Rain or shine… great experiences without the expense.

Whether you live in Alaska or are visiting on your vacation, everyone loves awesome, free things to do! Denali National Park offers a ton of great things to do without any fees involved. He’s a quick-list of our favorite free activities to do in and around the Park during the summer months.

1. Sled Dog Demonstrations  - Hop on the free bus from the Denali Visitor Center to ride over to the sled dog kennels. There, you’ll see a full demonstration of the Rangers and Alaskan husky sled dog team working together plus have time to tour the kennels and meet the pups!
2. Stop in to see the Denali Visitor Center – view the film, “Heartbeats of Denali” and learn more about the Park! Or, join in on a hike or walk that leaves from the visitor center.
3. Visit the Murie Science & Learning Center – set aside some time and explore their exhibits or bring your personal GPS device and download one of their self-guided GPS adventures!
4. Visit the Wilderness Access Center, the hub for all things camping and backcountry in Denali Park. Get more information about the park, watch the video, “Across Time and Tundra,” which describes the creation of the Denali Park Road and the early days of the Park.
5. Tour the Usibelli Coal Mine in Healy – the only producing coal mine in Alaska, Usibelli has been in operation since 1943 and produces 1.5 million tons of coal per year. They offer free tours of their facility twice a day (at 10am and 2pm) through August 9^th. Call ahead and reserve a spot! 907-683-2226
6. Watch rafters go through the world famous Cable Car Rapid at Dragon Fly Creek at Milepost 242 of the George Parks Highway.  Easy parking and easy walk that will take you past two waterfalls, letting you out on the beach of the Nenana River. Wave to terrified rafters as they shoot through one of Alaska’s most famous rapids! Thanks to our friends at The Denali Outdoor Center for this great tip!
7. Take the free Savage River Shuttle into the park and explore the Savage River day-use area! Sign up in advance, and you can participate in a Ranger-led Discovery Hike or, simply do some wildlife viewing on your own.
8. Stop at the new Mountain Vista Trailhead at Milepost 13. You’ll be able to see Mt. McKinley from this spot on a clear day.
9. Head over to the Denali Salmon Bake where they have a nightly calendar of entertainment including music, open-mic, and trivia night. Most entertainment is free of cover charge but be sure to double-check their event calendar to see what’s happening. PLUS, they will always give you a free safe ride home if you can’t drive.
10. Become a Junior Ranger! This is a great program for kids and adults to work on together to learn about the Park, the wilderness, the wildlife, and the history. Complete your assignments and get an official Junior Ranger Badge to take home with you!

What are your favorite things to do in the park? Share with us in the comments below!

Denali National Park is a wonderful place to backpack. There aren’t the trails like many places in the lower 48. Instead you use a map and plan your own adventure. There are no trails, designated routes, or backcountry campsites. The terrain can be slow going and crossing streams needs to be planned for. Remember you want to enjoy your adventure in the park.

Denali Park Terrain Near the Road

The Backcountry Information Center (BIC) is where you start your trip. There is a permitting process that takes about an hour. Everyone in your party must attend. The park only allows a limited number of people in each area of the park. You are encouraged to learn about the different areas of the park but be ready to be flexible in your destination. Bear Resistant Food Containers are require and may be borrowed free of charge. If you have your own make sure they are on the approved list.

USGS topographic quad maps are available for purchase at the Backcountry Information Center (BIC). A compass will really help. A GPS is another tool that can be useful but remember that they do run out of batteries. Both a compass and a GPS are only useful if you know how to use them. Learn how to work with them before you set off on your journey. You will need to know of any closed areas

After you know where in the park you are going, head over to the Wilderness Access Center which is adjacent to The Backcountry Information Center (BIC). You will also need to buy a bus ticket to get to your drop off destination. Have a great trip.

Getting a Backcountry Permit

Bear Resistant Food Containers

A Denali Backpacking Guide

Cell phone coverage is so important to people today who live with a smart phone. You will have great coverage outside the park and in the park entrance area (Visitor Center, train depot, store, and restaurant). Once you head into the park a little past the Park Head Quarters you will lose all cell coverage. Many people use the camera, music and other apps in their phone but as far as a communication device you are out of luck. The GPS will still work. When returning on the bus, as you pass into the coverage area, you hear beeping and chirping as people’s phone reconnect with civilization. Be happy someone isn’t sitting on the bus the whole time yakking on their phone.

