Lake Clark National Park does not charge an admission fee to access the park. How to plan a trip to Alaska and Best Itineraries Laying eyes on this monster is well worth the visit, but after you've checked that off your bucket list, there is so much to experience in the 6 million acres of this Alaska national park. But they dont want to bother you. Alternatively you can opt to purchase the Denali Annual Pass online (which covers up to 4 adults) for $45 dollars. The park itself is enormous, with so many hiking trails. Once you arrive at Denali though, youll need to switch to a designated tour bus if you want to travel into the park itself. Day 2: Scenic drive to Seward. Lois Alter Mark Updated: May 04, 2023 Eager to cruise to the 49th State but don't know where to start? Unexpected things are going to happen to you in Alaska, and theyre often wonderful. Day 4: Kenai Fjords National Park. To try and visit all of Alaskas National Parks is a hug undertaking, especially as some are remote and inaccessible except by plane or boat. Its 250 an hour for every extra hour he stays. Group sizes are less than 6, Hertz Pickup Location: 600 Port Avenue, Seward, AK 99664, Hertz Drop Off Location: 4555 International Airport Road, Anchorage, AK 99502-1018. The rest of the drive is accessible via bus & the Denali National Park Road Lottery (see below). While there are lots of things to do in some of the other accessible parks (Denali, Kenai Fjords), I think that Wrangell-St. Elias has the most of any! As you fly or float along the Kobuk River systems, you see wide open spaces changing with the seasons instead of the impacts of man. 1. With that being said, there are three main ways to access the park car, shuttle, and plane. Departs from Bartlett Cove, Check in at Gustavus at 11:30, depart at 12:30, arrive at 5:00pm, Cost Varies, but is roughly $240 per person, 433 Harold Bentley Avenue, Fairbanks, AK 99701 T: 1 907-451-1502. But we met a guy with a plane who was going to pick up a hunter and offered to take us to Anaktuvuk Pass, a village inside the park. Want to know more? I remember learning about the Bering Land Bridge in school growing up in Alaska and visiting a museum called Beringia in Whitehorse, Yukon Territory on summer vacations with my family. Thanks, Piu! ), river rafting, and hiking. Sitka National Historical Park is one of the smallest National Park units in Alaska and easily accessed from the town of Sitka. As long as you bring the appropriate gear and practice Leave No Trace principles, you can have free reign of the land to explore as you see fit and are able. Which air seeing nad landing tour do you recommend for Kobuk Valley and Gates of Arctic NP??? Have any other questions about visiting these Alaska National Parks and National Park units? The terminus of Nabesna Road is located next to the Slana Ranger Station, 1.5 hours north of the official Wrangell St. Elias National Park Visitors Center in Copper Center. I have fussed more than 5 minutes over AMENITIES a grand total of ZERO times when planning a trip. The Alaska national parks you can drive to are Denali National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Wrangell St Elias National Park. So, if you spend the money to get here, crossing the finish line into the park does not require extra wallet-opening. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve | ALASKA.ORG Expert Advice First Trip to Alaska? Summer is the best time to visit Kobuk Valley National Park. So whats the catch? With 17 national park units and 16 national wildlife refuges, the options may seem limitless. The National Park System is comprised of 423 units owned and/or administrated by the National Park Service. Luckily, Anchorage is in the center of it all and offers many ways to enjoy the parks. We Recommend Alaskan National Parks Wild Alaska 12 Photos 12 Things To Do in Alaska 12 Photos You can drive, but the McCarthy Road is 60 miles of rough gravel that takes several hours. Couple that with its close proximity to the major city of Anchorage with regular commercial flights and weve got ourselves a real winner. Driving past mile 29 can be especially tricky for non-4WD vehicles due to the stream crossing. We didnt see a soul, and paddled the bays, inlets and islands by kayak for a week and a half and had incredible wildlife experiences. Its all part of our culture. Kobuk Valley National Park is located north of the Arctic Circle making it the most remote national park in Alaska. First, how culturally diverse Alaska is. The hiking is world class and the variety of nearby hiking opportunities means you can get extreme views that anyone willing to hike a few miles can enjoy. Cerulean rivers of ice. With respect, I make a formal land acknowledgment, extending my appreciation and respect to the past and present people of these lands. Youre right! 