Welcome Travel Voyeurs. Follow our adventures with this travel diary. Blog entries are posted most recent on top. Scroll to the bottom for earlier posts.
20260908 Tuesday, September 8, 2026; Denali ATV Adventure
The weather has definitely taken a turn for the worse with wind and rain for much of the day. For the most part, the rain has been light and intermittent, but the low cloud level has obscured views of any mountain tops, and it is looking highly likely that we will not catch a glimpse of the tallest mountain in North America despite having spent several days near its base.
We did have an ATV adventure booked for this morning, so at 10 a.m. we were picked up at the lodge and driven about 9 miles north to just outside the National Park border, where it can be legal to operate an ATV. This ATV adventure was probably the most extensive and challenging of all the ATV excursions we have done.
Fortunately, the Yamaha 4 x 4 side-by-side UTVs were up to the task. We drove on some pretty bad 2-tracks with moguls and through potholes and ruts that would have easily stopped less capable vehicles dead in their tracks. We will certainly be a bit sore tomorrow from all the bouncing and will probably discover new bruises over the next day or so.
This adventure took us about 15 miles through narrow trails winding through woods, alongside cliff faces, up and down steep hills, through and across several creek beds and streams. We did each take turns behind the wheel. Janet is much more comfortable with blasting at top speed over the worst terrain, and she did a great job of setting the pace for all the other side-by-sides as we were in the lead vehicle behind our guide and one very experienced single rider on straddle-style ATVs.
The river valley we descended into was very similar to the Savage River valley inside the park, and some of what we drove on were the remnants of coal mining roads. The town of Healy is just north of Denali National Park, and it was a coal mining town. We made a couple of stops to take in the view and change drivers while our guides talked about the history of Healy and some of the geology and natural history of the area. There were bits of coal on the ground around where the ATV's had parked because this was at one point in time a transfer station for the coal.
The scenery was beautiful with the foliage turning fall colors. Entire hillsides looked like impressionist paintings. We did come across some fresh moose prints in mud at one stop along the riverbank to learn about some of the interesting mineral specimens that can be found in the riverbeds.
We had worn our Gortex coats and pants, which helped keep us dry and warm, but it was easy to feel the chill when we got out at viewpoints. The Yamaha UTVs did have a roof, windshield, and doors, although there were no wipers for the windshield, so when it rained, it got difficult to see very well through the windshield. The guides did hop out twice to wipe down the windshields, which was very helpful.
Over the course of the tour, we had covered over 1600’ of elevation and had hit a top speed of nearly 30 mph.
It was certainly a good thing we did our Horseshoe Lake hike and Denali Natural History Park tours while the weather was better. Doing the ATV adventure in the rain just helped keep the dust down and add more mud to the puddles.
After returning from the ATV adventure, we took a stroll to check out the neighboring Holland America Denali Lodge. On the face of it, it appears to be a much older facility with more of a rustic character. We did not get to see the inside of any of the rooms, but the lodge lobby and public areas were a bit run down compared with the Princess Denali Lodge. They did have two sled dog puppies on display behind the Holland America Lodge. These were very cute and rambunctious puppies, and a big draw for all the dog lovers.
We had dined last night at one of the main dining venues in the Holland America Denali Lodge complex and saw the menus for the complex. There were fewer restaurant choices and things seemed to be 2 or 3 dollars more expensive than at the similar Princess venues, so after wandering through the gift shop, we headed back home.
We decided to have an early dinner at Fannie Q’s, which is a sit-down restaurant and bar. No children are allowed in Fannie Q’s because of the bar. The ambiance and decor were upscale and welcoming.
It was a significant step up from the Grizzly Grill where we had lunch yesterday. We had Cobb Salad ($16) and 3-Piece Fish and Chips ($22), along with a Spruce Tip IPA ($9). The service and food were excellent. The fish and chips were served with a big pile of tater tots, and the Cobb Salad was huge and had really fresh and high-quality greens and tomatoes that were delicious. The Spruce Tip IPA was a unique local beer that combines herbal tones like you find in gin with the citrus notes from the hops to create an interesting and refreshing beer.
