We spent three nights at the Crow’s Nest from 7/22 through 7/24, which is nestled above Glitter Gulch. I will post a separate review, but despite some issues, overall we did enjoy our stay there.
Saturday morning we were in Anchorage stocking up on supplies, including some collapsible walking sticks from Wally World that we got for $11 each. Most of the day was spent on the drive, and then we went to attend Catholic Mass at 6 PM at the Transportation Center.
Sunday was one of the two bright sunny days we had during our two weeks in Alaska. We took the 6:45 AM park shuttle bus to Wonder Lake. Our driver, Kim, was on her sixth season at Denali, and did a super job of informing us about what we were seeing, and most importantly, she didn’t drive off of any cliffs.
There were a number of spectacular views of Denali with no clouds at all early in the morning, and the clouds built throughout the day. By 1 PM you could no longer see the peak, and we didn’t arrive at Wonder Lake until 2 PM.
If you are looking to get one of those pictures of Denali reflecting off of Wonder Lake, you should aim for the earliest bus possible (5:15 AM). Also bear in mind that the shuttle drops you off at the South end of the lake, so Denali is on one side and the lake is on the other. To get the picture you will need to hike to the other end of the 4 mile lake (and back again once you are finished). No doubt it is a gorgeous hike, and well worth it if you get that picture of a lifetime (and it should be fairly level ground), but it is not a trivial undertaking. There was a good breeze so the mosquitoes weren’t bad, but on still days in late June or early July this can be one of the worst spots in Alaska.
In terms of wildlife, we saw 10 grizzly bears, the closest coming about 200 yards from the bus. There was a moose cow and calf at the beginning of the ride, just inside the trees, and no more moose until we turned into the Visitor Center parking lot at the end of the ride, where a young bull moose was obligingly munching by the side of the road for at least 20 minutes (he was still there when we drove off). A white haired gray wolf strolled right past the bus on the road, and we saw a wolf family, with six puppies, very far in the distance – too far to get decent pictures with my 12x zoom, but some people with more powerful zoom lenses did get good pictures. Throw in a couple caribou, some white specs that were Dall Sheep when seen through binoculars, a couple of golden eagles, a couple of owls, and a Gyr Falcon (regarded as a “lifetime bird” by many birders, and the fastest flyer in the animal kingdom), among various other birds and squirrels. So we did pretty well on the wildlife scorecard.
I’ve seen some travel books describe the bus ride as an ordeal. For us, it was nothing of the sort – it was quite pleasant. A number of people did doze off on the ride back, including my two kids (age 10 and 13), which we encouraged them to do, with the promise we would wake them up if any cool animals showed up. I could see where it would be a drag on a cloudy, rainy day where all you see is a chipmunk and a couple of ducks for your 11 hours, but on a beautiful day, with the mountain in view, and a good amount of wildlife – it is really a nice easy way to spend the day. If anything, the only disappointment was that it was too short at 11.5 hours.
Our other major activity in Denali was to do the “mild” white water rafting with Denali Outdoor Center. This is a 2 hour, 11 mile raft down Class 2 whitewater on the Nenana River. My wife had a little trouble with the tightness of the neck on her drysuit, but she switched suits and did much better with the second one.
Our guide was great, and we enjoyed the occasional splashes, although my youngest daughter wanted a lot more splashing. With the dry suit on, our head and hands got wet, but absolutely nothing else – our clothes stayed bone dry. Our guide even let the girls sit in the very front of the raft, as long as they held onto the chicken line, so they could get splashed a little more (and we did take one pretty big wave just before the end, to great hilarity). On the Class IV run I’m sure they are more strict.
Also, if you have children under 16 in the party, you have to do the “oar raft” rather than the “paddle raft” – the difference is that in the oar raft, only the guide has oars, and your only job as a passenger is to avoid falling out of the boat.
I’m the person that did the post on “rafting for nervous nellies”, and our nervous nellies did just fine – no nervousness at all. Next they want to try out a Class III some place. The “wild” tour on the Nenana is Class IV, so they didn’t want to jump to that level without passing through Class III first, but if we find a Class III some place and that goes well, we may be back for the Class IV some day.
Surprisingly, the prices on at least some souvenirs at the Glitter Gulch gift shops were downright cheap. They had Polar Fleece vests and jackets going for $15.00, baseball caps for $3.99, etc. So do check them out – there are a few big shops there, and they must need to compete with each other. When there’s competition for your mortgage business, you win, and apparently the same goes when there’s competition for your souvenir business.
