Denali National Park is pure magic. My trip was not typical since I wanted to do things not everyone does, so this should be the disclaimer: I flew to Alaska specifically to visit the park, I wanted to stay in a motel and not in a campground and I wanted to hike past mile 15 (ie, get out of the bus).

How I got there

I could have flown into Anchorage and drive 4 hours north or fly to Fairbanks (via Anchorage probably) and drive 2 hours south; I flew to Fairbanks.

Rental cars: I rented the smaller car available, all I needed it for was to drive it to the park and all roads I drove in were highways. Transportation inside the park is done via buses, except the first 15 miles. The first 15 miles are paved and anyone can drive on them and take you to the Savage River parking lot. Now, the rental car companies reside within the airport, but there are not that many cars so please make reservations well in advance. Something that I got offered was windshield insurance, declined it but I think with some roads in Alaska you should take it. For the car rental, the parking lot is just outside where all the companies share the lot. On the way back, park the car anywhere in the specific car company lot and tell the counter attendant the mileage and give him the car keys.

The airport has six gates, that is it. Upper level is for the gates and lower level for baggage claim, car rental and airlines check in. I took Alaska Airlines. Alaska Airlines makes stops in Anchorage or Seattle. Based on my experience, fly Alaska Airlines any chance you get. All other airlines don’t have hubs in Alaska so if a plane breaks down, Alaska Airlines will get its hands into another plane fast (this has happened to me in previous trips …………… always pick the airline that has a hub in the airport you fly in; I know, small airports don’t offer that luxury).

Where I stayed

There are expensive hotels one mile away from the park entrance. Too expensive and some are run by the cruise lines, so I think people get off the boat, are put in a bus and driven to these hotels. Also, they have their own buses that drive into the park. These hotels near the park are all concentrated in an area shown below.

Now, there are smaller motels, RV parks both north and south of the main entrance, very close, so don’t think that getting an hotel room in these close to the park hotels will save you time. Every place to stay is close to the park entrance.

But 10 miles north of the park entrance is the town of Healy:

I stayed at the Denali Park Hotel, with internet and cable tv. That motel is half the price of the hotels in the area mentioned above. It is still pricey (law of supply and demand), but I prefer to spend the money locally and there is also a gas station and supermarket in the town of Healy, five minutes north of the hotel. This one has no frills, no pool, no sauna, looks like a motel in its configuration, but I like the people running the place.

In front of the pricey hotels there is a seasonal strip “mall” where you can go to an ice cream shop, liquor store, Subway, and souvenir shops. There is also a general store inside the park, but I didn’t go there. I would prefer to buy stuff outside of the park and help the locals. For example, if you want bear spray there is an outfitter store in that strip mall. buy it there. There are restaurants also in those pricey hotels. pricey.

Where to hike

There are two main areas for hikes, established trails within the first 15 miles of the park road and hike-your-own-adventure past mile 15.

Established trails within the first 15 miles

You can drive your own car anywhere within the first 15 miles of the park road (there is ONLY one park road). Since there is no gate at the entrance, the park service uses the honor system that you will pay the $15 entrance fee at the Visitor Center.

I recently hiked some of the entrance trails and I will post detailed descriptions, but for now (the numbers match the ones in the image below):

the Mount Healy Overlook trail is lovely. You go up 2 miles to the top of Mount Healy and you get great vistas (not of the Mountain, though). You park at the Visitor Center; pick Lot 3 to be the closest to the road since you will cross the road to get to the trailhead. The trail is rated “hard” since you are constantly going uphill.
the Horseshoe Lake trail shares the same entrance as Mount Healy trail (past a bridge you go left for Healy and right for Horseshoe). The trail is super easy and the cool stuff is that Horseshoe Lake is full of beaver damns.
the dog kennels. In non-covid years. they have a 20 minute presentation with the dogs. But the cool things is that you can visit the kennels (check times), get close to the dogs, pet them, etc.
Another lovely trail is the Savage River loop trail at mile 15. That is the farthest you can get on a car in the park, so there is a parking area there. Go there early since the parking lot is small and will fill up fast.
A challenging that at the same location is the Savage Alpine Trail. This is a point to point trail that will take you to the park road and that is how to complete the trail (you don’t want to go in and out like the others).
The Triple Lakes trail is the longest in the park (9 miles one way) and it starts behind the Visitor Center itself. I have not done with one, but plan to do it soon.