6 of the best national parks in Alaska - Lonely Planet With no tourism infrastructure within the park, the only option for overnight accommodation is camping. Another great way to see Denali National Park is via a bicycle. The fact of the matter is that it just aint easy (or cheap) to do so. Alaska 10 Day Itinerary | Sample Alaska Itineraries | AlaskaTravel.com This is How Big Alaska Is! The Ultimate 10-Day Alaska Itinerary - Full Life, Full Passport Hopefully you feel a bit more prepared to plan your trip to one or more of Alaskas national parks. From Fairbanks the ride is 4 hours long and runs around $80/adult and $40/child each way. This has really preserved the park and kept it wild. Every September the National Park Service hosts a 4 day event known as the road lottery. Jokes aside, there are no hotels in Gates of the Arctic National Park; backcountry camping is the only way to stay in the park itself. Taking the train to Denali National Park is another great and scenic way to get to the park via the Alaska Railroads Denali Star line. Kenai Fjords National Park was created in 1980, but most of us who lived in Alaska at the time knew very little about it. Once youre in Seward, there are two areas of Kenai Fjords that you can visit: As I just mentioned, the top thing to do in Kenai Fjords National Park is to take a day cruise to view glaciers and see wildlife. Visit 4 National Parks: Kenai Fjords, Denali, Wrangell-St. Elias and Katmai (or Lake Clark National Park for bear viewing). Winners of this Denali golden ticket get the ability to drive their own vehicles deep into the park via the Denali Road. There are a number of reservable public use cabins available in Lake Clark National Park. My blog posts likely contain affiliate links, including for the Amazon Associates program.If you click, book, or buy from one of these links, I may earn a commission. Unlike other Alaska National Parks, Wrangell-St. Elias has a nice balance of remoteness and accessibility, making it a popular park for those with enough time to travel there. You can reach Denali National Park by train, on the Alaska Railroad, or car (or bus), along the Parks Highway, which connects Anchorage and Fairbanks. I end with a shorter section about each of the other National Park units in Alaska. No, you cannot drive to Katmai National Park. Warning: their impassioned insights may not help to eliminate any parks off your must-visit list. Fishing is also an option, though there are specific rules on every stage of that process from permitting to population management. Best National Parks in Alaska | Holland America Line Do expect and plan for rain regardless of the forecast as the overwhelming odds are that you will see rain during your trip. There is one developed campground in Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Bartlett Cove. Most fascinatingly, the primary geologic feature in Aniakchak is a huge volcanic caldera, a reminder that this is part of the Pacific ring of fire and a volcanic and seismically active place. The best time to visit Kobuk Valley National Park is during Summer months. Located in the heart of Interior Alaska, Yukon-Charley Rivers National Preserve is a huge area of protected land east of Fairbanks toward the Canadian border. A note for visitors in 2023 and 2024: The Denali Park Road will be open until mile 43 in 2023 and 2024 due to road improvements. Camping here is free but requires visitors picking up a free permit at the ranger station. My wife and I are planning our first trip to Alaska this summer and this has helped us in narrowing our to-do list to the more accessible ones for now (while we start planning for the two remote ones by the artic circle next year). Plan Like a Park Ranger - 10 Tips for Visiting Alaska's National Parks Alagnak Wild River, Alaska Public Lands, Aniakchak National Monument & Preserve, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve, Cape Krusenstern National Monument , more A Hiker enjoys an alpine lake in Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve NPS/Neal Herbert Great news here folks! Bikes and walking, as well as the local shuttle system, means getting around is easy enough, but the glacier hiking is my favorite easy-access thing to do here. The whole Glacier Bay experience from our perspective is written there on the totem poles and the screens, Grant says. Average visitation is usually around 15,000 people per year though so no need to worry about running into a traffic jam (there are no roads) or backup on the trails (there are no trails) while exploring this remote, arctic park. Today, Bering Land Bridge National Preserve protects an area of land that served as the first entry point for all the species that crossed the exposed land between (todays) Siberia and Alaska during the Pleistocene Ice Age. Katmai National Park has several salmon runs, but the most prolific is the red/sockeye salmon, which typically