Denali National Park

We really had about 14 hours in the Denali area. Because of this, we woke up early to maximize our time at Denali National Park. Around 6:30 am, we grabbed breakfast across the street from the resorts at the Black Bear Coffee House. Mac had a breakfast bear-ito (he’s a man who knows what he likes), while I enjoyed a breakfast sandwich with a heavenly made-from-scratch biscuit that I can still taste.

Address and Location

You’ll can access the main visitor’s center for Denali National Park at Mile Marker 237 off Alaska Highway 3.

Cost

Adults over 16 can purchase a pass for $15 that is good for seven days. Children 15 and under are free. An annual pass costs $45. Visitors interested in camping, participating in a bus tour, or other uses have separate fees. If America the Beautiful pass holders pay for admission online, you can request a refund with ID and your pass.

What to do

We walked back across the street and hopped on the shuttle from the resort to the park entrance. The visitor’s center doesn’t open until 8 am, so we headed down one of the hiking trails. It was foggy and drizzly, but the silence of the park was incredible. We were the only people there aside from the employees. I think we hiked about 2 miles. The trail was rather easy if a bit slippery because of the rain. Given the time constraints of our trip, we made the most of the time that we had in Denali National Park, but I’m bummed that we weren’t able to see more of the park or the peak. Both resorts offer excursion packages to explore the park.

We poked around the visitor’s center and got our passport stamp. By then, we only had about an hour until we had to board our train, so we wanted to hit the gift shop. It didn’t open until 9 am, so we grabbed hot chocolate at the café and found out the cashier was from Alexandria, Virginia. We did a quick lap in the gift shop then boarded our train for the 8 hour trip back to Anchorage.

Our Alaska adventure: My revised Alaska packing list  |  Planes, Hotels, and Organized Tours  |  Alaska Zoo  |  Anchorage Trolley  |  Train ride to Talkeetna  |  Talkeetna, Alaska  |  Mt. McKinley Princess Wilderness Tour  |  Talkeetna to Denali  |  McKinley Chalet Resort  |  8 hour on a train: Denali to Anchorage  |  Alaska Railroad to Seward  |  Kenai Fjords Cruise