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Most excursions into Denali don’t go any further than the Eielson Visitors Center, about 60 miles into the park. But if you want to immerse yourself in the Denali experience, and possibly get a close up view of Mt. McKinley, you need to cover the full 95 miles of the Park Road—something the Kantishna Wilderness Trails adventure does.
Doyon Tourism, an Alaska Native-owned company, offers this fully narrated, all-day trip. Not only do you get to travel the entire road—which gives you more opportunities to spot wildlife—but you’ll also have planned stops to get out, stretch your legs and explore a bit at points along the way, including Kantishna, an area deep in the park with a gold-mining past, and one that most Denali visitors never see.
You’ll spend a couple hours at the Kantishna
Roadhouse, a lodge originally built in the early 1900s that once accommodated a rush of hopeful gold miners seeking their fortunes. (Since then it has served as a private residence, community center, a post office and inn.) You’ll have an excellent soup-and-sandwich lunch, followed by the options of watching a dog-mushing demonstration or a little informal gold-panning. Or, you can take a short walk along the creek, or just sit in a rocker at the lodge and soak up the scenery.
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