What To Expect on a Bus Tour of Denali National Park
If Kenai Fjords is the easiest national park to visit in Alaska, then Denali National Park is a close second. And good thing, too--people come from all over the world to witness the glory of the tallest mountain in North America, not to mention Denali’s tundra wilderness that’s teeming with an abundance of wildlife. Denali National Park is full of what makes Alaska, well, Alaska. With bears sauntering down the shores of rivers, wide open spaces for caribou to run, and big, beautiful mountains at every turn, this park has it all.
Unlike most national parks, though, getting into Denali is slightly more complicated than just driving into it. Sure, you can drive the first 15 miles into the park, but beyond that your options are limited. Never fear! I’m about to lay it all out for you, tell you why I think the camper transit bus is the best option, and tell you exactly what to expect. Let’s go!
How To Get There
Okay, let’s get to the park first. During my first visit to Alaska, my primary reason for visiting was to see my brother and his girlfriend, who were living in Anchorage at the time. From Anchorage, Denali was a four hour drive. From Fairbanks it’s even closer, at only a two hour drive south. Many people also opt to add a train ride to Denali onto their Alaska cruise. It’s honestly a great idea, since you don’t need a car to explore the park.
We took a weekend trip to the park, since Matt and Fiona were working their normal schedules during my visit. We left Anchorage when they got home from work and took our time driving up to the park. On the way, we stopped at the south overlook at Denali State Park (no view of the mountain), and then a few more times for porcupine and moose sightings.
Campgrounds in Denali National Park
There are six developed campgrounds inside the park. Of the six, two of the campgrounds are accessible by your own vehicle: Riley Creek and Savage River. Since Riley Creek is at the very entrance of the park, I made reservations to stay here the first night. We arrived at the campground around 10:30pm and still had enough light to set up camp without flashlights.
Per usual, I wanted to stay inside the park, but this time I had a specific campground in mind: Wonder Lake! At mile 85, Wonder Lake Campground is as far into the park you can possibly camp without backpacking, and also as close as you can sleep to the mountain herself. Camping at Wonder Lake was the #1 activity that I wanted to do, so I planned the weekend around it.
If you’re an RVer and have the time, I’d recommend a stay at the Teklanika River Campground. With a minimum 3-night stay you may drive to this campground yourself, 29 miles up the road. That’s 14 miles farther than everyone else!
The other two campgrounds, Sanctuary River and Igloo Creek, are at miles 23 and 34 respectively. If you want to get deeper into the park, Wonder Lake is your spot. Of course, there are also, like, outrageously expensive lodges in Kantishna...but if that’s what you're into, why are you even reading this?!
Denali Park Road Bus Options
The park road is 92 miles long, with only the first 15 miles open to private vehicles. While all national parks encourage visitation, Denali’s limited access into the bowels of the park is a way to allow visitation in a way that’s more protective of the wilderness that makes it so special. And when you think about the fact that the park and preserve cover over 6 million acres, traversing 92 miles of that space feels like a drop in the bucket. Keeping access limited is arguably easier done in Denali than in other iconic parks, like the Grand Canyon for example, which sees 10 times the number of visitors.
Beyond mile 15, you can take human-powered transportation (your feet or a bike), or you can hitch a ride on one of four buses.If you plan on camping at one of the campgrounds past mile 15, then you only have one choice. But let’s say you’re not a camper and talk about these buses:
The Denali History Tour: this is the least expensive of the three narrated bus tours. Like the name suggests, it focuses on the natural history of the area. Unlike other tours, this one stops at the Savage Cabin (the Savage Cabin is within the first 15 miles of road, so it’s possible to visit it without taking a bus). It is 4.5-5 hours long and turns around at the Teklanika River, mile 30.
The Tundra Wilderness Tour: this tour is narrated by a naturalist, with more of an emphasis on the surrounding flora and fauna. At 7-8 hours long, this bus will take you to Stony Overlook at mile 62 before turning around.
The Kantishna Experience Tour: of the narrated tours, this is the only one that will take you all the way to the end of the road, mile 92, and is also the most expensive. Clocking in at 11-12 hours long, it also serves food and drinks along the way.
The Camper Transit Bus: this bus is your cheapest ticket into the park and does not have any narration. You can ride it as far as you like, and can hop off to explore at any time. You would just get on the next transit bus that’s going in the direction you want, on the condition that there are enough available seats. This is the only bus with space for gear, and therefore the only one that can take you to a campground (or drop you off to backpack). The flexibility to explore and camp and the affordable price makes this one my top choice!
The Route
No matter what bus you choose, they all take the same stops along the road. All buses will stop if someone yells, “look, a bear!” We took the camper transit bus for our one night at Wonder Lake, but my descriptions of the rest stops will be relevant for all tours, and the wildlife viewing opportunities will all be pretty much the same. The camper transit buses are green school buses, and they definitely feel like school buses on the inside. There is nothing particularly special about them, but it didn’t seem totally uncomfortable to me. The ride flew by much faster than I thought it would, probably because there is truly something new to see around every corner. Keep in mind that the Park Road is a dirt road, so there will be bumps along the way. We hopped onto our bus at 7:00am to make the long journey into the park.