Janet has unfortunately started to come down with a cold, so we called it an early night. We will have to repack our suitcases and have them out for pick-up outside our doors at 6 a.m. Tomorrow we board the Princess Denali train, which will take us to Seward where we will embark onto the Island Princess. It will be a bit of a homecoming for us since we spent 60 days on the Island Princess going around South America in January 2018.
20260907 Monday September 7, 2026 Denali Horseshoe Lake Hike and Natural History Tour
The Princess Denali Lodge has blinds, privacy curtains, and blackout drapes on the windows, so it was so dark in the bedroom we couldn’t tell it was daylight, but we did hear other guests dragging luggage around at around 7 a.m., and managed to get ourselves up and out of the room by 10 a.m. The weather was overcast but not raining, so we decided to take the Princess shuttle to the Horseshoe Lake hike trailhead and do the hike.
This descends down about 250’ in elevation to the lake and is 2.6 miles round trip. The colors of the undergrowth are becoming more dramatic with yellows and reds with each passing day. The trail actually ends up circling the banks of the lake and is between the river and lake for a portion of the trail. It is well marked and maintained for the most part with just a few slightly damp sections.
It is a scenic hike through woods featuring transitional tundra understory with spruce trees intermixed with a few aspens and alders. There are lots of red squirrels scurrying about gathering spruce cones and stripping them bare of seeds to prepare for winter. The lake also featured a pair of trumpeter swans and a beaver dam. There were no beavers active at the time we were there, but they do seem to keep busy as there is a series of dams between the outlet of the lake and the river.
There are some interesting rock formations on one wall of the hike that looks like gnarly schist that has been folded and twisted like taffy.
We encountered a lot of Chinese tourists speaking Mandarin on the trail. While the hike down was all downhill, we did have to climb a long series of steps to return to the railroad grade at the trailhead. The hike ended up taking us about 90 minutes.
This gave us just enough time to grab something for lunch before our scheduled 1:30 p.m. Denali Natural History tour, which was included with our Princess Cruise tour package. We split a hamburger at the fast-casual Grizzly Burger venue for $20, as well as deep-fried cheese curds for $12 and a mountain blueberry cream soda made by the local 49th State Brewing company for $6.
The burger was comparable to a Carl’s Jr. Double, and the onion rings served with the burger were fairly meager in portions, but OK in quality. The blueberry cream soda was hyped by the shuttle bus driver, but for us, it was a one-and-done experience. What surprised us was the deep-fried cheese curds turned out to be a huge bowl filled with a heaping pile of cheese curds. There were probably 3 cups of deep-fried cheese curds, which could have been a meal by itself. It was served with a jalapeño relish. We ended up taking most of the cheese curds back to the room to have for dinner.
The Natural History Tour drove us back into the National Park with 3 stops where we got out of the bus. The first was at the so-called Park Bus Terminal. At one point, this had been the main visitor center, but after a newer and larger complex was built further into the park, this building became a central hub for bus tours into the park, which does not allow private vehicles beyond mile 15, or Savage River Campground. The Park road actually terminates at mile 92 on the western side of the park at Kantishna airfield with 4 campgrounds between and the Eilson Visitor Center at mile 66 accessible by bus service from the Park Bus Terminal. We watched a movie in the theater at the Bus Terminal about the development of the National Park and early tourism into the park in the 1920s to the 1950s. There is a coffee shop and gift shop in the Bus Terminal.
Denali National Park Tour buses are converted school buses.
After viewing the movie, we reboarded the bus and headed up Park Road to Mountain Vista picnic area, where we visited “Savage Cabin,” which was half of a cookhouse structure used during the construction of the Park Road, and then later by rangers as a ranger cabin.
It is a log structure hewn from the local Alaska spruce trees that grow in Denali National Park. It was adorned with a collection of antler sheds, as well as a set of Dall Sheep horns which the ranger used to explain the importance of Dall Sheep in the establishment of the National Park, and the difference between antlers (bony structures which are shed annually) and horns (permanent keratinized structures). The cabin is furnished with a wood stove, bunks, bear-resistant containers for food and emergency supplies because during the winters, it is used by dog sledding teams that deliver freight to the ranger stations throughout the park during the winter months.