Cell coverage along the Parks Highway between Fairbanks and Anchorage has a number of dead zones. Every year the coverage has improved. You can stay connected on an iPad about 75% of the time between Fairbanks and Anchorage. Where you are connected varies depending on your provider. Remember you came to Alaska to enjoy the scenery and wildlife. Put the phone in your pocket and enjoy this great state.

Here are links to coverage maps.  There are many little holes in the coverage they show. As you see the are pretty matched for coverage. Not all outside companies have their data plan supported, voice and text only, but this may change.

AT&T – Search using McKinley Park, AK – supports T-mobile

GCI –  GCI supports - supports T-mobile

ACS Alaska – ACS supports – supports Verizon

America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Senior Pass will save you lots of money. If you are for U.S. citizens or permanent residents age 62 or over, you may purchase a lifetime pass. This pass provides access to, and use of, Federal recreation sites that charge an Entrance or Standard Amenity. This means you don’t have to pay an entrance fee. The pass is $10 and the Denali National Park entrance fee is $10 for 7 days. You may purchase this pass at any National Park. The pass allows you to bring 3 other adults with you and children under 16 are admitted free. If you need to get a pass they are available at the Visitor Center in Denali National Park. Don’t miss out on this deal and then enjoy parks all over the country. The pass also provides discounts for campsites and more.

America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass – Senior Pass

Golden Age Passport pass has been discontinued and replaced by the America the Beautiful – National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass– Senior Pass. Golden Age Passports will continue to be honored according to the provisions of the pass.

More information on this pass and others to the National Parks. http://www.nps.gov/fees_passes.htm

Lynx Denali Park

The wildlife activity is picking up in the park. Last week, Kirsty Knittel photographer and Kantisha Roadhouse bus driver, spotted this lynx and earlier this week she captured the spring snow.

There are sightings of fox, wolves, bears, moose, sheep, rabbits, and ground squirrels around the park. This time of year the bunnies are changing from white to brown. It is not uncommon to see a brown bunny sitting on a patch of snow thinking it is blending in.

Crossbill in the spring snow in Denali National Park

You can see more of Kirsty’s work at http://www.naturalalaska.net .
There are some wonderful wolf pictures on the Denali Park Facebook Page https://www.facebook.com/DenaliNPS .

The train is a great way to get to Denali National Park. The train was really the only way to visit Denali Park from 1922-1957. In the early years guests arrived by train and stayed in wall tents at Savage River Camp until the hotel opened in June 1, 1939. The Denali Highway opened in 1957 which allowed visitors to drive to the park from Fairbanks and Anchorage. Car camping at the park became popular for Alaskans as a way to visit the park. Driving to the park was a long trip on an unpaved rough road. The train remained the way most people arrived at the park. In 1971 the Parks Highway was complete from Fairbanks to Anchorage providing access to the park on a paved road. The train remains popular today and provides a scenic trip not to be missed.

The Alaska Railroad provides daily service. Trains leave Fairbanks and Anchorage at 8:15 am each morning. The Fairbanks train arrives at the park about 12:25 pm and continues on to arrive in Anchorage at 8 pm. The train from Anchorage arrives at the park 3:55 pm and gets into Fairbanks at 8 pm. The Denali River Cabins & Cedar’s Lodge provide complementary pick up and drop off at the train station in Denali Park.

If you are headed to the Kantishna Roadhouse you will meet the bus for your ride out at the train station. The Kantishna Roadhouse bus will meet those people arriving from Fairbanks and will return from Kantishna to drop you off in time to catch the train to Anchorage or Fairbanks. If you are traveling from Anchorage you may want to consider taking the bus up to the park and the train back down to Anchorage. If you take the train up from Anchorage you will have to arrange to spend the night at the park entrance and catch the Kantishna Roadhouse bus the next day.