MILES 0-15: This is the “front” of the park. Here, you will find the Wilderness Access Center (a.k.a. The Bus Depot) where you will board your bus, the visitor center, most of the park’s established trails, and the sled dog kennels.This is where you find the hustle and bustle that has come to be known of so many of our favorite national parks. This section of the park is mainly forested woodland, and the bus won’t make any stops here since you can explore this area on your own.
MILE 23: Sanctuary River campground. While this is not a “get off and look around” type of stop, your transit bus may stop if there are any passengers camping here.
MILE 29: Teklanika River Campground--same deal as Sanctuary River. The bus will only stop here to drop off or pick up campers.
MILE 30: The Teklanika River rest stop is the first real stop of the ride. It features a wooden viewing platform that overlooks the Teklanika River, beautifully framed by evergreens. In late August there wasn’t much to the river; I had a hard time imagining it as the same river that caused the demise of Chris McCandless on the Stampede Trail in 1992. The platform was crowded with enthusiastic photographers but didn’t feel overwhelmed with people. If you take the Natural History Tour, you’ll turn around here.
MILE 34: Igloo Creek Campground is the last place to camp until Wonder Lake at mile 85. Like the other two, your transit bus will only stop here to pick up or drop off campers.
Around the Sable Pass area between our stops at mile 30 and 46, we stopped for multiple wildlife sightings! First, we saw the happiest of caribou running free through low growth, and then for our first bear spotting! We watched from the bus for a few minutes as the bear ambled along a creek bed. It was long enough to ensure we all got photos and also to enjoy the company of a bear from a safe distance. The bus stopped once more to allow a large and majestic caribou make his way across our gravel path.
MILE 46: From this point on, I’m going to start calling every stop my favorite stop. You guys, the Polychrome Overlook might have been my favorite stop! Here, a short walk up a steep hill brings you to a stunning viewpoint. Rolling meadows in all directions lead right up to coppery rock at the base of snow-covered mountains. In August, it’s the first stop with views of snow capped ridges, and it’s lovely. Depending on the weather, there may also be views of Denali from here...I wouldn’t know, because we had low-hanging cloud cover for most of the day.
MILE 53: The Toklat River rest stop was another of my favorites. This stop drops you along the riverbank with mountains on the other side, and this pebbly beach is just too pretty. There’s a small ranger outpost here where you can purchase books and postcards, as well as various antlers on display to touch and hold. The Toklat River is rugged, wild, and beautiful.
MILE 62: The Stony Hill Overlook is possibly the most iconic view of Denali (from the road, at least), and this spot did not disappoint. We did not get off the bus here, but stayed for a moment to feast our eyes on the scene before us. Even with the clouds in the sky, the view of Denali from this overlook was outstanding. This is the point at which the Tundra Wilderness Tour turns around.
We saw more bears and caribou on the four-mile ride from Stony Overlook to Eielson Visitor Center! Some were very, very far away, though, and not worth the effort of attempting a photo.
MILE 66: Eielson Visitor Center was my actual favorite stop on the road! Eielson is a fully functioning visitor center in the middle of nowhere, complete with running water, park rangers, ranger programs, and even a diorama of the park. Unlike the other stops where we spent 15-30 minutes, we stayed at Eielson for a little over an hour, arriving at 10:40am. All that time allowed us to explore a little bit of the trails that branch out from the visitor center on the Tundra Loop Trail. The meadows and close vicinity to the mountains in this area makes for a truly spectacular stop. There were also a plethora of ground squirrels (a.k.a. bear burritos) all around--probably hoping to take advantage of the popular picnic spot.
MILE 85: We made it to Wonder Lake! Arriving around 1:00pm, we had a little bit of a hiccup checking in. There had been a miscommunication at the WAC, where I apparently should have checked into our campsite. The campground host was gracious about it, and seriously, we couldn’t have gotten a better site. With mostly brush and intermittent trees here and there, we had a perfect view of the still-half-covered-in-clouds mountain. Later in the evening, the clouds finally parted enough to grant us a FULL VIEW of Denali!
The next morning, we were up bright and early to catch our bus back to the front of the park. We were picked up at Wonder Lake before making a stop at Reflection Pond for--get this--a totally clear view of Denali, and a clear reflection in the water. Holy cow, you guys! For just one moment, I got to pretend to be Ansel Adams!
MILE 89: There’s nothing much to see at Kantishna unless you are staying at the backcountry lodge. I’m sure the view from the lodge is similar to the view from Wonder Lake, but I didn’t see it for myself. We didn’t stop and get out until…
MILE 92: ...the end of the road! Compared to the other stops, this one was somewhat hurried and underwhelming. No big views, just a little sign marking the end of the road. We made it!
In Conclusion
Camping for a night at Wonder Lake not only gave us a better chance of seeing Denali (only 25% of visitors do), but it also was a great way to break up a long bus ride. We saw more bears, caribou, birds, and other animals on the return, but the stops were a little less crowded since the daily tours hadn’t made it to the back of the park yet. We got back to the entrance area by the early afternoon, so we were able to enjoy the visitor center and catch the last dog sled demonstration before heading back to Anchorage.
In the end, the best bus tour for you might be different than it was for me; what matters most is that you see the park as best you can!
