, and a few other miscellaneous small structures. Eight Park rangers are on site from mid-May to… ...more
From mid-September to mid-May, the Murie Science Learning Center serves as Denali National Park’s winter visitors’ center. It’s open from 9am to 4pm and provides an array of park exhibits and movies. You can talk with rangers about current trail conditions, borrow a pair of snowshoes, and get backcountry permits for overnight trips. Head out to explore trails from the center or drive a couple miles further up the park road to the Park… ...more
The Denali National Park Visitors Center is actually more of a campus. The center itself is the main National Park Service welcome and information center and it is surrounded by other facilities that include a restaurant, bookstore/giftshop, bag check, bus stop and the Alaska Railroad depot.
Only 33 miles from the summit of Denali, and at an elevation of 3300’, Eielson offers some of the most spectacular views of Denali (formerly Mt McKinley). There are many activities you can do here, including ranger-guided hikes up to nearby Thorofare Pass and self-guided expiration of the high-alpine tundra environment.
Historic Parks & Sites View All
Original Denali National Park headquarters • Historic cabin • Interpretive trail
Mile 43 Denali Park Rd, small cabin is visible down the embankment on the south side of the road
Originally constructed by the Alaska Road Commission in 1924 – 1925, the Savage cabin and interpretive trails are now used as part of living history presentations in the summer months. During the winter the cabin become strictly utilitarian by providing shelter for patrols.
Harry Karstens was the first ranger of Denali National Park. He arrived in early summer 1921, and established his headquarters on the northwest bank of Riley Creek, an ideal spot for monitoring visitors using the trail leading into the park. In 1925, the headquarters moved to it’s current location at mile 3.4 of the Denali Park Road.
Points of Interest View All
Mt. Denali viewpoints • Interesting roadside stops • Denali audio guide
People visit Denali National Park for two main reasons: to see Denali (Mt. McKinley) and to view wildlife. While neither experience is guaranteed, your odds of seeing wildlife are good if you know where to look. Here are the top spots to see bears, wolves, birds, and more.
36 miles west of Denali (Mt. McKinley), Mt. Russell is one of the major peaks of the Alaska Range — and one of the most dramatic. To give a sense for its size and steepness, it rises over a vertical mile above the Chedotlothna Glacier to the northwest in less than two miles. It rises two miles above the Yentna Glacier to the south in only 8 miles. Overshadowed by its massive neighbors, only six ascents of the peak had been recorded by 2001.… ...more
Denali’s glaciers are high in the mountains of The Alaska Range. Here are the most impressive, and the flight tours to see them!
How and where to find Alaska’s glaciers — some of the state’s most beautiful natural attractions
It’s 92 miles and about 5 hours from the park entrance to Kantishna, the end of the Park Road. Private vehicles aren’t permitted after Mile 15, so you’ll need to take either the hop-on, hop-off park shuttle bus or one of the tour buses. This road is only open in the summer months between May and early September. Dates vary depending on annual snowfall.
Soaring high at 20,310 feet is Denali (formerly named Mt. McKinley after an Ohio Senator who never visited Alaska). The mountain was renamed Denali in 2015. Equally impressive are its nearby cousins: Mt. Foraker (17,400), and Mt. Hunter (14,573). These three dominate the skyline for hundreds of miles. You can get up close and personal with the “Roof of North America” on a flightseeing tour. Up here, you are surrounded by ridges and peaks,… ...more
Here is the junction of the Parks and the Denali Highway. The Denali Highway is approximately 135 miles long stretching from Paxson to Cantwell, connecting the Richardson and Parks highways. Before the Parks Highway was completed in the early 1970s, the Denali Highway was the only road access to Denali National Park.
Denali National Park is full of rivers, with many of them originating from glaciers. What makes these rivers special? Why are they braided and what keeps them from just straightening out?
Vegetation cover in Denali is always changing. Find out why the forests around the Toklat River are changing, and how the Park Service uses historic photos to document these changes. Audio tour by Camp Denali Wilderness Lodge.
Last view of Denali during first few miles of Denali Park Road
It isn’t until you actually drive past the headquarters area that you will begin to enter the wilderness for which you have really come. During the winter months, the road is closed at this point. Only non-motorized travelers, such as mushers and skiers can go further. This is taiga forest, filled with white spruce and black spruce, interspersed here and there with quaking aspen, paper birch, balsam poplar and tamarack. This is moose habitat… ...more
Not far from the Toklat River Bridge you’ll find yourself at the top of Highway Pass, the highest point on the park road at 3,980 feet. The vistas are expansive and wildlife viewing can be great.
The Alaska Railroad was responsible for opening this national park to the public since it provided the only access to the park for many years. The Railroad owned and operated the McKinley Park Hotel from its early beginnings and eventually turned over to the National Park Service for operations. After a fire destroyed the hotel, rail sleeper cars provided a novel lodging opportunity for visitors.
