Alaska's parks
Green buses shuttle visitors into Denali
What visitors should bring, where buses go, how to make reservations
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
Most of the people who explore Denali National Park do so with the help of a bus system.
Denali has three types of bus service.
1. The green buses are known as shuttle buses and carry most of the tourists. Think of these as the "city buses" of Denali.
2. A concessionaire operates excursions known as Tundra Wildlife and Natural History tours.
3. Lodges on private land inside the park bus their guests to and from the visitors center and railroad station.
Visitors board the shuttle buses at the main visitors center near the Parks Highway or at campgrounds along the park road. The buses run at frequent intervals starting very early in the morning, with the last bus returning late in the evening.
Passengers buy tickets to ride into the park as far as Kantishna, 95 miles from the entrance. The longest trip most people take is to the Eielson Visitors Center, Mile 66. That ride is four hours out, four hours back.
Bus drivers stop when wildlife is spotted -- especially when a passenger yells "Bear!" Other wildlife seen near the road includes caribou, moose, wolves, Dall sheep, foxes and marmots. Passengers photograph the animals and scenery, but they may not leave the bus to get closer to the animals.
The buses are much like school buses -- unadorned with restrooms. The ride over the gravel road can be slow and bumpy (and a bit scary when buses meet on the narrow curves of Polychrome Pass), although the often-chatty drivers are good drivers and do their best to make the ride smooth and entertaining.
Passengers may get off an outward-bound bus anywhere along the route after Mile 20 until they reach their ticketed destination. They can flag down any homeward-bound bus or board at a regular stop, if there's a seat available. It may take an hour for a bus to come along.
Some buses are wheelchair accessible. The need for such a bus should be mentioned when the reservations are made.
Visitors must carry their own food. The weather can vary considerably on the ride, from sunny and pleasant to windy, drizzly and chilly. Taking a cap, light gloves and a jacket is a good idea.
Where the buses go
Here are the scheduled bus stops on the Denali Park Road, how far they are from the visitor center at the entrance (near the Parks Highway), what it costs to ride the bus and why you should take boots, binoculars or a camera.
Camper pass and Teklanika pass
Campers can use two special bus tickets: the camper pass and the Teklanika pass.
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Bus routes and fares
