CRUISETOUR : DENALI
TO DENALI, TALKEETNA AND WHITTIER
DENALI
Denali is the highest mountain in North America and would be the focus of the final few days of the land portion of my Princess Cruisetour in Alaska.
At 20,310 feet (6,190 m) above sea level you would think it would be visible everywhere. Our guides consistently told us that only a third of visitors ever saw it without cloud cover.
Our luck was in, because we saw it every day for the next three days of our adventure, as my cruisetour passed into the areas of two nature parks named after Denali.
FAIRBANKS TO DENALI PRINCESS
We were on the bus at 9.15am for our departure from Fairbanks in the interior of Alaska.
After the previous day’s adventures around Fairbanks it was almost a change being back on the coach for our full morning drive to our next stop.
Today’s cruisetour destination would be the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge. Just south of the town of Healey, but really the hub of its own little community.
It was another of those drives watching trees go by, but with the added backdrop of the snow covered Alaska Mountain range in the background.
We had a scenic photo stop to get some proper photos of this view.
However the morning was really all about the transfer to our next stop, in readiness for our afternoon activity.
For me that was due to start at 1pm and we arrived 40 minutes beforehand.
It didn’t leave long to check in, freshen up and grab lunch.
There were huge queues for food in the Lodge, but there was a handy branch of Subway across the road. I just managed to grab a sandwich to eat before we set off on our tour.
DENALI NATIONAL PARK AND PRESERVE
Our afternoon excursion into the Denali National Park and Preserve was another of those tours included in the cost of the cruisetour.
As we were at the start of the season I don’t think there were many other options to go into the National Park. However I read that its possible to pay for an extended tour as the summer progresses, when the snow in the park melts and it becomes more accessible.
Personally I was extremely happy with our version of the tour though.
We boarded an official “school bus” to take us into the National Park.
Wildlife Spotting
And once again we were on safari, as the wildlife spotting rules of “shout when you see anything” began once more.
We saw lots of wildlife.
Small things like a raven picking at the body of a dead hare. Its nature.
Then moose in the bushes by the side of the road. I only realised the moose we saw had a well camouflaged calf too when I looked back at the photos.
There was a herd of caribou, lazily enjoying the warm spring afternoon. We caught sight of a few groups of caribou along the way.
Having spotted Dall sheep as merely white dots on the side of a mountain on our journey from Copper River to Fairbanks, it was nice to get a slightly better view of them here in the park.
They were still clinging to the hillside, so it was a case of using the zoom lens on the camera. Binoculars also come in very handy.
But the highlight of my day was spotting a lone Grizzly Bear. The bus stopped so we could watch it shuffling along in the distance.
A beautiful creature to see, just living its life in the wild.
Yet another of the “big ones” to tick off my list. The park at Denali had almost had the complete set of animals in its own right, but on the land part of my cruisetour the main one I never saw was a brown bear.
Denali Spotting
Of course the other thing we all wanted to see was the mountain.
And Denali made its appearance for us.
We heard the stories of the people who had fought to conquer its summit.
It looked immense and we were still 76 miles away from it. I couldn’t imagine climbing it.
Many of the pioneers began their attempts at the start of the 1900s, when climbing gear was nothing like it is today. It was not officially climbed until 1913.
We got plenty of glimpses of Denali as our excursion headed into the park and back again.
Back in the Lodge I had just one thing to say in my diary. Wonderful!
DENALI PRINCESS WILDERNESS LODGE
Base camp for the night was the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge.
This one was busy, as it was included on the itinerary of even the shortest cruisetours due to the obvious attraction of Denali.
Wolf Den
My room was in block D, the “Wolf Den”.
The accommodation block was quite rustic. Each room opened onto an outdoor corridor.
The room itself was simple enough, with a double bed, small table and chairs and a bathroom area partitioned off to the side.
I hardly spent any time in this one.
Fannie Q’s Saloon
The Denali Lodge was much more of a complex.
In the centre was a main building and for once there were other things to do as well.
A separate building in the complex was Fannie Q’s Saloon.
It was named after Fannie Quigley, a famous Alaskan trapper, prospector and cook.
Not only was this a great place to get food and a few more local Alaskan ales, but they also had live music.
I went for seafood pasta which was both delicious and an “American” sized portion i.e. Huge!
At 10pm they opened the shutters of the atmospherically dark saloon and it was still daylight outside. It was that time of year when it never really got dark.
As I walked back to my lodge a snow shoe hare was sitting quietly by the side of the path.
It posed for photos, just completing a fabulous day of wildlife spotting.
THE 49TH STATE
Next morning I found yet another venue for breakfast.
This one also came complete with views of the mountains.
I went local again with a reindeer sausage omelette that kept me full until mid afternoon!
A curiosity in this restaurant was a United States flag with 49 stars.
Although Alaska was “purchased” by the USA in 1867 it did not become the 49th state of America until 3rd January 1959.
Its accolade as the newest state only lasted until August 1959 when Hawaii became the 50th state and the modern flag that we now know, with 50 stars, came to be.
So this was a short lived flag, but still had pride of place here.
DENALI STATE PARK
We set off for our next transfer after breakfast.
At some point along the main road we were following our cruisetour passed into the area of Denali State Park.
Mount McKinley
Although Denali was the native Athabaskan name for the mountain it has not always been called that.
In 1896 an American gold prospector named the mountain after a then presidential candidate, and later US President, William McKinley.
And so the mountain was called Mount McKinley until 1975, when the Alaskan state renamed it Denali.
