Absolutely a great hike and not that strenuous at all! Although the entire hike is about 9 miles,…read moreour hike guide took us through about 4-5 miles of it. The hike was pretty straightforward and there were a few uphill climbs here and there, but there was nothing anyone in OK shape can't complete. We started our hike at about 8am in the morning and spent 3 hours on our hike. It rained a bit throughout the hike so we didn't encounter other hikers until later in the morning. The views of the 3 lakes were gorgeous though and it was so peaceful out there! The mountains surrounding the lakes weren't that high so it was easy to see their peaks as well. Along the way we saw some interesting trees and vegetation. It helped that our guide was giving us information as we hiked along. We were also warned that there were moose sightings on the trail and we did encounter some fresh moose tracks, but unfortunately we didn't see any. Other than that, there wasn't much danger. The great thing is that this hike is it is free, if you go at it on your own, and can be completed by just about anyone!

Access trailhead via the visitor center (we needed a map at the beginning to find the trailhead,…read morebut once you reach the trailhead it is well marked the rest of the way). You can also start on the other side, near Denali Park Village Lodge. This is a beautiful 9-mile hike. It's listed as a "very strenuous" 6-8 hour hike in our book. We are in decent shape but not the best, and we finished in just under 5 hours, including stops for lots of photos ;) parts of the hike definitely got us breathing hard-- it starts fairly flat but there are stretches that are fairly steep as you ascend a mountain. Beautiful scenery along the way, with rivers, mountains, and several lakes. If you finish the hike after main shuttle, call SALMON BAKE! (907) 683-2733. They arrange shuttles til 3am-ish for just $3 per person!!

This hike is beautiful, as well as a challenge! It's right by the visitor center, also close to the…read morehorseshoe bend trail, right across from the tracks for the entrance. The hike can be a little muddy, as well as strenuous at points, but if you're an experienced hiker you'll be fine. It's super windy up top so if you're visiting during the colder months make sure you layer up, even though you may break a sweat because it's very cold and windy at the top. It's a beautiful hike with a bunch of wildlife--we saw two moose! You have a great view of the park the entire way up. Definitely consider this hike if you're visiting, the view is so worth it when you get to the end!!

This trail can be found by going to the Denali Visitor Center, it is literally right outside their…read moredoor. This is a great hike and no entrance fees make it absolutely free. It is also one of the only hikes that can be done without taking the shuttles further into the park. It's about a 4.4 mile hike round trip with the option of further extending the hike once you get to the top by hiking along the breath taking ridge. In total, you ascend 1700 feet. The trail starts pretty easy, but quickly jets upward and gets steeper and steeper as you near the summit. The trail is well maintained, but loose rocks cover the upper portion. The hike is difficult, but like with any hiking, a determined little kid or out-of-shape person could still do it. Once at the summit you realize that all the hard work was well worth it. You are afforded expansive views of the entire valley and a good part of Denali.

Excellent trail to this beautiful lake. The hike is easy, fairly short and achievable by young and…read moreold alike. In late June there were still lots of wildflowers all along the trail. The trail also goes along the Nenana River which is nice to see. The lake itself is pretty and nice to walk around. And sometimes you get a bonus: like during my hike there was a large moose in the lake eating water plants! It was so beautiful to see in its natural habitat. This was truly a great place to visit while here in Denali National Park.

Beautiful, easy hike in Denali National Park! We loved it. Came earlier in the day, and it was…read moremildly raining but it was still super enjoyable. Walked the loop, got down to the river and the lake. But the best part is getting to see the view of the lake from above. Quite a few stairs, so just be aware. Decent shade cover if it's sunny. Great hike to enjoy in Denali.

