I'm taking my six and nine year old daughters to Anchorage in August to visit my sister. Assuming we survive the LGA-MSP-ANC flight in Northwest coach, we would like to go to Denali via rail. Has anyone done this trip? How are the hotels at Denali?

The news is good and not-so-good:

The Anchorage-Denali train (which continues on to Fairbanks) is a bit unusual, in that it includes not only Alaska RR cars but also, and in fact primarily, cars that belong to cruise lines and that are filled with their cruise passengers. I haven't taken the Anchorage-Denali portion of the train (but would imagine that the cruise people make it herd-like); I have been on the Alaska RR between Seward and Anchorage, and it was absolutely wonderful. I'd think that your daughters would love the trip to Denali.

Hotels in Denali are another thing. They are all very large, without much character, and absolutely targetted to cruise ship people. We stayed in Healy, about 10-15 miles from the park entrance, and the accommodations were far better and far less expensive than those in Denali. However, a car is necessary.

Denali hotels are not impressive. Denali Princess will probably be more reasonable and offer more consistent service than others, but it's not a particularly memorable hotel. It's owned by Princess Cruises, I think, and overwhelmed by their passengers. I've stayed there after driving from Homer(!).

One thing to keep in mind - the train trip is *long* at about 7-8 hours (longer than driving, which takes about 5). For young kids, Denali is best seen on the tour buses that the park runs from the info ctr. Dunno if your kids get bored easily, but that could be a lot of just sitting and riding.

You might want to consider hitting the Alaska State Fair (http://www.alaskastatefair.org/index.html) in Palmer also - it's the last 10 days in August. I think your kids are the perfect age to enjoy the giant vegetable contests and other bizzare agriculture-y stuff.

In researching my alaska trip on another forum, I saw several complaints from people who said the train ride to Denali was too long and boring. I saw one guy say that is crazy, the dome cars are great. I guess it must depend partly on the weather, how foggy.

However, everyone seemed to really like the Seward - ANC run, including people who had done both runs.

Never done the train, but would recommend the Denali Bluffs Hotel right near the park. Nothing fancy, but clean and well-maintained. I believe they have opened another hotel in the area, the Denali Grand, which is even nicer though more costly. As noted, Denali Princess is owned by the cruise line and is where they put their passengers...I would avoid. You may have difficulty booking rooms for August this late as that is peak season.

I may be able to help a little here, having lived in ANC for many years (and wishing I could move back). The train from ANC to Denali should be fun for your daughters, but you might want to consider renting a car and driving instead. That way, you'll be able to stop off at Talkeetna (rustic little town about 100 miles north of ANC), as well as do the State Fair in Palmer. Also, the train can get boring for little ones after a couple of hours.

As far as the Fair goes...the giant produce is the only thing that sets it apart from your basic Lower 48 county fair. You'll spend a lot of money for very little. My recommendation...go north out of Palmer about 10 minutes to the Musk Ox Farm instead. The kids will love the Musk Ox...and you'll make brownie points with a quiviut scarf for someone. It's as soft as cashmere and a lot rarer...

Mark

<font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2">Originally posted by mgillespie:


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As far as the Fair goes...the giant produce is the only thing that sets it apart from your basic Lower 48 county fair. You'll spend a lot of money for very little.
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Mark - I think you overestimate the life experience of us New Yorkers. Many of us have never been to a county fair. http://www.flyertalk.com/travel/fttravel_forum/smile.gif I dunno about Schutzee, but I thought the 4-H competitions with the little kids and their sheep and goats was awesome. I was sitting in those bleachers, transfixed, for about two hours. The vendors *are* pretty crappy, though, particularly the ones inside.