It took another 40 years for Mount McKinley to be officially renamed Denali by the US government in 2015.
So, like many, I had grown up knowing of this old name as much as its renewed one.
MT MCKINLEY PRINCESS WILDERNESS LODGE
This dual name came in handy for Princess, who happen to have two lodges in the area.
So having left the Denali Lodge we arrived at the Mt McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.
Wilderness was a particularly good description for this one, as it was entirely surrounded by trees.
However you could walk uphill to the tree-house.
On its balcony you were rewarded with views over the treetops and the roofs of the lodge buildings, to the Alaskan mountain range and our old friend Denali, or Mt McKinley.
Once again the cloud cover drifted away and I saw it cloud free.
Another bedroom
The Mt McKinley lodge also had a main building and separate hotel blocks.
These accommodation blocks were more modern and less rustic than at Denali.
However still the same double bed and bathroom configuration.
From this one I could sit on my bed and look out at the snow covered mountain peaks. I had to get up and walk over to the window to see Denali itself.
TALKEETNA
There was a regular shuttle bus from the Mt McKinley lodge to the nearby town of Talkeetna.
I was catching the 5pm shuttle bus. The driver again was a fount of local knowledge.
On the way back later we spotted a porcupine crossing the road, but my camera was away for the night at that point.
I had a little bit of time to explore Talkeetna. It was a tiny town, but seemed to have an excellent and lively bar street.
It was a shame I didn’t have time to enjoy it. I think this could have been worth a visit in its own right.
However I had taken the shuttle into town for an evening excursion I had booked.
Speed boat ride
I had so far travelled by plane, coach, paddlewheeler, narrow gauge train and a school bus!
So why not add a speed boat to that list.
On this adventure we jetted along the Chulitna and Talkeetna rivers.
Once more our guides told us how lucky we were to see Denali. I think they say that to everyone!
We didn’t see much wildlife at all, with a bald eagle being our best spot.
Even so, we stopped off along the river to visit a recreated fur trading post.
Walking past patches of fiddlehead ferns and seeing the often mentioned spruce trees it was another nice nature walk and ride.
The evening trip was possible because it was still light.
You are constantly bombarded by the scenery and nature of Alaska and yet somehow it seeps into you, rather than ever getting boring.
TALKEETNA TO WHITTIER
And so it was time to say a final farewell to Denali and indeed our cruisetour adventure on land in Alaska.
But to round off the land portion of our cruisetour in style (although if you are doing this after your cruise it would be starting in style!) we had yet another mode of transport.
ALASKA RAIL TRAIN
I love a train journey and this one was very unique in my experience.
We lined up alongside the train tracks near Talkeetna and watched as the bright yellow Alaska rail engine slowly pulled alongside us, its bell clanging as it went.
So exciting.
We had been allocated seats in the various train cars, which consisted of two bench like seats either side of a table.
By chance I was sat opposite two of my buddies from the bus, so that worked out perfectly well for us.
The journey was scheduled to take around 5 hours, though we were late arriving, so I think it was nearer 6 or 7 hours. It did feel a bit long by the end.
As a solo traveller it was good to have new friends to share that journey with, but I think I’d have been friends with whoever sat opposite me after that trip.
Scenic Rail Travel
The most unique thing about this scenic journey is that you aren’t just looking out of a small window. The whole dome of the carriage is glass so you can see any wildlife that you pass by.
Whether that was eagles flying over us, or moose in the fields as we rattled past.
I was terrible at catching the photos at speed, but to be honest I was as happy just watching and taking it all in at this point.
The scenery was beautiful and constantly changing as we passed through tundra and boreal forest. Alaska is so huge you see different climate zones in a single trip.
On board service
Our carriage was hosted by a lady who shared the stories of Alaska as we passed through particular points of interest.
Yes, I’d heard all about the earthquake of 1964 in Anchorage. Spruce tips and sustainability everywhere.
But I had already discovered each guide along the way told their stories from a different point of view. A different spin that always kept them interesting, whilst at this point I felt like I understood what they were talking about. I knew about these things now.
I bought delicious turkey sandwiches for lunch that was served at your table.
And there was a gift shop, where I took advantage of an offer where if you bought a souvenir mug you could have a drink of your choice in it for a few dollars more.
I opted for a cocktail that was so good I had two.
Oh and the mug, which almost paid for itself, is still used regularly and always reminds me of my trip to Alaska.
END OF THE LINE
My week long Princess Cruisetour that began in Anchorage and passed through Copper River, Fairbanks, Denali and Talkeetna had reached the end of the line.
The train pulled into the port of Whittier where my next mode of transport awaited.
The Princess Cruises cruise ship, Coral Princess, was waiting for us. Docked across the road from where the train stopped.
We had actually carried out our boarding checks during the train journey, so had our boarding passes ready to get on the ship.
But that is an adventure to share on another day.
WAS THE CRUISETOUR WORTH IT?
In a word – Absolutely!
An Alaska cruise by itself is an awesome experience, that I will tell you all about at some point.
But adding a week on land, or even just a few extra days, was wonderful.
The land portion of the Princess Cruisetour added a whole new dimension to my trip, with sites like Denali and the land animals that wouldn’t feature in the sea leg of the adventure.
Yes, its not a cruise. Not everyone will enjoy hours of coach rides. I know enough people complain about that on day trip cruise shore excursions.
But if you want a great way to explore inland Alaska I can’t recommend this enough.
For me it was a fabulous adventure. I loved it all.
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