The bus did slow at a location where there were a lot of vehicles pulled over, and it turns out there was a male moose about a half mile or so off the road, intermittently visible as it walked among the spruces in the tundra. It was extremely hard to get photos of it from the bus, which was caught in stop-and-go traffic, but we did see it for sure.
Then we encountered another slow down just a little further down the road as a moose cow and calf crossed the road just a few vehicles in front of us. They disappeared into the woods as quickly as they had appeared.
After visiting the Savage Cabin, we drove to the end of the unrestricted part of the Park Road, which ends at Primrose Ridge. This is a location with a nice view down the Savage River valley, which is painted with a remarkable color palette this time of year.
We got out of the bus and listened to a Native Alaskan tell a few stories about his hard scramble upbringing and some of the challenges faced by his family growing up in the shadow of Denali. We did have to stand outside in the wind while he told his stories, so when he finished, people were eager to pile back into the warmth of the bus.
On the return trip, the driver did point out some willows ptarmigans which wore a camouflage of reds and browns with white heavily feathered feet which act like snowshoes in the winter. During the winter, their plumage becomes all white.
The bus encountered another traffic jam where a pair of moose were in thick woods and brush off the roadway, but we were not able to see them and the driver was anxious to get us back to the lodge on time. Then a bit further down the road, near where we had seen the bull moose coming into the park, we spotted him again, but this time the bus did not slow or stop. The driver was rather preoccupied with getting through his script on the evolution of wildfire management strategies employed by the park over the years and recent wild fire events, including one that severely affected the Princess Denali Lodge 2 years ago. The lodge lost power and essential resources causing chaos and a very unpleasant experience for guests at the time of the Riley Creek fire.
As we approached the lodge, he did point out the rather obvious burn scar on the hillside just behind the Princess and Holland America lodge complexes.
We called it an early night after finishing the fried cheese curds and hitting the showers. Tomorrow we have an ATV tour scheduled. We hope that the weather will be cooperative.
20260906 Sunday, September 6, 2026. Anchorage to Denali by Bus
We did have to set our alarm clocks early to get all our devices unplugged and chargers packed back into suitcases so that the suitcases could be put out for pick-up, which was supposed to be at 6 a.m. We went back to sleep, anticipating a knock on the door and our suitcases getting whisked away, but that didn’t occur until 6:45 a.m. We had coffee and tea in the room, which was equipped with a Keurig single-cup coffee maker with coffee and tea pods. Breakfast was dried mangos and granola bars, which have served us well so far on this trip.
The bus transfer from Anchorage to Princess Denali Lodge went without a hitch. Janet and Ben were the last to board the bus and found the last 4 rows of the bus empty. We were able to spread out and move about so we were quite comfortable for the 4.5hr drive. There was also a bathroom at the back of the bus, which surprisingly, the bus driver encouraged passengers to use because she knew in advance that the pit toilets at the State Park designated bathroom stop would be bad. She also took great pride in how clean and sanitized the bus bathroom was.
The bus driver/guide was very knowledgeable and during the school year, she teaches middle schoolers. She did point out many interesting things along the way despite there being low clouds obscuring Denali and intermittent rain. There are fences along the highway to discourage wildlife vs. vehicle accidents, but on this stretch of highway, about 200-300 collisions between moose and vehicles occur annually. The fences have “trap doors” installed every quarter to half mile which allow wildlife and game personnel to herd moose, elk, and caribou that get in so they are funneled into the exits so they can get out of the fence.
We learned that caribou and reindeer are the same creature, but just have different names in different geographical areas and contexts. They can be called caribou when wild, and reindeer when raised specifically for commercial or marketing purposes. What is commonly sold as reindeer sausage, which is very commonly seen on Alaskan menus, may contain between 3-30% reindeer meat mixed with beef and pork.
The lower elevations of the drive out of Anchorage seemed pretty unremarkable as we drove through the suburbs, but as we started climbing in elevation, spruce forests in various stages of life appeared. These are indirect indicators of underlying permafrost tundra. They go through cycles driven by bark beetles and fire so they don’t get very big, but even what looks like a small tree could be approaching hundreds of years in age.