Trip Review %26ndash; Denali %26ndash; July 2006Hello again - I read this the other day, but didn%26#39;t have time to post a reply. Loved the details, but was curious about any dining experiences you had, as you didn%26#39;t mention those. Also, how did you like staying in Glitter Gulch . . .was that a good fit? I always wonder how visitors perceive it all. Glad you had a good raft trip - I love recommending the DOC - they do a great job! And you got to see Denali - so few do. I have really enjoyed your reports - they will be a great help to other travelers! Thanks for sharing with us all. :)
Trip Review %26ndash; Denali %26ndash; July 2006Thanks for the kind comments, coalminer.
I didn%26#39;t focus as much on the food, but here is what I remember.
One dinner was at the Overlook (the restaurant directly in front of the Crow%26#39;s Nest). Food was OK, service was very slow.
Next night was at the Salmon Bake (I think that is the name of it - right down the hill from the Crow%26#39;s Nest). Food was OK, service was excellent.
The third night we went to the Black Diamond (I think that is the name) in Healy by the golf course - good to excellent food and excellent service.
Overall, food prices weren%26#39;t that bad - maybe 25% higher than I would expect to pay for similar dishes in Buffalo, NY. For example, half-pound burger and fries at a sit-down restaurant usually went for $10, versus $7 or $8 back home.
The night before our bus trip, we stopped in at Subway and ordered lunch to be picked up the following morning - our family of four and another couple we were with, and we both ordered at the same time, from the same person. The next morning, the other couple%26#39;s order was ready and waiting, but ours was no where to be found. Fortunately, we went down there early enough, and it wasn%26#39;t that busy, so we were able to get lunch made and get out to the bus in plenty of time.
The subs were standard Subway fare - and for travelers, getting something that is exactly like what you are used to at home can be a pleasant change from all the adventurous food you are otherwise eating. This is especially true if you have kids, who may be picky eaters. (Interestingly, we also saw Subways in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Valdez and Seward, and ate at the one in Seward, which again was standard Subway fare, which was a good thing, along with pretty close to standard Subway prices).
(On a side note, the desire for familiar food is also why we always end our vacations with a stop at Ted%26#39;s Hot Dogs, a local chain here in Buffalo and Arizona (because that%26#39;s where the owner retired to), that servers charcoal-broiled hot dogs cooked-to-order - highly recommended if you ever come to Buffalo).
There was also a gourmet coffee shop (I forget the name) on the boardwalk near Subway that had excellent coffee and home made baked goods. And the Ice Cream store next to that (maybe Denali Ice Cream?) was also excellent.
As for Glitter Gulch, I certainly had no problem with it. If you are looking for the genuine Alaska experience, or out to embrace the wilderness, then this may not be the place for you. It is touristy, but it also has services for tourists, in a place that just doesn%26#39;t have all that many services (for obvious reasons). And I am a tourist, not a mountain man, so I might as well accept that reality and make a good compromise.
I had looked into some of the more highly recommended spots in Healy, like some of the bed-and-breakfast places, which I%26#39;m sure would also have worked very well for us, but unfortunately they were already booked when we were looking in March (as always, do your research early, and book early if possible).
But when you are traveling with kids, and a wife that could have played Zsa Zsa Gabor%26#39;s role on Green Acres, the total wilderness experience isn%26#39;t always the best choice. My Nervous Nellies all did the white water experience at Denali, and flightseeing at Wrangell-St. Elias, both of which they were very good candidates for backing out of. If we had stayed in the wilderness, they would have been too cranky to try those other adventures. So you give a little, you get a little, and everybody comes out happy.
I really enjoyed these addtional comments! Not sure about this summer, but the Subway in Denali had the top sales for the state in the past few years since it opened. I think you are very right - some people long for the familiar on vacation! :)
Glad everything worked out so well for you . . . .gonna come vacation here again??! :)
We definitely would love to come back again. As I%26#39;ve said before, you could easily put together a two week itinerary and only go to places that we didn%26#39;t go to, and still have a great time. We might try to get something in the Inside Passage next time, or maybe make another attempt at joining the Polar Bear Club, or try to get to Kodiak or Katmai or Whittier.
