As a heads up everyone, I have not been able to help anyone get a spot on a tour or extra Teklanika Road Permit this summer. I don't count on them adding any more buses or permits, so you may need to adjust your plans accordingly!
It looks like they just added a bunch of availability on the bus tours. I checked several different dates in June and each one I checked was available. Just booked a couple of seats on one of them myself for our trip later this month.
@@valerievalise thanks. Most of our trip will be spent down in Girdwood, Kenai and Seward, with the end of the trip up in Denali national Park just as it's opening for the season. Any suggestions for hikes or restaurants we should not miss?
Loved this video. It was everything I needed to know. We are looking for tickets for June 3rd for a party of 8 and we've been looking for tickets since 5 weeks ago. No luck yet. Would be great if the park adds additional buses. This is really a trip of a lifetime for us and we don't want to miss exploring Denali. Our hotels are booked in Denali NP and it's so hard to cancel and change plans. Would be great if you can help us reach someone at the park.
Glad it was helpful. At this point so close to your trip, I would not hold out hope for a cancellation, and I would come up with other reservations before all of the other tours are booked too. I have not been able to have any luck getting in touch with anyone to add extra buses (see the comments below).
Thank you for sharing this; very informative! I heard you mention increased demand potentially leading to more buses being added. My group would love to take either the bus or transit shuttle into the park... either one... but everything is sold out on 7/6/21. I wanted to express this in case it may lead to more buses. Totally our fault for not planning far enough ahead! Thank you again!
This video is extremely informative. Thanks so much for posting it! I’m heading up to Denali in late June. I’m trying to decide if I should do the Denali Backcountry Adventure bus or the transit bus. Major price point differential but can see the pros and cons of each. This is my first trip. Any suggestions on which way I should go on this one? Thanks!
Thank you so much for all this info, this will be our first time in here and we are so excited. Has your bus operator given any inclination that they will be adding service this month? We have 8 nights reserved (4 at Tek, 4 at Riley) starting the 20th of June and have been unable to secure bus passes for weeks now :( very afraid that we will be stuck at the campgrounds and not get to hike and explore
Seems like they greatly overestimated how much the lack of a cruise season was going to hurt demand for Denali this year. Domestic leisure travel is already back at or above 2019 levels. TSA screenings have been 70+% of 2019 levels lately, even after the end of Spring Break season and with business travel and international travel still mostly dead.
I also have not been able to make a reservation on the transit bus on June 16. (And it appeared that even if I could change my plans, there was no availability.) We had planned to take the tour bus but decided to use the transit bus. You indicated you could help figure out why there are no bus options.
Thanks for watching. Unfortunately there’s not much to be done to add bus availability. It’s just that Alaska has become the most popular domestic travel destination and there is more interest than seats!
Thanks for the video and the info, its great! My buddies and I are heading to Denali to backpack this summer, and on a lot of our trips in the Sierra's we tend to do a lot of fishing as well (just catch and release). From what I have seen in researching this with Denali it looks like this is allowed and no license is needed, was just hoping to confirm with the ranger (and/or find out if it is worth while and/or if there are better spots to try to head for fishing when backpacking). Any info is helpful, thanks!
How do we find out about if new transit bus tours have been added? We are looking at Fri May 28 or Sat May 29. We have a 9am on Fri May 28 but I am afraid it is too late to see wildlife, and I was hoping to get an earlier time. Also do you think more Teklanika Road permits will be issued? Thanks for your help.
I am 100% sure there will be no more Teklanika Road permits as they restrict those to control damage to the road. As for transit buses, I recommend reaching out to the National Park Service or Reserve Denali, as I don't have more information tahn they do.
It looks like more space on the bus tours was just added. I just checked several different dates in June (including tomorrow) and all of the ones I checked had availability on the Tundra Wilderness Tour now.
Yeah, the rental car situation is crazy this summer. It's crazy across the whole country, but especially crazy in Alaska. I was able to get one reserved, but it was $700 for a week and availability was just completely gone not long after.
I’m wondering since the courtesy shuttles aren’t running, how can you get from the train to the shuttle stop for those camping in the park but not driving?
It looked walkable but it’s always hard to tell. One other question too, once you have a camper bus pass, can you still use the buses in the park during the duration of your stay to see other parts of the park?
HI, I am planning to visit Denali (RV camping), from Aug28 to Sept1st,2021. Where can i find the TEk bus route? What is the difference between Tek bus and Transit bus? too confused... :(
There is only one road into the park, so every bus takes the same route. I recommend checking the Denali National Park website to learn about the differences in the buses.
@@valerievalise Thank You. I tried looking online, but cudnt find the exact info. One place it says Tek pass bus can go upto Wonder lake and then somewhere it says, wonder lake is only open for campers... so confusing....