The transitional tundra forest has mixtures of undergrowth topped with spruces, alders, willows, and aspens. This time of year, the undergrowth, led by native fireweed, turns bright red, orange, and yellow, while aspens become bright yellow. These fall colors are quite distinct from the Northeastern state’s fall displays, and quite dramatic. We did pull over at one roadside just to appreciate this fall display in the tundra.
Our single designated photo/bathroom stop was at Alaska’s Denali State Park where there is an overlook where the casual traveller is most likely to get an actual view of Denali on a clear day. Unfortunately, all we could see was rocky foothills in the foreground with snow-covered slopes behind them with the low cloud cover obscuring anything much beyond the foothills.
Denali's peak hidden by low cloud deck.
We could see the railroad tracks cross over from one side of the highway to the other a couple of times. Some of the scenery was reminiscent of our recent Rocky Mountaineer train trip through the Canadian Rockies.
The Princess Denali Lodge is just a little past the main park entrance road, and forms quite a village in conjunction with the sister Holland America Wilderness Lodge. There are shuttle buses that run between the Princess and Holland America lodges, so commerce is encouraged between the two campuses. Between them, there are close to a dozen different dining venues as well as various gift shops. Across the highway are other motels, restaurants, shops, and RV parks.
The Princess Denali Lodge is basically a huge hotel lobby with meeting spaces, restaurants, and shops. The lobby is grand central station for guests arriving and departing to various destinations in all manner of buses. There are buses to and from Fairbanks, Anchorage, Denali National Park Visitor Center, Denali National Park Bus Depot, the Denali Train Depot and the Princess McKinley Wilderness Lodge. Princess cruise tours are variously configured with stays in one or both Princess lodges, hotels in Fairbanks and Anchorage, airport transfers to Fairbanks and Anchorage, train rides between Whittier, Seward, Anchorage, Denali and Fairbanks, and transfers between cruise ships arriving and departing from Whittier and Seward. There are unlimited possibilities.
The hotel rooms are actually scattered among more than a dozen buildings scattered across the campus.
We were in room J122, which was on the ground floor facing the Nenana River, but there wasn’t really much of a view other than that of trees and people walking by outside. The room itself is a HUGE suite with a large living room area at least 15’ x 15’ with an adjacent small bar counter top and mini-fridge. The TV is probably 72”. The bathroom is also huge with a low-step wide shower enclosure. The separate bedroom has a nice queen bed, dresser, nightstands, and separate TV. It is all nicely furnished and much nicer than the hotel in Anchorage.
During the bus ride, the driver was talking about dining and entertainment venues and had mentioned a dinner and show program called Music of Denali. Unlike in King Salmon, our cellular service in Anchorage and for much of the stretch of roadway between Anchorage and Denali had internet connectivity, and the TripAdvisor and Yelp reviews were generally positive for that, so after arriving at the lodge, we booked dinner there. It was $140 for the two of us, but it was both all you can eat and a show, so we splurged.
Our luggage had not arrived in our room, but we wanted to see some of the Denali National Park today, so we hopped on the Princess shuttle bus that runs between the lodge and the National Park’s Visitor Center. This shuttle also stops at a popular trailhead to the Horseshoe Lake hiking trail. The shuttle runs every 30 minutes from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. and is free for lodge guests. It takes about 20 minutes to get to the Visitor Center.
We had forgotten to bring our America the Beautiful National Park pass, but had an image of both sides of the card on our phones, and the ranger was able to scan the bar code on the card off the phone. But it looked like you could easily have snuck into the park without showing anyone your pass because there seemed to be nobody checking for proof of payment of the park entry fee. That was probably one side effect of the severe cuts in National Parks staffing that the DOGE program enacted. Those cuts in parks funding undoubtedly also cut parks revenue collection, and will inevitably lead to progressive deterioration of our national treasures.
The visitor center is relatively small, but had interesting exhibits outlining some natural history, geology, and sociological history behind Denali.