You’ll traverse the spine of the north side of the Alaska Range for about 15 minutes, then fly through a mountain pass known as the Tralieka Col, back to the south side of the range. You’ll pass by the foreboding East Face of Denali (its only major unclimbed face) and descend down the West Fork of the Ruth Glacier. Look for pyramid-shaped Mt. Huntington off the right window, thought by many to be the most picturesque peak in North America.… ...more
On a clear day, this stretch of the park road offers unparalleled views of Denali and the other high granitic peaks of the central Alaska Range. What role do glaciers play in carving out the ever growing shape of this mountain range? Audio tour by Camp Denali Wilderness Lodge.
Once you leave the Wonder Lake campground, you’ll pass the aptly named Reflection Pond as the road begins its descent towards the north. From here you can get fantastic photos of both Denali (Mt. McKinley) and Foraker reflecting off the surface of the pond, especially early and late in the day when the water is the smoothest.
Spindly spruce trees lean this way and that, looking as if they’re drunk. The actual cause of this odd alignment has to do with their shallow root systems, which get readjusted by the nearly continuous expansion and contraction of permafrost under the tundra surface. Permafrost is a layer of frozen ground, sometimes more than 6 feet thick, that never thaws. Without it, much of the tundra would be completely impassable.
Harry Karstens was the first ranger of Denali National Park. He arrived in early summer 1921, and established his headquarters on the northwest bank of Riley Creek, an ideal spot for monitoring visitors using the trail leading into the park. In 1925, the headquarters moved to it’s current location at mile 3.4 of the Denali Park Road.
Flying down the medial moraine of the Ruth Glacier is mesmerizing. This 25 – 50 foot high ridge of rock debris looks like an excavation pit that extends for miles down the center of the glacier. Keep on the lookout for deep blue pools of ice melt. Look for lateral moraines on the sides of the glacier and the terminal moraine at the toe of the glacier… You’ll know the terminus of the Ruth when you see it: the contortions of earth and ice resemble… ...more
If you choose an “Around the Mountain Tour” (circumnavigates the mountain), you’ll ascend over the top of the Kahiltna Glacier and on to the north side of the Alaska Range. Look to the right, and you’ll see the 14-mile-wide Wickersham Wall. From the peak it’s 17,000 feet down, one of the greatest unobstructed vertical drops in the world. Considered a death route, the Wickersham has been climbed only a few times. A Romanian ski instructor skied… ...more
You enter the Sheldon Amphitheatre, named after a bush pilot who built a viewing hut here on the glacier before it became a national park. You can stay here for $100 a night. It has a wood stove and bunks 6. If you opt for a glacier landing, this is where you’ll likely land. You’ll step out of the plane and onto an ice sheet nearly a mile thick. The scale of the Amphitheatre is hard to fathom. You’ll feel like you can reach and out touch the… ...more
The Denali National Park Visitors Center is actually more of a campus. The center itself is the main National Park Service welcome and information center and it is surrounded by other facilities that include a restaurant, bookstore/giftshop, bag check, bus stop and the Alaska Railroad depot.
The fall moose rut is an unforgettable part of the interior Alaska fall. In Denali, the Eielson visitor center gives visitors a year round window into this dramatic event through the display of two sets of interlocked moose antlers. How did these antlers become locked, and what likely happened to the two unlucky bull moose? Audio tour by Camp Denali Wilderness Lodge. ...more
This sectioned bridge sits at an elevation of 2,655 feet. Park at the rest stop a few hundred meters before the east edge of the bridge for great views of the structure and the surrounding area.
Cross the Tokositna River which marks the southeast corner of Denali National Park. Look for tents or rafts next to the river. While difficult to access — even by bush plane — this area is a prime place for camping, exploring, and to begin a raft trip down the Tokositna River to Talkeetna. Out the left window, you can look south to the Peters & Dutch Hills, an active gold-mining area since the early 1900s. A winter wagon road from Talkeetna… ...more
At the Wilderness Access Center, you can purchase bus tickets and all park shuttle buses depart from this building. This is also the place to reserve a spot in the various park campgrounds. Additionally, inside you will also find a gift shop, coffee stand, and an information desk.
The Savage River was carved out by glaciers, and as a consequence it is a perfect example of a braided river. The flat gravel bars of the river offer a great opportunity for an easy hike, and minimize the chance of surprising a bear or other wildlife.
Beavers can often be seen here, usually early in the morning or later at night. The Park Service provides picnic tables and toilets on the south side of the road just after you cross the bridge. Stay as long as you like during the day, but no camping is allowed in the immediate area.
An iron bridge crosses Moose Creek here. If you take a moment to observe the creek you’ll notice that the rushing waters are clear and full of grayling, quite the opposite of glacial fed waterways that appear milky due to the high sediment content.
Denali Ranger Kris Fister, a 30-year veteran of the National Park Service, and a Camp Denali Lodge naturalist share some fascinating stories and things to look for along the Denali Park Road.
Wonder Lake is a somewhat unlikely lake. Learn how the lake was formed, and what makes it so unique.
Although most viewpoints along the Park Road can only be accessed by private tour buses or park shuttle buses, you can drive to this viewpoint (the first 15 miles are open to private vehicles). The dense spruce forest opens up here, giving you the first view of Denali, as it is called in the native Athabaskan language (formerly Mt. McKinley). The mountain is roughly 72 miles away and you’re only seeing the top 8,000 feet or so. Still, it’s a ...more
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