Rock Creek Hike
Looking for a way to enhance your Denali experience? Consider a guided hike inside the National Park on the Rock Creek Trail. This “front country” experience offers guests an opportunity to blend a pleasant hike on an improved trail inside the Park boundary, with a meaningful and educational visit to the unique Denali Visitor Center. Guests will be picked up by their interpretive guide and shuttled over to the Denali Visitor Center as the guide shares some of the basics about the unique history and attributes of Denali. Once at the Visitor Center, they’ll have 30-45 minutes to spend browsing the insightful and eye-opening exhibits before embarking on their hike. The participants will take off from there on an invigorating loop hike of approximately four miles on the Rock Creek Trail, returning back to the Visitor Center via the Roadside Trail. This moderate hike winds through a spruce and birch forest reminiscent of those that dominate the lower elevation hillsides of Denali National Park. Photo opportunities abound and there is always the possibility that you might spot a moose or some other forest animal. The guide is a wealth of knowledge and will be prepared to answer many of the common questions that arise from a visit to the Denali area. Return transportation is provided back to the McKinley Chalet Resort or guests can arrange to rent a bike from Bike Denali and pedal back on their own. Take away photos, knowledge and memories from this guided hike.
Steps Through Time Hike
Experience the concept of wilderness by stepping away from the developed areas and immersing yourself in the tranquility of a hike through the mixed spruce, birch and alder forest that encompass the Denali area and Interior Alaska. This guided hike will set you on the trail of discovery and adventure as your certified guide interprets many of the unique natural attributes of the area. Follow the trail of frontier hunters on the way to an old hunting cabin and take in some of the spectacular scenery on this invigorating hike. The trail is rustic and leads away from the lodges, gradually enveloping the hiker into a quiet and refreshing environment. You’ll get a bird’s eye view of the glacially-carved Nenana River valley. The guide will help in your understanding of the immense power and magnitude of the forces that shaped the land. This is a moderately strenuous hike and proper footwear is essential in order to provide for good, secure footing along the trail. You’ll need to step over exposed roots and around wet areas and boulder hop over Lynx Creek. The trail rises in elevation at various spots and can provide a moderately strenuous workout for most participants. Sightings of fox, moose, dall sheep and numerous birds are always possible, but the scenery is what this trail is mostly about. This is a well marked but unimproved trail still used by hikers, backpackers, and hunters to easily access some of the most beautiful wilderness areas of Denali.
Denali Highway Adventure
A few miles down the road from the entrance area to Denali National Park, and you'll come to one of the most beautiful highways in North America. The Denali Highway, still mostly unpaved, offers you an opportunity to view the Denali summit on a clear day and to experience the open tundra and taiga that are the essence of Alaska’s wilderness. This excursion is led by certified guides who will guide you on a journey to the town of Cantwell located at the base of the Alaska Range. Once there, you’ll head East on the Denali Highway where the guide will help you spot wildlife and look for those special photos on your own “photo safari”. Short hikes will offer you the opportunity to look a little closer at the natural surroundings. The ride out to the Denali Highway will take you through the dramatic Nenana River Canyon. Maybe you’ll spot recent animal tracks or some of the incredible wildflowers that flourish on the tundra. Bring lots of film or space on the digital cards and snap away. Even on the sunny days, it can be breezy so dress appropriately and bring proper footwear for strolls along the thoroughfare.