Please see the other comments I've shared - there have been no extra buses added and I don't foresee them doing that at this point. I would come up with other plans for your time in Denali.
@rtremo They appear to have just added a bunch of availability on the transits busses and bus tours. June 29 and 30 are both available right now on the Eielson Transit Bus and all of the several different dates in June that I checked for the Tundra Wilderness Tour bus had availability.
@@aartivenkat Glad to hear that! I was thrilled to see the availability myself! Our trip was booked pretty late (just a few weeks ago when Delta had a crazy award fare sale to AK,) so today was the first time I had seen any availability on the busses for our trip at the end of June.
@@vbscript2 I know right I saw the 5k 1 way award trip by delta and sweat over it - tired to see if I can cancel my tickets and get refund - it didn’t work out. That is ok - looking forward to the amazing vacation coming up soon
I’ve looked at Denali National Park website and couldn’t get Teklanika Road permit for 4 persons. It says “Sold Out” and couldn’t find any available in 2022. Can you help us?
Were you looking for this year *and* next year? It's probably sold out for 2021, and there are no plans (as far as I know) to offer that permit in 2022. It was a special permit offered last year and this year only.
I have no interest to experience anything from a bus. I'm more of a 'rent a jeep/car and get out on my own' type of traveler. As I have traveled the world as a U.S. Marine and a 25 year airline employee. I'm a professional traveler, LOL.
I mean, I'm a professional traveler too... but you have to do what the National Park Service says is allowed. 🤷🏻♀️ Your other option is to not visit the park.
As a heads up everyone, I have not been able to help anyone get a spot on a tour or extra Teklanika Road Permit this summer. I don't count on them adding any more buses or permits, so you may need to adjust your plans accordingly!
Glad I reserved the transit bus in March
It looks like they just added a bunch of availability on the bus tours. I checked several different dates in June and each one I checked was available. Just booked a couple of seats on one of them myself for our trip later this month.
Your video is excellent source of information especially Denali NP. Thank you for posting this video.
This is extremely helpful! Thank you so much!
Glad to help!
Visiting Denali May 24-26 this year. Good video information.
Have a great trip!
@@valerievalise thanks. Most of our trip will be spent down in Girdwood, Kenai and Seward, with the end of the trip up in Denali national Park just as it's opening for the season. Any suggestions for hikes or restaurants we should not miss?
@@mladetto7453 I've got an entire Alaska guide here: www.valisemag.com/guides/alaska/ I hope that helps!
Loved this video. It was everything I needed to know. We are looking for tickets for June 3rd for a party of 8 and we've been looking for tickets since 5 weeks ago. No luck yet. Would be great if the park adds additional buses. This is really a trip of a lifetime for us and we don't want to miss exploring Denali. Our hotels are booked in Denali NP and it's so hard to cancel and change plans. Would be great if you can help us reach someone at the park.
Glad it was helpful. At this point so close to your trip, I would not hold out hope for a cancellation, and I would come up with other reservations before all of the other tours are booked too. I have not been able to have any luck getting in touch with anyone to add extra buses (see the comments below).
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This was a great video
Thank you for sharing this; very informative! I heard you mention increased demand potentially leading to more buses being added. My group would love to take either the bus or transit shuttle into the park... either one... but everything is sold out on 7/6/21. I wanted to express this in case it may lead to more buses. Totally our fault for not planning far enough ahead! Thank you again!
Thanks for your comments, Tara. As I mentioned in the comments several times, this is not something I have any control over in the end.
This video is extremely informative. Thanks so much for posting it! I’m heading up to Denali in late June. I’m trying to decide if I should do the Denali Backcountry Adventure bus or the transit bus. Major price point differential but can see the pros and cons of each. This is my first trip. Any suggestions on which way I should go on this one?
Thanks!
I am in the exact same boat as you!
Thank you so much for all this info, this will be our first time in here and we are so excited.
Has your bus operator given any inclination that they will be adding service this month? We have 8 nights reserved (4 at Tek, 4 at Riley) starting the 20th of June and have been unable to secure bus passes for weeks now :( very afraid that we will be stuck at the campgrounds and not get to hike and explore
Thanks for watching. This is not an official national park service video, so we don't have any control over the bus tours.
Seems like they greatly overestimated how much the lack of a cruise season was going to hurt demand for Denali this year. Domestic leisure travel is already back at or above 2019 levels. TSA screenings have been 70+% of 2019 levels lately, even after the end of Spring Break season and with business travel and international travel still mostly dead.
Agreed! I think the visitation will end up being much higher this year than projected.
I also have not been able to make a reservation on the transit bus on June 16. (And it appeared that even if I could change my plans, there was no availability.) We had planned to take the tour bus but decided to use the transit bus. You indicated you could help figure out why there are no bus options.
