Be careful with the water as you may end up in Anchorage, said the in keeper as he drove around…read moretown before check in time to introduce this town to us. Yes the water current is strong. Stronger than it may seems. Park itself is very small but a great place to spot Mt Denali on a good day. Mountain is not always visible but chances of seeing the mountain is an early morning. Sun might rise around 4 or so in the summer but that's the best time to come to the park if mountain may show their face. We were in town for three days. On the last day, the weather finally cleared up and there! Oh it was so beautiful, I stood there admiring the mountain for a long time. My in keeper said only 10% of visitors get to see the mountain, and I felt very lucky to be that 10%. Other than that, this is a very small park.

We did not stay here overnight. We visited during late October. What a sight to behold!! With the…read morethree rivers coming together, ice colliding, the swoosh of slush rushing by, and Denali in the background!

I don't think that I can say enough good things about Ute and Billy FitzGerald, the good folks who…read moreown and operate Denali Trekking Company. The New Wife and I are active hikers and adventurers. When it came time to decide on a honeymoon location Alaska was top of the list. As a matter of fact, it was the ONLY locale on the list! A little research sent us north of Anchorage to the great little hamlet of Talkeetna. We booked a 3 day base camp hiking adventure with Denali Trekking Company. Several months in advance we had contacted Billy via email. He responded promptly asking for a good time to call us. The New Wife spoke with Billy for about 45 minutes. She then turned to me and said "We have found our guy!" Just read the "about us" section of their website to learn about the FitzGeralds. They are not just active in Talkeetna, they are the people who make up the heart and soul of the place. The Trip: After a couple of days in Talkeetna we contacted Billy to let him know we had arrived. He invited us to his cabin to meet and discuss our trip. We spent an hour talking about our lives, local politics and Alaska. We were pumped for the adventure! The trip was delayed one day due to rain, rain, rain and low ceilings. Great call on Billy's part. It would not have been safe or enjoyable. Day One: Rain and low ceilings still. Billy called and said to come out to his place. We met our guide Wade. Homemade Blueberry brownies passed the time. We went to a little cafe for a some lunch and then checked with the local float plane dock regarding the weather. Cleared to go a 4 seater loaded us up and off we went to the campsite. We made it out sans any issues, set up camp and the rain and wind started again. Time to hunker down in the Honeymoon Suite with amazing moose spaghetti made for us by Wade. I woke up at 3 am and looked out of the tent. The payoff was there! Crystal clear skies with more stars than you can imagine! Days Two and Three: More clear skies! Wade had coffee and breakfast for us. Off we went for nice hikes. The views were fantastic. Wade made it very enjoyable by pointing out everything from birds to wildlife to plant life. Bald Eagles, Osprey, a Golden Eagle!, Loons and caribou were checked off of the "seen it" list. After a great day 3 hike Wade called in the transportation. Billy landed on the lake next to the campsite in his beauty of a Piper Super Cub. The Super Cub is one of the finest little 2 seaters ever to grace the sky. The New Wife went in first. About 40 minutes later I was loaded up and had an enjoyable ride back to the dock where our car was waiting. We are still smiling. Tips: This is not a trail hiking adventure. It's "path of least resistance" hiking. The tundra is mossy and soft. Come ready. Get In Shape!! It will make all the difference. Bring quality gear. Hiking sucks if your feet are wet and hurting. LISTEN TO YOUR GUIDE! They know more than you and will keep you safe. I'd trust Wade to lead me into any back country Alaskan adventure. He was professional, friendly and never condescending. Thanks to Denali Trekking Company, to Billy and to Wade for a great honeymoon adventure!

