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.  

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 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.  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.  

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 promoted to sing on a cruise ship, and then they would not have to be waiters and bus boys in addition to the entertainment staff.  

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.