peaks in late June and into July. Where can I see polar bears? | Visit Anchorage, Alaska These eight Alaskan national parks are home to stunning natural beauty and some of the last remaining examples of true, untouched wilderness in the United States. I havent actually been to those parks so I dont have a recommended provider, but the National Park Service always has a list of concessioners who are allowed to operate in the park if you take a look at the page for each park. No spam. 17 Best Places to Visit in Alaska | U.S. News Travel Really an exhilarating experience. Driving this road into Alaskas largest national park takes at least 3 hours each way so plan accordingly. Many of them are remote and are only reachable by expensive air charter, but luckily, a few of the best ones are accessible by car. Another National Park unit in the Arctic, Cape Krusenstern National Monument shows evidence of human habitation for at least 5,000-9,000 years underscoring Iupiat legends and stories about their traditional lands here. Gates of the Arctic is basically our backyard, saysBettles Lodgeowner Eric Fox. With that being said this is one of the most incredible Alaska national parks full of massive mountains and enormous glaciers. Whereas most of the other parks can be driven to, or at the very least accessed via a commercial airline, Alaska national parks are another ballgame altogether. Visitors must take a small plane to reach jumping off points into the park. But perhaps in a broader sense, its the parks complete, untrammeled, healthy ecosystem there arent many places left like this on Earth.. How to Visit the 8 Alaska National Parks (& 9 Other NPS Units) Sign-up for any of the following email series to help plan your Alaska trip. The gateway town to the park is Port Alsworth which can be reached from Anchorage or another one of the small, nearby coastal towns like King Salmon, Homer, or Kodiak. There are eight National Parks in Alaska - Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, and Wrangell-St. Elias - and all together they protect some 41,460,625 acres or roughly the size of Wisconsin! At 60 miles long, the McCarthy Road is gravel and leads to the popular Kennecot Mine and Root Glacier access points. Required fields are marked *. The Nabesna Road is a 42 mile long gravel road located within Wrangell St. Elias National Park that features multiple stream crossings. Photo by Shutterstock If youre hoping to be able to add Wrangell St. Elias National Park to some sort of Alaska National Park Road Trip, youre in luck! While Denali National Park has no official park lodges, there are still some epic lodging options most of which come with pretty epic price tags. Start here. It also comes with quite a hefty price tag and for that reason it ranks lower on our list despite the incredible sites. Alexyn Schellers dream was to visit all 8 of Alaskas national parks. A: Wrangell was my favorite! If Wrangell were a state, it would be larger than Connecticut, Delaware, and Rhode Island. These roads are located 3 hours apart from each other so choosing which one to visit is important. Tips for Visiting Alaska's National Parks | Travel Alaska Even when trying to reach 4 in 10 days, we knew any delays could derail us. Please check with Kantishna-area businesses about their operational plans for lodging and excursions from 2023 - 2026. The reason: we didnt have a boat, says Kirk Hoessle, president and chief exploration officer at Alaska Wildland Adventures, which operates theKenai Fjords Glacier Lodgein the Southcentral park. Once the Exit Glacier road closes for winter another cabin becomes available for public use the Willow Cabin. If you want to visit all of the National Parks in Alaska, it helps to learn more about each one and what it takes to reach them. Flight-seeing tours out of nearby Talkeetna or at the entrance to the park offer the best way to see the mountain and surrounding range and typically include landing on a glacier. Youve been using this scoring system for a while now so I should probably just get over it! Its spectacular. Fairbanks. Book a private tour to Anaktuvuk Pass located in the heart of the national park. Campground fees range from $12 $27 per night. Exit Glacier Campground There is only one developed campground in Kenai Fjords National Park located next to Exit Glacier. Alaska has eight national parkswhich will you visit first? Accessing Katmai National Park is expensive. Some of Alaska's most compelling destinations are hundreds of miles from your previous night's stop. We had 42 in the group and we had a blast of a time. The McCarthy Road is by far the more popular of the two roads open for public use inside of Wrangell St. Elias National Park. Kenai Fjords National Park & Glacier Bay National Park can be accessed by cruise ship and ferry. But if I was going to suggest the one very favorite thing, it's getting in the air and seeing the landscape. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, vacation-planning tips from local experts, Spectacular Mountains from Denali to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, A Local's Guide to McCarthy & Wrangell St-Elias National Park & Preserve. The best time to visit Kenai Fjords National Park is during the summer months in Southcentral Alaska (May to September). You can only reach this site, located on Amaknak Island in the Aleutian Island chain, by plane. Unlike most other national parks in Alaska, there is actual driving in the park (however limited) that allows access to hiking trails. One such place was Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, which is located in Skagway. Read more about the Great Kobuk Sand Duneshere. These range from National Battlefields (there are 11) to National Historic Sites (there are 74) to National Recreation Areas (18) to National Parks (63). For those who want to spend more time in the park, there are good opportunities for hiking especially near Port Alsworth, which is also home to the park Visitor Center , camping, and backpacking throughout the wilderness. One of the best ways to explore this large, remote park is by flightseeing though you can certainly opt to go backpacking here too. There are a few more visitors, sure, but you can still find your private seacoast paradise. Highlights plus less visited destinations. The road requires 1.5 hours to drive minimum each way so keep that in mind when planning a trip. How to See Alaska's National Parks - Fodors Travel Guide He went with his wife and 2 friends, and his YouTube video about the experience has nearly 30,000 views. Alaska On a Budget: How to See More for Less Money Though it is certainly closer to the big city of Anchorage, Lake Clark National Park is no easier to access than its southern neighbor, Katmai. Read more in my Privacy Policy. According to the National Park Service, the National Park designation is specific: a national park contains a variety of resources and encompasses large land or water areas to help provide adequate protection of the resources. Additionally, National Parks must provide inherent natural value thats why you see some of our countrys most incredible natural wonders protected as National Parks. I'm R.J. And what do they think you shouldnt miss during a visit? In particular, Glacier Bay is home to several impressive and active tidewater glaciers that you can cruise right up to. Hooray! 1. Coastal parks are not *as* bad and it of course varies by season, but we highly recommend you carry around an Eco-Friendly Insect Repellent with you. (Its $950 per person to fly from Anchorage and another $850 per night to stay at the lodge, so budget accordingly!). (Getty Images) Fairbanks is known as the "Golden Heart of Alaska" and one of the top places in the world to view the northern lights: Aurora chasers may want to visit the city during . The towns were there before the parks, and theyve become a part of the experience. We'll match you with a local itinerary expert to help you plan your trip. If Alaskas National Parks comprised their own state, that state would be the 14th largest in the union, ahead of Utah (thank you, Jimmy Carter). Wrangell St. Elias has a host of camping options mostly concentrated in two areas McCarthy Road & Nabesna Road. Its a stunning experience and that memory will last a lifetime.. This is twice the size of Denali National Park, and frankly a bit inconceivable even once youve visited both parks. Backcountry camping is the only way here. Brooks Camp is the sole developed campground at Katmai National Park located near the Brooks Lodge. At roughly 20,310 feet, Denali serves as a reminder that the Great Land is of near-mythic proportion. Bet you didnt expect to find those so far north in Alaska? Its certainly not a day trip it takes 4.5 hours to drive from Anchorage to any access points for Wrangell-St. Elias, but it can be done in a 2-3 day trip. Backcountry camping is popular at Glacier Bay and primarily done by kayak. Order our Official State of Alaska Vacation Planner and plot your course. A friend and I hired a float plane to drop us off in a sheltered lagoon in Aialik Bay. There's one more type of national park wedding location to consider a tropical getaway at Virgin Islands National Park. 10 Day Alaska Itinerary: Kenai Fjords, Denali & Anchorage. I have planned multiple trips to each of the parks. The old copper mine and Kennecott Mill site have many artifacts and mining-related buildings to explore. An access road near town takes you to a visitor center and several good hiking trails. As mentioned, youll take two planes to reach Brooks Lodge if you book a stay there. Yes, you can . I still have a list of things I want to do, like backpacking a week in Wrangell-St. Elias. The park is over 6 million acres in