I cannot say enough good things about Billy FitzGerald and his Denali Trekking Company. I have been…read moreon many great treks throughout the world - from Asia to South America to Europe to North America - but this was my best experience yet. While Billy deserves a ton of credit, it was really our guide, Wade, that made the trip so special. We did a five night hiking / packrafting trip of the Talkeetna Mountains. We did not encounter another individual during our trip and it was unlikely that any other hikers had been in that remote area all year. However, we did see a bald eagle and had a scary run in with a bear. The hiking and rafting were challenging but Wade was careful to make sure we weren't in unsafe situations. The river had swelled recently due to steady rainfall and we ended up rafting Class IV rapids. At times, the water got a little too big to travel safely over so we ported our rafts until we found calmer waters. The hiking was also very tough as we had 50+ pound packs on our backs, ascended some steep hills, and were traversing across dense and soggy terrain. We asked Billy and Wade for a challenging adventure and they certainly have us one. While celebrating the end of the trip at a local bar, we met two young women who had also just returned from one of Billy's trips. Their experience was very different than ours - they did a number of short and less strenuous day hikes from a single base camp - but they also had a great time. Our trip was booked at the very last minute and we had some poor weather, but Billy and Wade scrambled to make sure everything worked out. I was initially hesitant to book with Billy as I couldn't find many reviews online. He doesn't push his clients to review and probably doesn't get the same type of crowds that other tour operators get. Most of the locals in town know Billy and Wade and everyone had good things to say. Their operations might not appear as "professional" as many of the tour operators that cater to the cruise ship crowds; Billy was sometimes slow to respond to inquires as he was often in the field and the orientation is run out of his home. But despite being a small family run operation, their was a real emphasis on safety and professionalism. My only major complaint about our tour was the weather as it rained the entire week we were in Talkeetna. Not only did it make the excursion more uncomfortable, but it also made getting in and out of our locations challenging. Billy uses seaplanes to transport his guests to remote lakes and he is hesitant to fly if the conditions are unsafe. As a result of poor visibility, we pushed our departure back a day and returned a day early. We still got in a great trek, but we had to find hotel rooms for two extra nights. My advice would be to give yourself as long a window as possible in Talkeetna so you have flexibility to deal with unexpected weather delays. Overall, it was a magical experience. There is no place like Alaska and no one better to show you it's true beauty than Billy and Wade. There are other easier trips that will give you a glimpse of the state's wonders, but if you want to get off the beaten path and see the REAL Alaska, Billy and Wade are your guys.

This was a calm, no rapids tour. A river 'float' would be a better word to use…read more Our guide was AMAZING yet I forgot her name! Alaskan native, worked for the company for 3 years. Volcanology degree Had so much knowledge of the area, the silt, animals (ALL varieties) the mountains, hikes, etc. absolutely beautiful area and professional company

I really enjoyed the float tour, even though we didn't see any significant wildlife (seagulls don't…read morecount according to my husband). My hubby and I were split up between the front and back of the boat, but the ladies I sat next to were also teachers and we had fun talking. The rubber overboots were hard to walk in, but since a few folks jumped the gun and got out of the float early, it protected their shoes. The safety overview was fun ... and they took my snarky comments well. Getting in/out of the float was actually not bad! Our guide was fun and informative. He talked to us about the how/why of steering the raft. We talked about plants. We battled the other float (NOTE: This was really one smack of the oars with silly trash talk, but that was great to watch.) We got to see Denali. I'm pretty sure that I got 5-drops of water wet in front and my hubby got one splash in the back. I hatched multiple eggs using AT&T and letting the app run while floating down the river. Afterwards, the tour guides talked to me about Pokemon Go! We left a bunch of regionals in the Pokemon Go gyms for folks that might not have them in their Pokedexes. We chose to walk back, which was great! We stopped by many cute shops, including Silverbear Sundries for some Devil's Club balm for my many mosquito bites, Village Arts & Crafts for some art, and Shirley's Homemade Ice Cream for some Northern Lights ice cream! Honestly, after the jet boat experience yesterday, I almost cancelled our float tour today and that would have been bad. I can't think of anything that would top our Kenai float tour, but that's because a moose heading straight for the raft behind you will probably never happen again. (The Kenai huge stuffed bear sitting in a chair as we left was a cute touch.)