This is probably the most popular hike in the park. It's a 2-mile loop located right at the end of…read morethe public part of the road and the trail is fairly flat and easy-- that is, unless it's icy. You have a great chance of seeing ptarmigan and arctic squirrels. It's also your best (only?) chance of seeing doll sheep without taking a bus into the park. I strongly recommend hiking past the bridge at the end. The doll sheep are seen most often high on the mountain on the left side (past the bridge). If you're daring, you can hike up after them. But even if you don't see them, the rock formations out there are bizarre and fascinating. Some of them look like castles and some of them look like they are from outer space. It's a good trail but don't let this be the only one you do. You've got to get away from the people and really get into the bush. If you hike pretty much anywhere else in the park then you will have a better chance of seeing wildlife than people.

You've probably driven by this hulking mountain many times if you frequent the Denali National Park…read morearea. It's unmistakable. If you are driving up from the south, it is, by far, the most prominent mountain you will see. It is significantly steeper (3,700ft in a little over a mile, steeper than Mt Hood or Mt Rainier in the lower 48) than the surrounding mountains. It's visible for miles as you approach Cantwell. The Parks Highway scrapes right up against it. Think I'm exaggerating? In the winter, its avalanches can cause closures of the highway! I had stared at this peak numerous times before I even know its name. (It's notoriously difficult to get any information about the names of peaks in Alaska) In fact, I'm not even sure if "Panorama Peak" is correct, it might be "Panorama Mountain". But, we humans love alliteration, so I'm going with Panorama Peak. I've attempted to climb this peak twice: 1st attempt: January 2016, it was -17F. We started too late and didn't have enough light to finish. On the way down I crushed the bone in my finger tip when my hand was pinched between my ice axe and a rock. Oops. 2nd attempt: April 2016, massive rock fall on the route. It felt like we were in Saving Private Ryan, the only thing missing was tinnitus and black & white vision. Place was a shooting gallery! We bailed only a couple 100 ft up. Yesterday, we were successful! We started up at 5am and were back at the car around 12:30pm. We rode a nice snaking snow couloir all the way to the summit ridge. Ice axe and crampons were very necessary. We brought a rope but never found conditions burly enough to use it. The summit area was very multi-ridged and complex. Very fun climb! As we were making our way down to the lower parts of the mountain the rockfall began again, we were glad we started so early. When this thing starts to heat up, the rocks start to fall! I've heard that people do this in the summer, as a hike. I wouldn't recommend it. Climbing up the loose scree would be very frustrating and you could potentially kill or seriously injured anyone lower on the mountain. I wouldn't recommend attempting this mountain after April. In the winter, I wouldn't attempt unless you have a decent understanding of avalanche conditions. Speaking of the winter, this is a popular destination for ski and snowboard mountaineers who bravely whiz down the various faces and couloirs. As for me? Nope.

This is the winter face of the park…read more When the road is only plowed up to 3 miles in, this is the place you go to talk to other humans. They've got ice cleats and snow shoes you can borrow. They've bot the winter Aurora forecast posted. They've got a nice little fireplace. They have some pretty neat kid-friendly exhibits. There are many short hikes that begin here. The most notable is probably Horshoe Lake: https://www.yelp.com/biz/horseshoe-lake-denali-national-park Their hours are 9am-5pm. Even if they are closed, they have some good park brochures in the "mud room" that you can take. That also have one show which amenities in the nearby sleepy towns are actually open.

