Should I Stay In Talkeetna or Denali Park?

Talkeetna is 2.5 hours closer to Anchorage than the park entrance—and actually closer to Denali (Mt. McKinley) itself. If crossing the Denali National Park boundary isn't a goal of yours, experiencing Denali from here is an option worth considering. How do we compare the two?

Talkeetna's a good option if you want to:

• Just see Denali (Mt. McKinley): You can save a day or two by seeing Denali from Talkeetna on a flightseeing tour. Soar over crevasses and jagged peaks, then land on the Ruth Glacier, a 4,000 – foot thick slab of ice surrounded by towering granite mountains. But you won’t get to take the park road wildlife tours, for which Denali National Park is famous.
• Go fishing: Talkeetna has great fishing. Denali has lake fishing, but not access to the three great rivers—and huge salmon runs—that you’ll find in Talkeetna.
• Be an independent traveler: Talkeetna’s better for people who like to do things on their own terms and not adapt to the rhythm—and hours—of the park.
• Want to experience a pioneer town: You’ll feel like you’ve gone back in time in this small town. Have a beer at the Fairview Inn or just wander around town in the midnight sun and mingle with the locals.

Denali's better if you want to:

• Intimately experience the park: In Talkeetna, you’re miles away from the actual park. You’ll only see Denali from a distance down by the river or see it for an hour on a flightseeing trip. Other than that, it’s not the park experience.
• Go hiking: Developed trails near the park entrance are full of wildflowers and opportunities to see wildlife. You’ll also find river bar and tundra hiking. Choose your own path. Talkeetna is surrounded by forest, and walks here don’t offer spectacular views. If you want to go heli-hiking, Denali’s the prime place.
• Talk to naturalists: Pick the brains of the naturalists at Denali’s Visitor Access Center, bus drivers on park road tours, or on interpreter—guided hikes and programs, and at the lodges in Kantishna.
• Experience dinner theater: Two locales serve up professional music, storytelling, and slides.

They're the same if you want to:

• Go flightseeing: From Talkeetna, you can land on a glacier and see the south—side glaciers plowing their way through the granitic bedrock of the Alaska Range. From the north, you can see the whole expanse of the Wickersham Wall and the Muldrow Glacier, the jumping off point for early expeditions.
• Go rafting: From Talkeetna you can experience a scenic river float with great views of the mountain. For whitewater, though, you’ll have to go to Denali and a white—knuckled run from the Nenana River. Just know, however, that you’re never within view of the mountain.
• Go jetboating: In Talkeetna, head up the exciting Devil’s Canyon, one of North America’s most famous whitewater canyons. In Denali, you can speed up the Nenana River.