Loved everything about this. Cory and Brian our guides were fantastic. Didn't see much for wild…read morelife but the views were beautiful and their stories of the area were great. Jet boat was so fun to ride in. Thank you!

Fantastic experience...great guides and the river did not disappoint! Nature walk sounded silly…read morebut was a great add on to the trip.

Great experience. From booking (w Heather), to check-in, to van ride to start point and especially…read morethe trip guide: all was done promptly and pleasantly. Will do it again.

We had an amazing time floating down the river with Reese our guide! We were lucky and had a…read moreGrizzly bear cross our path while in the van on the way to the drop off point. Reese was extremely knowledgeable and took time to show us and our young daughter everything we were interested in and answer our multitude of questions. We were on the early morning, 8:30 trip and it was so quiet and peaceful on the river. Remains our favorite outing of our 2.5 weeks in Alaska, and we did lots of fun things.

Had me come up to work for them, then took all my clothes tv and my DVD player and donated it to…read morecharity for a tax write off and didn't tell me till after I drove 2 and a half hours north to get my stuff. Steve and Sharon vantroba are theives do not do business with them and definitely don't work for them. Cost me 700$ to help them now it's winter and I have no clothes, literally f'd me over so bad I need to go to the courthouse and actually file for a lawsuit because Steve vantroba deliberately stole everything I owned and hides behind his loud ass dumbass wife to answer for his stuff

This is the best way to see Alaska! We loved every minute. The wranglers were amazing and the…read moreentire experience was a trip favorite! Thank you

If you have limited time in the area, do not hesitate to book this tour. Fred will go out of his…read moreway to make sure you have a wonderful, authentic Alaskan experience. During our visit to the Talkeetna area there were wildfires burning, we were unable to make it to the meeting area but Fred and his helper Rich came to the hotel and picked us up so we wouldn't miss out on the fun. He first took us to a secluded spot by a river where the salmon were literally swimming between our feet. We could have reached down and scooped them up, but we were there to learn how to fly fish, so learn we did! Fred was extremely patient with me and my husband....and our limited fishing abilities! He came supplied with everything you could need or want during the tour. The waders fit perfectly, and kept us warm in the glacier water. While driving to our second fishing spot he supplied yummy croissant sandwiches to snack on during the ride. The second fishing spot had just as many salmon and we were able to catch quite a few fish. I had a beautiful trout on my line but unfortunately I didn't snag him and he got off the hook. I was bummed, but Fred is so encouraging before I knew it I had a huge salmon on the line and brought it in successfully. While we enjoyed fishing Rich cooked up some salmon by the shore along with vodka tonic and rum and cokes. We took a break to enjoy a perfect meal of deliciously cooked salmon and a nice cocktail. It was seriously a perfect day, despite the wildfires in area. I just hope that Rich and Fred's property were not impacted. If I am ever back in the area, this would be the first tour I book. It was a great experience and a super fun day!! Thank you Fred and Rich for making this the highlight of our trip!

This was the highlight of our Alaska trip. We did the fishing trip with Fred and He was amazing. We…read moremet up with Fred around 2pm. Had a delicious lunch and drinks and caught fish all afternoon. We couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The spot Fred took us the fish were jumping out of the water right before our eyes. As the sun started to go down it was impossible not to catch a fish. We even ate our fresh fish on the beach. We were celebrating my Mom's 60th Birthday and Fred made it an extra special day. My brother is already wanting to make another Alaska trip next year just to fish with Fred!