We will have to save our pennies and hopefully we will be back soon!
I enjoyed your report tremendously. We, mu husband and I, are going to Denali in the end of this month and hope to see McKinley in a full glory and as much wildlife as you did. Maybe more. We are returning to Denali after 12 years and we do worry about all changes. Subway, endless hotels, cabins, restaurants, street lites, bridge? Thank you for details of Glitter Gulch, at least now I know what we should expect. I never shop while traveling but would be interested in getting polar fleece vests and jackets. Do you remember what store you found them? Would hate to shorten our hikes and go from shop to shop to look for these items. $15.00 is a pretty good price for fleece.
The one we bought it at was at the end of the boardwalk that also had the Subway. They had a sign out front saying 50% off all fleece, so I figured what the heck, might as well check it out, and it was actually a legitimate sale.
I think there are three stores there on the same side of the road, across the street from the Denali Princess, and on the same side of the road as the Subway. It wouldn%26#39;t take more than 10 minutes to walk from one end of the block of shops to the other, so I wouldn%26#39;t worry too much about wasting time - it%26#39;s not like you have to drive for miles.
Thank you so much. This a big help. I%26#39;ll check it out and hope to get nice inexpensive fleece vests.
Btw, I found your report very helpful in planning our short return to Denali NP after 12 years
I certainly hope you have a great vacation, and that some of the airport nonsense gets closer to normal by the time you leave.
One thing I will say about Glitter Gulch - it%26#39;s little more than a mile long from end to end, and it%26#39;s not like there%26#39;s big neon signs or search lights (with 22 hours of daylight, neon signs are kind of pointless). It might be a little jarring for people who come to Denali hoping to see nothing but pristine wilderness everywhere they look, but all you have to do is take the bus, get off, hike a couple of hundred yards away from the road, and see exactly that - no sign of humans anywhere. And you can keep hiking around for two weeks straight if you want without seeing another human the while time. So there%26#39;s tons of wilderness to be found - it%26#39;s just not at the short stretch of the road near the park entrance.
For people that are used to the big city (or just a suburb like we live in), Glitter Gulch (complete with a local Emergency Medical facility, or what we might call a Doc-in-the-box back home) can be a reassuring sight - it%26#39;s easier to make your first or second plunge into the wilderness knowing it is at least possible for somebody to come to your rescue just in case you are unlucky enough to have a close encounter with Sasquatch or the Abominable Snow Monster of the North (unfortunately, we didn%26#39;t get good pictures of either one of those forms of wildlife).
Besides, if you want total wilderness, there%26#39;s always Wrangell-St. Elias NP, only a few hours to the East, or even Gates of the Arctic NP only a few hours to the North.
Buffaloboy, thank you again. I am ready for arriving in Glitter Gulch. We travel often to Alaska and it always amazes me how many people we see around big tourist attractions, then we go hiking a mile or two and sometimes right in town and we are all alone. My husband and I are hikers and are able to always find solitude wherever we go. As long as there are no condos inside the park I am ready to see how the area changed in 12 years.
As to a mess with flying, we just have to adjust to a new situation which means less stuff in our carry-on luggage and arriving earlier in the airport. We%26#39;ll be spending on this trip a few days in Wrangell-St. Elias
It%26#39;s been fun reading your reviews of your trip - we just returned 2 days ago from our trip! We stayed at Carol Creek Cabins for 2 nights - traveling with 2 teenage girls, we opted for a cabin with bathroom and kitchen, and found the cabins to be perfect. All the talk of Glitter Gulch had me expecting at least a little neon, but to my surprise (and delight) Glitter Glutch didn%26#39;t really glitter at all! It is more like a small boardwalk, with rustic buildings, but a comfortable size and feels safe enough to turn the teenagers loose for an hour or two.
We only took the shuttle as far as Polychrome Pass, but did see several bears, moose and caribou - no wolves, though. The weather was cool and drizzly, so the trip was plenty long enough. We were on the last bus (6:00 p.m.) so we didn%26#39;t get back until about 11:30 p.m. And we did head for Subway, but only because we didn%26#39;t really see anything else open for a kind of quick meal. We had a little trouble adjusting to the daylight and getting meals to coordinate with our acitivities!
We had driven from Anchorage that morning, stopping in Talkeetna for about an hour, again, fun and quaint place to let the girls roam without parental ';interference';.