Moose droppings
Moose teeth marks. During winters, moose feed on bark on which lichens grows.
Aspens are turning fall colors.
We attended a ranger-led natural history walk along one of the loop trails adjacent to the visitor center. We had a head start having spent time in Katmai, and having had an introduction to many of the berries, plants, and trees native to this part of Alaska. We did learn that bears in Denali are very different from the bears in Katmai, mostly because food is much more scarce and there is greater competition for food around Denali. While we had to keep 50m from bears in Katmai, you have to keep 300m from bears in Denali. These bears are potentially much more dangerous. But the ranger said that close human and bear encounters are rare in this part of Denali National Park, and that humans are much more likely to get seriously injured by moose, particularly during the fall rut or mating season.
Following the natural history walk, we took a park shuttle a short distance to the Denali National Park dog sled kennels.
This national park is unique in that they have full-time dog sled teams and on-site kennels, which are essential for park maintenance activities during the winter months. There are many sites that must be resupplied by dog teams during the winter months because motorized vehicles are not allowed into much of the park and preserves. The dog kennels are quite a sizable facility. Each dog has its own doghouse, which the dogs seem to like to sleep or stand on the roof. There are also puppies on site that are approaching a year old. These dogs are remarkably variable in color and shape, although they are all “Alaska sled dog” breeds, which are variations of huskies. They can have very different personalities and skill sets, and it takes a lot of skill to put together a good sled dog team so that the dogs can work cooperatively and efficiently.
We watched a team pull a wheeled sled around a training track, and those dogs sure get excited to run. They also turned the puppies loose for a run around the track, but they were much less disciplined, perhaps because there are lots of squirrels and other distractions. They also were not harnessed to a sled. It was a very well-done presentation and demonstration.
Following the dog sled demonstration, we watched a movie on sled dogs in Denali and one on the seasons of Denali, which pretty much wrapped up the Visitor Center for us. We caught the shuttle back to the Lodge and were finally able to unpack a few things since our luggage had arrived.
We took the first shuttle to the Holland America campus for the dinner show, which was at the Golden Nugget Saloon. This was a dining hall set up with tables in long rows with a stage at the front and bar at the back. We were some of the first people in, so we got seated right in the front of the theater.
Family style serving, all you can eat salad, biscuits, salmon, brisket and apple cobbler.
Music of Denali. Waitress and Actress
Holland America Denali Lodge lobby
The Music of Denali cast consists of 6 actors and a musical director on the keyboards who played show tunes arrangements while the actors served and bused tables during the dinner. Dinner was a decent meal with a tossed salad with fancy greens, cucumbers, and cherry tomatoes, biscuits with cinnamon butter, bar-b-cue brisket, and grilled salmon. It was served family style and all you can eat, so nobody walked away hungry. Dessert was an apple cobbler with whipped cream that was rather unmemorable, but nothing was bad. All the food was well prepared and served at ideal temperatures.
The show itself was rather rudimentary. Half the cast had contrived ‘39er accents, and there really wasn’t much in the way of a clever plot, but the actors did sing enthusiastically and seemed to be having fun. There was, of course, some audience participation, and we were fortunate not to have gotten picked on to have to go up on stage or parade around the venue. Lighting and props were bare bones, and the musical director on the keyboard was the only accompaniment to the singers. Janet was pretty much ready to leave as soon as the dinner was over, but the bus would not be back to pick us up until after the show, so we stuck it out to the end. The best thing that could happen to one of these actors is they might get discovered to sing on a cruise ship. Then they would not have to wait on and bus tables in addition to being on the entertainment staff.
We wouldn’t say the show was a “Must Do” while visiting Denali, but it entertained and fed us without requiring any effort on our part. As for the value proposition, at $70 per person, we could have easily spent that much at any of the restaurant venues in the Holland America-Princess complex if we had ordered both salmon and BBQ brisket, so we felt it was OK.
It was raining, cold, and dark when we got back to the room at 10 p.m. Tomorrow we have a scheduled natural history tour into the park where we may get to see moose, caribou, and big horn sheep in the park if we are lucky. If we have good weather, we might try doing the Horseshoe Lake hike.