size, but has just one road, making it both accessible and protected from overtourism that would threaten the delicate ecosystems here. Additionally, services including flights and on-ground support in the gateway communities of Bettles, Anatuvuk Pass, and Coldfoot are virtually non-existent during the winter months. and go river floating with a local guide company. Like, really north. Kobuk Valley National Park is a good contender. at Brooks Falls, seeing that first bear felt like a celebrity sighting after seeing live video of these bears for months. I have driven from Seward to Deadhorse from the Lower 48. From Fairbanks, there are a couple of ways to reach Gates of the Arctic National Park: Youll need to visit Gates of the Arctic prepared with everything you need for the duration of your trip all food, water, and wilderness gear, as well as bear-resistant food containers to deter the local residents from visiting your camping spots. Focus on Denali & Kenai Fjords. While the Denali National Park Road is 92 miles long, most visitors are restricted to the first 15 miles in their own private vehicles (to a point called Savage River). Alaska's National Parks & Public Lands | ALASKA.ORG If I want to fly in and go see Northern lights where is the best place to fly to And what hotels line up trip to see lights? Along each of these roads are numerous roadside camping areas, some of which have picnic tables and pit or vault toilets. Once youre in the park, youll need to arrange for yourself either by bringing the gear for a backcountry adventure or staying at one of the communities or cabins in Lake Clark. A: Two things. I knew I wasnt the first to visit these parks, of course, but sometimes we were totally alone and it felt like we were the first people there. Fox also says Gates of the Arctic is one of the least visited of the national parks because its remote location in the Arctic bush requires a flight and an adventurous landing on water or a gravel/sand bar by the river. There are a few options, all of which require a flight on a small plane. There are several hotels in an area called Nenana Canyon near the entrance to Denali National Park road; there are also a few lodges deep in the backcountry in the town of Kantishna. While most people only visit Katmai as part of a day trip, you can also book a multi-day stay that includes a flight from Anchorage to King Salmon, Alaska (where the Katmai Visitor Center is located) followed by a shorter floatplane flight to the one park lodge. The nearby gateway town of Gustavus is a good barometer for the weather in Glacier Bay: the months of May through August have the least precipitation, clearest skies, and average daytime highs between 60-65F. (They have this terrifying huge giant sloth statue!) Best Way to See Denali National Park | AlaskaTravel.com Free shuttle bus service will run every 15 minutes during peak visitation times between the Denali Bus Depot / Denali Visitor Center to the Mountain Vista and Savage River Trailheads. However, we recommend a vehicle capable of handling gravel & dirt roads for the trek with at least all-wheel drive (4 wheel-drive is best). Most Popular Itineraries 7 Days Glaciers and whales in Kenai Fjords to tundra and steep mountains in Denali National Park. Plus, an add-on opportunity for a 5th national park with a visit to Gates of the Arctic National Park (please get in touch with us). It seems to us this park would have been more fitting for a wilderness designation than a National Park. Required fields are marked *. Day 7: Denali National Park. The parks that are exclusively accessed by small planes are Lake Clark National Park, Gates of the Arctic National Park, Kobuk Valley National Park, and Katmai National Park. The name of the game is being flexible with your plans and taking rough weather in stride. Take a canoe or kayak out onto Lake Clark itself and experience it for yourself. Please, leave us a comment below and let us know what were missing and what you think of the piece! A: I considered myself an environmentalist before, but these trips kicked it up a notch. A: We took the train there from Fairbanks, and then rode the bus down the Denali Park Road to see wildlife. Will. But what really makes this dynamic, glacier-studded, marine wildlife-packed fjord special is its history as the ancestral homeland of the Huna Tlingit clans. Wheeled plane take a flight on a wheeled plane to snow strips, beaches, and gravel bars. The Alaska national parks you can drive to are Denali National Park, Kenai Fjords National Park, and Wrangell St Elias National Park. Alaska Trip Ideas | Sample Itineraries for your Alaska Vacation Lake Clark has been called, Alaskas epitome, a description that is both fair and accurate.
Currey And Co Flush Mount,
Real Batman Suit Cosplay,
Where To Park For Torrey Pines Hike,
Why Fish Live In Water And Not On Land,
Articles B