The next morning we took the Class III and IV trip from Denali Outdoor Center. Our guide was also excellent and the girls had a blast. None of the rapids seemed threatening to us, but I have to assume that was because of the skill of the guide. She talked them up good, to get the girls a little nervous, I think, but never did I feel even remotely close to any kind of disaster. We got wet from the splashing, but clothes stayed totally dry. Our feet were cold, even with 2 pair of socks. Next time I will invest in those little feet warmers they sell in the hunting departments.
After the raft trip we were ready for a warm shower and some gentle hiking around the cabin area. We did stop at Salmon Bake and, despite some negative reviews on this board, I found the food and atmosphere to be excellent. You just have to know what it is - it%26#39;s not a fancy place - it%26#39;s more of a bar, and thrives on that ';dive'; atmosphere. The burger was one of the best I%26#39;ve ever had. The evening was a little drizzly, but the girls were content to wander through the shops at glitter gulch.
The next day we left Denal and headed for Girdwood. The sky was clear and we were able to get a lot of great views of McKinley. We stopped at the Itidarod Trailhead in Wasilla. There wasn%26#39;t much there. We weren%26#39;t interested in taking a sled ride, so all we did was look at a few dogs - no one from the visitor center spoke to us the entire time - probably not worth the side trip. From there we went to Palmer to visit the Musk Ox Farm. The Friends of Musk Ox were having a 5K race that day, so my 24 year old son decided to run. We enjoyed the afternood there, took the tour. The your tour guide was very knowledgeable and seemed to really enjoy his job.
We had a cottage reserved in Girdwood, Alta House Cabins. It was a pleasant little place, reasonable priced and a little less rustic than the cabin at Denali. My son is currently living in Girdwood, so we enjoyed seeing his new hometown. The town is beautiful. The flowers were gorgeous. The town truly is in the middle of the forest. Here the girls were also able to do their own wandering, with the only concern being an unwelcome bear encounter - which they managed to avoid. We ate at Chair 5 Restaurant and had absolutely wonderful pizza and the prices there were also great. The next morning we drove to Seward and took the Renown Tours Kenai State Park Tour. The weather was gorgeous - sunny and warm. We saw too many whales to count - two complete pods of Orcas were swimming along shore and we followed them for quite a while. The park ranger on board also identified on whale that we saw as a Sei Whale, and she had never seen that type of whale there before. The glaciers were amazing, and the Aialuk Glacier was calving quite beautifully for us!
The next day was our last day, so we took it pretty easy - we did visit the Crow Creek Gold Mine and the girls found a few little pieces of gold. A great value for a easy day - just don%26#39;t forget the bug spray! We watched paragliders on Mt. Aleyska, and finished our visit with dinner at the Seven Glaciers before heading to the airport. My son works at Seven Glaciers, so he had made our reservations and we recieved royal treatment. The chef came out to visit, and sent us several special goodies - thanks to being friends with my son. I could have stayed in Girdwood much longer. I understand why my son has decided to stay on through the winter. I regret that we didin%26#39;t have time to eat at the Double Musky - I have heard it is wonderful. The Bake Shop had great sourdough rolls, but not as much in the sweet-roll department as I expected when I walked there at 7:00 a.m. before we headed to Seward. They said the rolls wouldn%26#39;t be out until about 8:30. I guess the early-morning breakfast is the exception there. The full breakfast menu and lunch menu looked great, and reasonable.
Overall, I was pleasantly surprised at the lack of commercialism everywhere we went - even though the girls had trouble finding that perfect hoodie! In Girdwood the Kobuk Valley Jade Company was a fun place to visit. It is mostly a shop, but the owners do a lot of their own polishing, etc. of the jade and you can watch their huge saws slicing through giant slabs of jade. The merchandise is very authentic Alaska.
Our visit to the Native Heritage Center was somewhat disappointing. I expected more elaborate displays, and more artifacts, etc. One day in Anchorage (the beginning of the trip) was more than enough - we did eat at the Moose%26#39;s Tooth, but had a 2 hour wait. We were there on a Thursday night, and they had a concert that night, so it was very crowded. Pizza and beer were good, and prices were okay, but it made for a late night.
Sorry this has gotten so long - I know it includes much more than just the Denali portion of the trip, but I think most visitors are also including either Anchorage or Fairbanks, so I hope it will be helpful.
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