Even though these are trails close to the entrance, be careful, you can run into moose or bears.

A link to the complete PDF can be found here.

Buses, the only mode of transportation past mile 15

The only bus that you really need is the GREEN transport bus, forget about the narrated buses or the Tundra Wilderness Tour (ok, disclaimer: if you do NOT want to get off the bust at all and want a narration, then take those buses); most of the transit bus drivers are good at talking during the ride. You have to reserve the buses in advance (there is a phone number you can call). I recommend picking the earliest time possible. You can either take a bus to the Eielson Visitor Center (8 hours trip) or Wonder Lake (11.5 hours trip). The early times also afford you to see more wildlife and the opportunity to get off the bus and spend more time in the park. Wonder Lake will take you the closest to Denali, but here is the run: the mountain can only be seen 30% of the time and of that 30%, 30% is only seen in its entirely. So I don’t really recommend a bus all the way to Wonder Lake, at Eielson you will be the mountain very well.

There are other buses from private companies that will take you to resorts at the end of the 92 mile road.

I drove to the Wilderness Access Center (not the Visitor Center) and parked on the back. You can pick up the bus tickets the day before or the same day at the counter. I recommend to immediately go outside and get on line (there are signs where to stop for each bus, don’t wait to be told) since that is the order of getting on the bus and I want to sit as close to the front as possible because I believe that most wildlife and cool views take place on the LEFT side of the bus on the way into the park. Bear spray needs go be put inside a backpack, never loose.

There is no guarantee that you will see wildlife, but here are some tips:

sit on the left side of the bus.
if you see something yell “STOP”, not “bear”, not “moose”.
Animals are mostly far away from the bus. Based on my visit I took binoculars and enjoyed seeing the animals that way. The bus will stop to reduce vibrations but you will need zoom lenses most of the time. Do NOT take your arms outside of the windows, the bus driver will drive away (they don’t want the animals to think there are people inside that big green thing).
eat inside the bus, the bears will smell it outside of the bus.
there is a 30% chance that you will see Denali. The visit will NOT be ruined if you don’t see the mountain.
very rare that you will see wolves, might as well forget it.
if you get off the bus, take a map with the closure areas marked.

The road

This is a good description that I found in the internet: The 91 miles of Park Road is the travel corridor of Denali National Park. Beginning at the entrance area, the road quickly leaves services of civilization behind. The road is paved for the first 14 miles.

Passing through moose habitat, by mile 9 in clear weather this can be the first view of The Mountain, Mt. McKinley, or Denali. The Park Road passes Savage River Campground, Savage River loop hike with a parking lot, as far as most vehicles can go without a special permit. The Savage River loop trail is a 2 mile stroll across a bridge, a great spot to see a hoary marmot. Look for dall sheep above on cliffs. A ranger checkpoint station is on the Savage River Bridge, mile 15.
From here the road turns to gravel, with Primrose Ridge running to the north. Next is the Sanctuary River, and a tiny wilderness campground. The Sanctuary River Bridge is mile 23. Next is the magnificent Teklanika River, with the Teklanika Campground, a drive-in campground for those willing to stay for 3 days. Keep an eye on the brush for lynx who are after all the snowshoe hare. There is also the Teklanika rest stop with toilets and a viewing deck overlooking the river, a great place to scope for wildlife along the river braids below. The Teklanika Bridge is at mile 31.
Soon after, the road enters Igloo Forest. At mile 34 is Igloo Mountain, a great spot to view dall sheep. Igloo Campground is another tiny wilderness campground for tent campers only. After Igloo Creek bridge, the road enters Igloo Canyon with majestic Cathedral Mountain on the south of the road. Dall Sheep often dot the peaks of Cathedral.
Tattler Creek and Sable Mountain as the road begins to climb are great areas for brown bears. Beginning about Mile 38, Sable Pass grizzly bear closure is a five mile stretch over Sable Pass that can be accessed only from the road, via vehicle or foot. After Sable Pass the Park Road drops to the East Fork River, also known as the East Fork of the Tolkat River, mile 43. Look for the cabin of wolf researcher Adolph Murie and eyes peeled for wolves.
Next is the glorious colors of Polychrome Pass, around mile 46. Across the 5 mile wide Polychrome Pass look for dall rams above and caribou herds down in the Plain of Murie below. This is also a great place to see soaring eagles or even a gyrofalcon. Mile 53 takes one to the Tolklat River, another braided river, with Divide Mountain separating the East Branch from the West Branch. A ranger tent with bookstore and restrooms are at the rest stop. This is a great spot to get off the bus, stretch your legs with a hike, and pick up a later bus to continue the trip west. Watch for wolves!
Next is the breathtaking Highway Pass, at Mile 58. Where are those caribou? Welcome to the high tundra of Denali. Many brown bear sightings are between here and Eielson. Stony Dome, Stony Hill, Stony Creek, Stony Overlook, mile 62 ..... awesome views of The Mountain from here. Check out all the beautiful wildflowers. Thorofare Pass area around Mile 64 is a haven for bears, bears, and more bears. Also watch for the long tail jaeger hover hunting.
Then the big stop- Eielson Visitor Center- mile 66. Watch a movie of the climbers, look at exhibits, enjoy flush toilets and running water. This is a prime spot to get off the bus and catch another one by simply talking to the smiling, friendly bus dispatchers. Take the traditional trail up Mount Thoro or down to the Thorofare River, so set off on your own hike. Go for the ranger-led tundra flower walk. Sit at a picnic table & stare at The Mountain. From Eielson, the Park Road goes over Grassy Pass drops down to beaver ponds and the close-up view of the Alaskan Range and awe-inspiring Mt. McKinley, Muldrow Glacier with the gigantic McKinley River looming in the distance. Look for waterfowl including loons, grebes and megansers as well as moose.
At Mile 85 is Wonder Lake with its campground and Denali-view! Onward past Wonder Lake the road wash-boards along to Kantishna, Mile 91, the Moose Creek valley. Whew! Made it! How many mosquitoes can you count at Kantishna before the ride back to the entrance? 1,2, 3.....!