I hate to say it but our visit to Denali National Park wasn't as good as I was expecting. Denali…read moreNational Park is a gorgeous place and provides you with all the views that you would expect to see when you come to Alaska. But your visit is limited... now let me explain. If you have the American the Beautiful park pass, then your admission is free to the park. You can drive your car into the park, but only up to Riley Creek. If you don't have much time for a full day's worth of a visit then this is your best option if you want to visit this national park. But if you do have time, then you definitely want to check out one of the tours or transit buses. Please note that if you wish to take a tour or one of the transit buses, the American the Beautiful park pass does not cover that. You just have to head to the visitor center and purchase your tickets or you can purchase online. On NPS.gov, it warns you that tickets can be sold out if you do not purchase in advance but my husband and I were able to show up and purchase for the time that we wanted. We came on a Thursday morning though, in the month of August. Please note that if you visit Alaska in August, this is towards the end of the summer season and a lot of places already close for the season (Although this is now towards the off peak season and that prices are cheaper, just keep that in mind). Also want to mention that August is the 2nd rainiest month (September and August get the most rain of the year) so make sure to plan for that. There are also a lot of annoying mosquitos too so make sure to bring bug spray for that. Anyways, we took a transit bus. The bus driver is also your park guide to inform you of the sights and also will help you to spot some wildlife of the big 5 (bear, moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves). But you are not able to get in and off the bus whenever you want. There were only 2 stops on our visit. If you choose to stay (which you are allowed to), you will have to wait for the next transit bus. The problem with this is if there are no seats available, you will have to wait until the next bus comes by that does have enough seats for you and your party. Because of this, this really worried many of the people on the bus (including us), so we never stayed at one stop. We just got back on the bus when it was time. We did see this problem as our bus driver did stop for a group of 6 and told the group that there were only 4 empty seats on our bus and so they had to wait as our bus left them. Both of the stops on the bus do have restrooms. The first stop just has a porta potty but the second one has numerous of toilets (but the the cleanest and it may be in your best interest to bring some alcohol spray because there are no sinks). Your views for the rest of the park is just limited to what you see out of your window from the bus. I really wished that we could have driven our own car so that we could get in and out whenever we wanted. Although I will say that the bus driver was friendly and very informative. He also answered questions from the group that was on the bus. My husband and I visited this park over 2 days. Only part of the national park is dog friendly (not on the bus). So we were able to have our little girl join us (yep, our little girl dog travels with us and has been to 49 states so far and we have visited all 50 states). Dogs are also allowed to be on some campgrounds, in case you wish to camp (we ended up staying at an Airbnb not too far from the national park). I don't regret visiting this national park and still recommend that you do when you visit Alaska because Alaska truly is beautiful. You really get to see Mother Nature in all of her glory here. But just keep in mind how the visit may be.

Found this park to be incredible. Had a veteran tour guide,who knew the park inside & out…read more Spectacular views everywhere you look. Saw a fox up close & a rabbit quite cold when you arrive higher up

Great national park center, a mile or less away from the Denali Visitor Center, with kind and…read morehelpful staff at the general information booth. Tickets to the national park hosted buses that drive further into Denali can be purchased here. Lines come and go and, one minute, there will be absolutely no one in line and nothing is sold out. The next minute, the line's 30 min deep with each customer asking a dozen question prior to making their purchase decision - There are more than half a dozen tours and it is VERY HARD to tell the difference between tours, which in turn requires the counter representatives to explain and explain away to each customer. And before you know it, all the early morning tickets are SOLD OUT! Seeing as you need to ask dozens of questions, the helpfulness of the staff at the ticket counter matters and, unfortunately, we found this varies greatly - first guy we talked to was knowledgeable and had common sense. Second guy we talked to and purchased tickets with was not nearly as forthcoming and gave incomplete information. I get that English may not be his first language, he may be tired of relaying the same dang information every 10 min (average decision making seems to be out this long per customer) but we sure suffered for it! For example, would have been good to know that we had to pay separately for a pre-order box lunch and that this is DIFFERENT from the box of food included in the ticket price. We found out at 4AM that the preordered lunch includes a real meal with sandwich, fruit, etc. The box included in our ticket price was merely a snack box! My 4-year old would have been super cranky had I not arrived at pickup location 45 min early and been observant and inquisitive. Not that my questions mattered - lunch boxes are not sold same-day. They must be preordered. And so of course, I had to run around at 4AM, trying to scrounge up lunch from ghosts. Our ticket agent said that the earliest buses get the best views - some hocus pocus about large animals being nocturnal. When talking to the bus drivers, this is NOT what they reported. It is dark at 5AM and so you cannot spot animals at all! And, let's be frank, you're relying on your bus buddies to help spot animals as the bus driver / only tour guide needs to focus on driving on one pretty hair raising stretches of road. If everyone can't see, well, you're SOL. Going early does not mean there is an increased chance of seeing animals. We had some more bad luck with ticket purchased as the park was replacing a long stretch of the one and only single lane road and so animals were wary of the night work lights, construction vehicles, pace cars, noise, smell, etc. I don't believe this information is posted online for those that like to plan ahead. Find a good, talkative and knowledgeable counter agent when buying tickets! Now on to the FREE and the best part: The bus to the dog sled demonstration departs from here. Plan accordingly! Dog sled demos take place a few times a day. The shows and the buses to the shows are both free. The rangers take great care of their animals and present some neat information our entire family of mixed ages enjoyed. Location as water available to fill bottles and canteens. Bathrooms are super duper clean.

