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!

Pura vida - is the best suitable word to describe this park…read more Located two miles south of Talkeetna downtown, we walked from downtown to here to enjoy peaceful time. Parking is $5. Outhouse is at the parking area. They have several lakes with lots of trails. We spent a few hours at the park but only saw another group of people just once. Trails are well marked and mostly flat. When the weather cleared up, we started hearing many airplanes take off but until then, all we heard was the sound of wind. We took a break at one of the dock area where they have free life jackets to use if you bring your own canoe. We just sat at the dock and used our backpacks as pillow. Laid there and enjoyed a whole lot of quietness and tranquility. Water was very cold. I saw some small fishes swimming. Away from people, away from deadlines and busy work. This was truly a vacation. Loved this park.

Great place to stop and view Denali. The entrance is kinda difficult to see so make sure you slow…read moredown as you approach as you turn into the area off a highway. Restrooms nearby. Very walkable and short trail takes you higher and gives you a better view of it all! Loved my time here on the way to Fairbanks.

Amazingly Beautiful! One of the many stops along the way to Fairbanks from Anchorage. This has to…read morebe my fave spot so far. The gorgeous landscape goes on for miles and miles. Definitely a must see if you're in the area. This place has 2 observation areas. Theres one just near the parking lot. And then theres a second one just a lil hike up the trail. The second one is where you'll get a better view of it all. So if you're nearby you gotta see this!!!!

This is how you access one of the most famous backpacking trips in Alaska: Kesugi Ridge…read more There are numerous trailheads that access the route, this the first. Calling it a "ridge" is a bit extremely, it's more like a long, flatish hill. Its claims to fame is the jaw-dropping views of Denali, Moose's Tooth, and Broken Tooth. Other things you can do here: Car camp, right next to your car. Backcountry camp ~1 mile from your car. Rent cabins. (even in winter) Canoe in the lake. This is a great place to get out of your car and get some fresh air. It is WAY less crowded than Denali National Park and the views are nearly just as good.

Great campgrounds, great history, fun hiking trails, you can eat almost everything! Take a guided…read moretour, its very much worth it!

This might be my favorite hike from my trip to Alaska. I'm not an expert hiker so I typically look…read morefor a hike that has moderate difficulty (which means some incline, but enough places where it flattens out). This hike is really close to the highway, has a decent outhouse, and a $5 parking fee (unless you have the yearly pass). This hike has it all. Very early on, it passes right by a beaver dam. It has absolutely incredible views of the mountains, including Denali (provided it is a clear day). You can see two creeks (one from close-up and another from far away). I'd put this hike as easy to moderate, which is perfect for hikers of all levels. It is 6.2 miles (one-way I believe). We didn't do the whole hike (maybe half of it), which still allowed us to take advantage of incredible views. We went during the week and only ran into one group of hikers, which was nice. Would highly recommend this hike if you happen to visit Denali National Park!

Short but great, easy hike for an old timer. Beautiful views. Definitely bear country though!read more

5 star for a primitive camping site. They do offer bathrooms, picnic area. They have a fire ring at…read moreeach site and a table. There is a hand pimp where you may get your own freshwater. The park is based on honesty system. There's a small drop box to ask you to please deposit the correct amount of money. The sites also very short walk from a nice River. I didn't see any animals there but I saw a big pile of moose poop and moose tracks.

"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.

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!

Definitely stop here on your way to/from Denali. We stopped…read morehere one afternoon in early August. It's a beautiful memorial, and if you're lucky you might see Denali in all her glory (as we did.) She's usually only visible 30% of the time. This stop has lots of bathrooms and parking too. When we stopped we were the only ones there. Well... us and the mosquitoes. In the span of 15 minutes, I got bit 5 times. And this was the only place that mosquitoes were a problem on our whole 10 day trip.

At the start of the land portion of our fall Alaska tour we rode by bus, a good 8 hour bus ride, to…read morethe Denali National Park area. One of the rest stops was this beautiful open memorial park grove which pays homage to military veterans from Alaska. As described, "We dedicate this place in remembrance of the veterans of Alaska who have served their country at home and throughout the world. We honor their heroism and dedication." The memorial consists of five concrete panels about 20 feet high that represent the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard service branches. Each panel describes that branches contribution in Alaskan history. The memorial is located at about 147.1 along the George Parks Highway. It's located on the right side of the highway as you are driving from Anchorage to Denali National Park. A somber and respectful memorial which can be enjoyed when driving to or coming from the Denali National Park area.

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!