There is bus service from Anchorage to the park and back provided by The Park Connection. Alaska/Yukon Trails provides bus service between Fairbanks and Anchorage, between Whitehorse YT to Dawson City YT, and between Dawson City and Fairbanks. Check out their websites for rates and schedules.

Links
http://www.alaskarailroad.com/ – The Alaska Railroad
http://www.alaskacoach.com/ – The Park Connection
http://www.alaskashuttle.com/ – Alaska/Yukon Trails

April 15th means two things: taxes and the Fairbanks Outdoor Show!

Join us at the Carlson Center this weekend and ease your tax filing stress. There will be over 140 vendors from all over Alaska and the Lower 48, showcasing the best in outdoor gear, wear, hunting, fishing, camping, boating, ATV’s, safety, information and more. Attend informational seminars happening all weekend long. Enter into drawings and prizes from many show vendors. Come by and visit us, see what’s happening in Denali National Park this summer and get access to a Kantishna Roadhouse booking special. We look forward to speaking to you!

Show Hours:
Friday April 15: 2:00pm – 8:00pm
Saturday April 16: 10:00am – 7:00pm
Sunday April 17: 11:00am – 5:00pm

Admission:
$4.00 for adults, children 12 and under are free!

Aurora Fall 2010 Fairbanks Alaska

Tonight February 17, 2011 there is a chance there may be northern lights displaying in the northern skies of the lower 48 States.  Find a dark place and look north.  The further north you live the better the chance you’ll see the Aurora Borealis. These sites listed below may help you when looking for the aurora.  Still the best thing is to be outside looking up in a dark area.  The sky needs to be clear.  You won’t see the aurora borealis through the clouds but if it is partly cloudy you may see something.  The Northern Lights  change throughout the night.  It may be dancing wildly and 20 minutes later the sky will just have an overall glow and then later be back to dancing.

Wrap up warm.  One way to save your neck is to take out the lawn chair and put a pad and sleeping bag on it, jump in, and watch the sky. A hot water bottle wrapped in a sock will keep warm for a long time and add lots of heat to your little nest.

If you are taking pictures remember your camera will use the batteries faster in the cold. You need a tripod. Set your camera at a high ISO, open the lens, and try different times of 3 to 20 seconds.  Get your gear ready before so you don’t miss the show while you are search for your equipment.

Here are some links that make be helpful

• http://fairbanks-alaska.com/northern-lights-alaska.htm – Lots including link for picture taking
• http://www.gedds.alaska.edu/AuroraForecast/ – University of Alaska Geophysical Institute
• http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/pmap/ – This site has an image of where the aurora is now

Have fun, good luck!

If you miss the aurora at home there is still time to come to Fairbanks and see the Aurora Borealis this spring.

Welcome to See Denali, the blog of Doyon Tourism. Within this blog you’ll find information about Alaska travel, Alaska history, and Denali National Park. Whether you live in Alaska, have visited or are planning a trip to Denali Park, or just have an interest in the northernmost state, we invite you to join in the conversation!

KANTISHNA HILLS PIONEERS is an Alaska Video Production Documentary about the Gold Rush Era that occurred in interior Alaska in the early 1990.s The location was both in and near the present day Denali National Park and Preserve. Joe and Fannie Quigley were the best known Pioneers in the area. Joe was an excellent photographer and this Production was composed with photos he and other residents of the area took. These photos and historic film footage have been edited with computer animation technology to give an account of the way of life of the Quigleys and other Pioneers in the area.

Book Now! Bus trips into Denali National Park with Kantishna Wilderness Trails. Experience Denali National Park from the inside.

Kantishna Hills Pioneers is a 30 minute Video.  It has been divided into two Parts for viewing on the Internet.

Kantishna Hills Pioneers Part 1.

Kantishna Hills Pioneers Part 2

All components of Production by Ben Boyd of Boyd Communications. A Production of Doyon Foundation and Doyon Tourism Inc. subsidiaries of Doyon Limited, An Alaska Native Regional Corporation. Doyon Tourism owns the Kantishna Roadhouse located deep into Denali National Park and Preserve. Also, Kantishna Wilderness Trails that offers Day Denali Wildlife Bus Tours to Kantishna.