"Oh, if I could talk to the animals, And learn their…read morelanguages just imagine it" (Sammy Davis) When you have a tour guide that talks to squirrels, chipmunks, and loons, and can rattle off facts about just about every plant, bush, berry, leaf, and tree on the trail, you know you are in the company of someone very special. Words do not exist for me to explain how awesome our guide Cadia was. Her love and devotion to nature was something to behold. She was almost evangelical in her zeal for the outdoors. We were so fortunate to have Cadia as our guide for a Byers Lake Nature Walk. Every minute in her company was pure joy as we pulled off to the side of the road to see a majestic moose, learned about the edible berries and leaves around the lake, and learned about and listened to the cries of the loon among other gems. Cadia gave our tour some added value by taking us to a few Denali Mountain viewing platforms. She was one of the very best tour guides I have ever had.

Had a wonderful time on the Denali Wilderness Hike. Annie is a very knowledgeable and enthusiastic…read moreguide. She made sure all members of the group were comfortable and had breaks when needed. She adjusted the pace to meet the needs of the group. Definitely recommended.

Derek was an incredible guide on our night hike at Hatcher's Pass. The hike started at 8:00 pm and…read morewe went until around 11:30-12:00 pm. He had snacks, extra gear, hot water and made sure we were comfortable the whole way.

I rented snow shoes from True North for a last minute hike in early December. I was given this…read morereferral by our cabin owner, and I was blown away by the customer service. Not only did the owner deliver the snow shoes to my cabin, but he also threw in some complimentary bear spray because he could tell how nervous I was about encountering wildlife. When I wanted to add another pair of rentals for my husband the following day, he drove his van full of kids to meet me off the highway to deliver them with the threat of a big snow storm closing in fast. We were able to leave the rentals in our cabin upon checkout, and he picked them up for us. Incredible convenient. I can't recommend this company and the sweet owner enough!

I had a fantastic rafting experience with the NOVA guides…read more Prior to driving by the sign on the road that says "NOVA rafting," I was lamenting about how I didn't think I was going to be able to raft due to my tight schedule while visiting Alaska. I drove by the sign and thought "I will just pop down there and see if they have any space." Lo and behold, that had some space on the trip that was starting ten minutes after I got there. They got me signed up and off we went! Adam did a great job driving our bus and photographing us along the way, Gavin kept us well entertained and got us excited on the bus, Coffee (manager) gave us a very informative safety speech, and my rafts personal guide, Maria (from Louisiana), was awesome. I felt safe and had a wonderful time with her guiding our raft. Getting a gla-cial (facial from the glacier water) was a top experience of my trip. I also thought the tour and photos were appropriately priced. Overall, a great experience and worth the money and I'm so happy I did it.

Amazing! That's the one word I would use to describe this company. The quality of guides this…read morecompany has sets the bar very high. Shoutout to David (for glacier trekking) and Jon (for whitewater rafting) for making the respective excursions memorable! Let me start with the glacier trekking. My buddy and I did the adventure trek.This was perhaps one of the most unique excisions over ever been on. The fact that you're exploring a glacier (the matanuska glacier) by walking on it and through it leaves you with a sense of wonder. It seriously feels like a whole new world that's not in earth. Our guide , David, took us to see a lot of features of the glacier and we got to see glacier crevasses and glacial pools. So beautiful and majestic. This left an imprint of Alaskan glacial beauty and I'll be sure to never forget. He even created a spout on the glacier so we can taste the freshness of glacier water! We felt completely safe with his knowledge of the glacier and he made sure to answer any questions we may have had. Thanks David! The next excursion was to whitewater rafting down the Matanuska River. For the second excursion, we did the lions head rafting tour. Let me start out by saying that it was utterly fun and unforgettable. Going through class 3 and 4 rapids is sure to excite any thrill seeker. The guide definitely makes this trip exciting especially since they are integral to your safety as well as fun. Jon made sure that we were all engaged and having a great time! Thanks Jon! I cannot recommend this company enough. Definitely do multiple activities (you'll get a discount for booking more than one)! This was the end cap for my Alaskan adventure as it was drawing to a close. I couldn't have chosen better adventures to end on! Keep it up Nova!