Main spots/stops:

Park Headquarters: that is where they keep the sled dogs. Quick demonstrations at 10am, 2pm, 4pm, but ............... you can stop at ANY time and pet the dogs. Yes, you can pet most of the dogs while they are lounging next to their mini cabins.
Savage River, mile 15: the paved road ends and a park ranger welcomes you to the park.
Teklanika River Rest Stop: you rest for 10 minutes, watch the river in the observation deck. Up to this point, the area is wooded. Just after leaving the rest stop, keep an eye on the mountains to the left, probably dall sheep will be at the tops.
Sable Pass: the trees are gone and to the left there are places where bears lounge around. That area is closed to hiking. To the right there is a fox den, probably you wont see much unless the parents bring back food for the babies. Every single time I have seen bears there, ok the bus driver has seen them and stopped the bus.
Polychrome Pass: a ten minute rest area with fantastic views of mountains. The road narrows for a mile. If you are scared of heights, oh boy ............ better don't look, especially if your side of the bus is next to the precipice. Just after the rest stop, you may see caribou on the creek to the left of the road (see a pattern ? the LEFT side of the bus). There is a gyro hawk nest next in the rocks to the left (ask the driver to point that out to you), that rock area is closed for hikers but if you are lucky you can see the hawk chicks learning to fly (I did).
Toklat River Rest Stop: another rest stop right next to the Toklat River. At the rest stop, look for dall sheep at the top of mountains next to the rest stop. I saw caribou in the river later in the day.
Highway Pass and Stony Hill: No rest stops but those are prime locations to watch Denali if it is out and also caribou and bears.
Eielson Visitor Center: final rest stop and turn around point. The bus will stop for 30 minutes. There is a trail across the parking lot that goes up the hill, go ahead and do it. It will take about 30 minutes ............... I forgot, if you miss your bus, you need to go to the dispatcher office (down the stairs) and register your name for the queue for the next buses and when new buses are ready to leave, the dispatcher will start calling names to fill up the next bus going out (its not a free for all :) ).
Wonder Lake ........... I didn't go there.

Like I mentioned, I came to Denali to get off the bus and hike the trail-less tundra, so these are the hikes I took. FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, THIS NEEDS TO BE DONE CAREFULLY. Bears are everywhere. Also, a good measure of distance is that you will average one mile per hour since there are no trail, you cross creeks, walk in tundra and bushwhack around the vegetation.

I am going to prepare separate posts of the areas that I hiked.

this is the typical pic that you see on the internet, but this one was taken by me :)

Denali National Park