Thanks for watching. Unfortunately there’s not much to be done to add bus availability. It’s just that Alaska has become the most popular domestic travel destination and there is more interest than seats!
@RuthHeath I'd recommend checking again now. Looks like they just added a ton of availability.
Thanks for the video and the info, its great! My buddies and I are heading to Denali to backpack this summer, and on a lot of our trips in the Sierra's we tend to do a lot of fishing as well (just catch and release). From what I have seen in researching this with Denali it looks like this is allowed and no license is needed, was just hoping to confirm with the ranger (and/or find out if it is worth while and/or if there are better spots to try to head for fishing when backpacking). Any info is helpful, thanks!
You'll want to check with the ranger when you get there!
How do we find out about if new transit bus tours have been added? We are looking at Fri May 28 or Sat May 29. We have a 9am on Fri May 28 but I am afraid it is too late to see wildlife, and I was hoping to get an earlier time. Also do you think more Teklanika Road permits will be issued? Thanks for your help.
I am 100% sure there will be no more Teklanika Road permits as they restrict those to control damage to the road. As for transit buses, I recommend reaching out to the National Park Service or Reserve Denali, as I don't have more information tahn they do.
It looks like more space on the bus tours was just added. I just checked several different dates in June (including tomorrow) and all of the ones I checked had availability on the Tundra Wilderness Tour now.
We cant find a rental car. Ugh.
Hope we can go .
Yeah, the rental car situation is crazy this summer. It's crazy across the whole country, but especially crazy in Alaska. I was able to get one reserved, but it was $700 for a week and availability was just completely gone not long after.
Thank you Valerie for everything! Here’s a little something for you: czcams.com/video/YfVjB6c5CxQ/video.html
I’m wondering since the courtesy shuttles aren’t running, how can you get from the train to the shuttle stop for those camping in the park but not driving?
If memory serves, shuttles leave from the Murie center, right? That's a 0.3-mile walk from the train depot :)
It looked walkable but it’s always hard to tell. One other question too, once you have a camper bus pass, can you still use the buses in the park during the duration of your stay to see other parts of the park?
@@abbiepriest4113 Abbie, sorry, I'm not sure. You'll need to reach out to a ranger once you arrive to see what they say.
HI, I am planning to visit Denali (RV camping), from Aug28 to Sept1st,2021. Where can i find the TEk bus route? What is the difference between Tek bus and Transit bus? too confused... :(
There is only one road into the park, so every bus takes the same route. I recommend checking the Denali National Park website to learn about the differences in the buses.
@@valerievalise Thank You. I tried looking online, but cudnt find the exact info. One place it says Tek pass bus can go upto Wonder lake and then somewhere it says, wonder lake is only open for campers... so confusing....
The transit bus shuttle is sold out for June 29 and 30 the dates I am looking for - if you have help secure extra service trying to reach out to you
Please see the other comments I've shared - there have been no extra buses added and I don't foresee them doing that at this point. I would come up with other plans for your time in Denali.
@rtremo They appear to have just added a bunch of availability on the transits busses and bus tours. June 29 and 30 are both available right now on the Eielson Transit Bus and all of the several different dates in June that I checked for the Tundra Wilderness Tour bus had availability.
@@vbscript2 thanks you so much I got our 4 tickets so excited. I owe our Denali tour to you
@@aartivenkat Glad to hear that! I was thrilled to see the availability myself! Our trip was booked pretty late (just a few weeks ago when Delta had a crazy award fare sale to AK,) so today was the first time I had seen any availability on the busses for our trip at the end of June.
@@vbscript2 I know right I saw the 5k 1 way award trip by delta and sweat over it - tired to see if I can cancel my tickets and get refund - it didn’t work out. That is ok - looking forward to the amazing vacation coming up soon
I’ve looked at Denali National Park website and couldn’t get Teklanika Road permit for 4 persons. It says “Sold Out” and couldn’t find any available in 2022. Can you help us?
Were you looking for this year *and* next year? It's probably sold out for 2021, and there are no plans (as far as I know) to offer that permit in 2022. It was a special permit offered last year and this year only.
@@valerievalise Yes, we are planning to go this year the end of July.
@@inskim22 Yeah I'm 100% sure it's sold out at this point. That's something that the National Park Service has limited so I have no control over that!
@@valerievalise Do they issue at the site if someone cancels?
@@inskim22 No, I believe they don't allow cancellations.
Thank you for the video. What is your email please?
I have no interest to experience anything from a bus. I'm more of a 'rent a jeep/car and get out on my own' type of traveler. As I have traveled the world as a U.S. Marine and a 25 year airline employee. I'm a professional traveler, LOL.
I mean, I'm a professional traveler too... but you have to do what the National Park Service says is allowed. 🤷🏻♀️ Your other option is to not visit the park.
@@valerievalise Was more of a statement. I have been to Denali a bunch of times since 1987.
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