Wow! Thanks for the really fast and imformative response! Now I have even more questions... (a good thing)
Originally Posted by chococat
Permits are issued for specific units in the park, so depending on where your permit is, that's where you start your trip. Plan several trips based on the different park units since you won't be assigned a unit until you get there.
Are there more popular and/or scenic units? Can one request specific ones, or is their assignment a truly random process?
I'm going partly as an amateur (or pretend) photographer, so having interesting things to see would be a big plus (and spectacular, religious-experience type vistas would be nice
). So any recommendations for areas of the park that would be good?
And can one make reservations in advance, and cancel should the trip fall through?
Originally Posted by chococat
The backcountry is fantastic, but it's pretty rough, there are no trails (other than game trails) so it's hard to cover a lot of ground quickly, we had a hard time covering 5 miles (with big packs) in a day (we are used to covering much, much, more) because of the terrain-- lots of bushwacking and dead ends.
If the bushwacking ever a problem? I don't want to spend the whole day wacking away, but certainly expect to do some (indeed, it makes it all seem more remote).
Originally Posted by chococat
There are also lots of bears so make sure you have bear-proof food containers and know how to use them.
I understood that these are issued by the park itself. Correct?
Originally Posted by chococat
If you can't get a campsite reservation, you can always camp in the "walk in" campsites by the park entrance (or at a commercial campsite outside park boundaries) and day trip into the park using the bus system.
Bit confused about the difference between campsite reservations and "unit" permits. If I make my reservations now, what exactly will I be reserving?
These campsites... are they developed areas with (basic) bacilities? Or just bare spots designated as places to pitch a tent?
Do most people set up camp and then just wander around, without breaking camp? Or do people also hike every day to a new site?
Originally Posted by chococat
You can leave extra food in lockers at the campgrounds.
This is what makes me think the campsites are more developed.
And final question... do you come accross a lot of people? Or is it really the wilderness?
I'd like to one day climb McKinley... but will leave that for another time.