No, you cannot drive to Gates of the Arctic National Park as there are no roads. Cruise ships make up the majority of this Alaska national parks visitors. At Kenai Fjords you go on epic hikes, take once in a lifetime boat tours, see massive glaciers, spot stunning wildlife, and more. At times we got lucky. 133 likes, 6 comments - Gays of National Parks (@gaysofnationalparks) on Instagram: "Hey! Keep us posted on how the trip goes! Two popular flight vendors include Lake Clark Air and Lake and Peninsula Air. Getting to the park is exceedingly difficult unless youre seeing the park via cruise ship like the vast majority of park visitors. Juneau Ketchikan Seward Sitka Homer Denali National Park and Preserve Kenai Fjords National Park Glacier Bay National Park and Preserve Kodiak Skagway Fairbanks Valdez Katmai National Park. Flying there is $1200 for all 4 people and includes a 30 minute landing. For more details visit the park service page with rules and application options. Alaska does have other national park service units. They also have a gallery featuring work from the artists-in-residence programs, which I love to spend time in. Transportation to and from Alaska - flights from Seattle round trip are generally $400-$600 per person. Knowing that, It probably shouldnt bother me I disagree with the design of your scoring system but somehow it does! Many of them are remote and are only reachable by expensive air charter, but luckily, a few of the best ones are accessible by car. You can drive, but the McCarthy Road is 60 miles of rough gravel that takes several hours. Use our calculator to find out, Stay casual, dress in layers, and get proper footwear, View All Southcentral & Interior Towns on a Map, Cruises depart Juneau or Sitka. Time: At least 3 days: 2 to get there and back, and another to explore the park. Lots of people go to Glacier Bay, probably because theyre on cruises, but I thought the wildlife and scenery was much more spectacular in Kenai Fjords. The National Park System is comprised of 423 units owned and/or administrated by the National Park Service. Unlike other Alaska National Parks, Wrangell-St. Elias has a nice balance of remoteness and accessibility, making it a popular park for those with enough time to travel there. Getting to Kenai Fjords National Park is easy. Where will your Alaska adventure take you? Visit September to April to see the Northern Lights. King Salmon - Highs in 50s/60s, lows in 30s/40s. And stay flexible; if youre traveling independently like we were, plans will likely go awry, so make sure you have enough time to roll with it. alaska national parks, how many national parks in alaska, largest national park in alaska, alaska national park, alaska national parks, national park alaska, national park of alaska, national parks alaska, national parks in alaska, national parks of alaska, np alaska, alaska parks, best national parks in alaska, best alaska national parks, alaska national parks, how many national parks in alaska, largest national park in alaska, alaska national park, alaska national parks, national park alaska, national park of alaska, national parks alaska, national parks in alaska, national parks of alaska, np alaska, alaska parks, best national parks in alaska, best alaska national parks, Alaska National Parks: 8 Amazing Alaska National Parks (Tips for Visiting). The main park road opens in late May and usually stays open through late September each year, but the best time to visit Denali National Park is in late August and early September when the tundra begins changing color for autumn and the animals are more active while they prepare for the winter months. We had 42 in the group and we had a blast of a time. Getting to the Park: Alaska Highway 3 is the only road entrance into the park, making it easy to navigate to the entrance of the park (at mile number 237), 240 miles north of Anchorage and 120 miles south of Fairbanks. Alaskans are very casual about them, but they were a completely foreign concept to us. The birds. Id love to go back and do that. For that reason it ranks near the bottom of our list. For those who want to spend more time in the park, there are good opportunities for hiking especially near Port Alsworth, which is also home to the park Visitor Center , camping, and backpacking throughout the wilderness. Be sure your car has a spare tire and that you are prepared to use it as this is one of those kinds of roads. But they dont want to bother you. Lake Clark is one of the more remote Alaska National Parks which means getting there is logistically challenging. The best time to visit Glacier Bay National Park is during Summer months. We recommend July & August for the best chance of catching some days without rain. Getting to the campground requires a flight on a small plane. To learn more about the peoples who call these lands home, I invite you to exploreNative Land. Denali National Park Denali National Park is infamous for its namesake peak, the tallest mountain in North America which stands proudly at 20,310'. I'm R.J. With respect, I make a formal land acknowledgment, extending my appreciation and respect to the past and present people of these lands. . Driving/Car Rental - expect to pay $300 . If anyone is interested, heres my itinerary, with links (part 1 & part 2) and the cost of what everything was back in 2017 and 2018. While there are lots of things to do in some of the other accessible parks (Denali, Kenai Fjords), I think that Wrangell-St. Elias has the most of any! How Big is Alaska? Clingmans Dome: The highest point in the park, providing panoramic views. Read about the seven principals of Leave No Trace here. Unlike most national parks which charge per vehicle, Denali National Park charges $15 per person for admission. Highlights plus less visited destinations. As its name suggests, Gates of the Arctic National Park & Preserve is north, in Alaskas Arctic region. Best National Parks in Alaska | Holland America Line The classic itinerary 7 Day Alaska Highlights 21 Days Visit three national parks Denali, Kenai Fjords, and Wrangell-St. Elias experience Alaska's most exciting activities 21 Day Grand Alaska Loop 5 Days You can expect one (short) email per week. This helps protect the nearly 3.6 million acres, 9,000 years of human history, and 2,000 brown bears that you can find in the park. And we were lucky enough to see Denali, which is often obscured by clouds. Thanks for letting us know so glad to hear it. Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park and Preserve, vacation-planning tips from local experts, Spectacular Mountains from Denali to Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, A Local's Guide to McCarthy & Wrangell St-Elias National Park & Preserve. Alaska's Best National Parks - Horizon Guides Tour Departs at 9:00am and explores this Volcano all day. Visit 4 National Parks: Kenai Fjords, Denali, Wrangell-St. Elias and Katmai (or Lake Clark National Park for bear viewing). He told us to just walk to any edge of town to get to the park, then keep walking toward the mountains. Originally thought we could do all 8 in 10 days, but that just wasnt possible. Campgrounds, RV Parks & Public Use Cabins, Photo Credit: Alexyn Scheller in Katmai National Park. ct intro final View All Trips The name of the game is being flexible with your plans and taking rough weather in stride. Alaska National Parks Tours | Day and Multi-Day Tours You will likely want to travel around and not stay in one place. Additionally, its common to see wildlife in Glacier Bay, including seals, otters, sea birds (like puffins! Tips for Visiting Alaska's National Parks, OFFICIAL STATE OF ALASKA VACATION AND TRAVEL INFORMATION, Copyright 2023 Alaska Travel Industry Association. There are eight National Parks in Alaska - Denali, Gates of the Arctic, Glacier Bay, Katmai, Kenai Fjords, Kobuk Valley, Lake Clark, and Wrangell-St. Elias - and all together they protect some 41,460,625 acres or roughly the size of Wisconsin! An access road near town takes you to a visitor center and several good hiking trails. Day 5: Drive to Anchorage. But we met a guy with a plane who was going to pick up a hunter and offered to take us to Anaktuvuk Pass, a village inside the park. Great news here folks! For more information about the McCarthy Road visit the park service page. Because Gates of the Arctic is so undeveloped, its a choose-your-own-adventure park: as long as you arrange an air taxi to drop you off and pick you back up, the rest is up to you! It takes a stout vessel to traverse the open ocean on the way to its many fjords, bays, glaciers and teeming wildlife. Learn More > Alaska Kayak Exploration - Tour 180 Head to Homer, a charming town alongside Kachemak Bay, on this 10-day travel package. As I just revealed, the best things to do in Denali National Park are to see the mountain, Denali which means The High One and keep an eye out for Alaskas Big Five (moose, Grizzly bear, Dall sheep, caribou, and wolf). Fox also says Gates of the Arctic is one of the least visited of the national parks because its remote location in the Arctic bush requires a flight and an adventurous landing on water or a gravel/sand bar by the river. There are no roads or trails in the park at all! And in June, it was also very uncrowded. Best way to see Kenai Fjords Alaska National Park. Bering Land Bridge National Preserve Day 1: Arrive in Anchorage Because of Alaska's remote location, it may take you a while to get there! According to the National Park Service, the National Park designation is specific: a national park contains a variety of resources and encompasses large land or water areas to help provide adequate protection of the resources. Additionally, National Parks must provide inherent natural value thats why you see some of our countrys most incredible natural wonders protected as National Parks. Denali National Park offers a host of great bus options to tour Alaskas flagship national park park including both free and paid options. Alexyn Schellers dream was to visit all 8 of Alaskas national parks. Some of the wildlife youll spot include whales humpbacks, orcas, and other species on occasion , seals, sea lions, sea otters, and plenty of sea birds including puffins. No BS! Gates of the Arctic National Park and Preserve, Alaska BlueBarronPhoto/Getty Images With no roads or trails and a landscape carved by glaciers, Alaska's Gates of the Arctic National Park. Trips available from Whittier, Homer, Seward, Juneau, and Sitka. While there are issues surrounding the federal protection of Alaska Native lands, I believe the National Park Service works from a good-faith position to ensure these natural wonders are available for generations, and I support that mission. Its hard to ask for more breathtaking scenery than what you can find in this Alaska national park. There are two main ones: There are a few other independent properties in the Gustavus area too: theGlacier Bay Country Inn, theGustavus Inn at Glacier Bay,Glacier Bays Bear Track Inn,Wild Alaska Inn, theBlue Heron Bed and Breakfast,Cottonwood Lodge & Cabin Rental, andAimees Guest House. The drive to Wrangell St. Elias National Park (Kennecot) from Anchorage (the closest city with a major airport) is nearly 7 hours long, so buckle in and pack lots of snacks & drinks! View the exhibits, check the schedule for evening presentations and ask for recommendations from the National Park Ranger . (Most Alaska National Parks are only open and/or accessible during the summer, so thats the best time to visit!). We found out you could arrange to be dropped off in the Glacier Bay backcountry and camp for a few days.