Started my visit to Denali Park right here. There's a Pokemon stop and a gym. Interior is rather…read morelarge, there's a movie theater, the education station, info about wild animals, 3D topical map the the entire park. What's the animal statues. I thought I was really really cool one side of the building the windows have been replaced with solar panels. They're making a good amount of their own power to run this Visitor Center. One of the Rangers point me in the right direction of all the campsites and bus tours and offered me a guided hike with a ranger which I took up immediately. They're all very nice so I told him I don't know where I am they gave me a map and put X's by everything that I needed to know and wrote down what it was.

This nature hike was one of the highlights of my trip. Our guide, Eric, was incredibly…read moreknowledgeable and passionate about the Alaskan Boreal forest, and it was obvious within minutes that this was far more than a job to him. From plants, lichen, and wildflowers to moose droppings, spruce bark beetles, and the delicate balance of the ecosystem, he made every step of the trail fascinating. Even though we didn't spot any wildlife, I never once felt like we missed out because the forest itself felt so alive with stories. The pace was comfortable, the views over the Nenana River were beautiful, and I walked away feeling like I had learned far more than I expected. If you enjoy nature, learning, and getting off the beaten path a bit, I highly recommend this experience.

BF booked the Denali Wilderness Hiking Tour, which is billed as a strenuous hike. Unfortunately,…read moretwo of the hikers were not up to a strenuous hike, so it only covered about half the distance it was supposed to. Not sure how best to fix this. Maybe Denali Backcountry Guides ask everyone at time of booking "This is a strenuous hike covering x miles and y elevation gain. Do you feel capable of making that hike?" I don't know. Just know it is disappointing to book a strenuous hike, then go slowly and only cover half. The guide was knowledgeable and the hike was good. With a different group of hikers, it would be 5 star.

I think one of our favorite parks. There's not many trails. You definitely have to blaze your own!…read more The scenery is great (not as much wildlife as I expected). It's nice that the public can't go the whole distance thru, that way it keeps traffic minimal and doesn't disturb the wildlife.

Visiting Denali National Park was nothing short of breathtaking -- a true wilderness experience…read morethat takes your breath away in both scale and beauty. From the moment we arrived, the immense landscape of tundra, mountains, and glaciers stretched out before us, reminding us how small we really are in the natural world. The vast open spaces encourage slow exploration, whether you're on a bus tour, hiking along a riverside, or just stopping to watch wildlife. We saw moose, caribou, and even distant bears -- real wild animals in their natural habitat -- which was unforgettable. The shuttle system into the park (which limits private vehicles) makes sense given how pristine this place is kept, though it does mean planning ahead and sometimes long days on the bus. We learned that weather can be unpredictable -- Denali itself was hidden in clouds a good part of our visit -- but even without a clear view of the peak, the surroundings were spectacular. The hiking opportunities are more backcountry-oriented, so if you love getting off the beaten path and embracing rugged terrain, Denali delivers. If you're expecting paved trails and easy viewpoints like other national parks, you might find it a bit raw -- but that's exactly why we loved it. All told, Denali is a must-visit for anyone who wants to experience true Alaskan wilderness -- rich wildlife, dramatic landscapes, and a sense of isolation that few other parks offer. Just pack warm layers, be ready for limited services, and give yourself time to soak it all in.