I'm an Alaska resident driving to Fairbanks and stumbled across the McKinley Princess lodge just a few minutes ago (I'm sitting in their parking lot typing this over an EV-DO/1xRTT cell connection--I was searching for their site to check rates, as the desk supervisor said you can sometimes find some $99 per night rates on their site, especially on light Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). I just walked through the main lodge area, and I must say it looks like a very relaxing place to stay and has a stunning view.

The McKinley Princess is pretty far from any major (even by Alaskan standards) outposts of civilization. It's about an hour north of Talkeetna (two north of Wasilla and three north of Anchorage) and a good hour south of the actual park entrance. As has been said before, I'm not seeing much in the way of non-Princess offerings--about the closest self-guided thing to do would be to drive back towards Talkeetna and go fishing on one of the many creeks (which is what real Alaskans do--Montana Creek, Kashwitna Creek and the many other signed creeks that cross the highway are littered with various salmon at different times of the year). By the sound of it, you're probably taking Princess' bus, and without a car, you're not going to be able to do much on your own here. (You sure won't find a taxi three hours away from Anchorage...)

It's great for a peaceful weekend retreat or if you're a seasoned citizen and looking to be spoon-fed the Alaskan experience, but if you're looking for the adventurous side of Alaska, your best bet would be to stay away from the prepackaged cruise company offerings and do your own thing.

Hold on a sec--I just saw a van for "Trapper Creek Tours" (Trapper Creek is the nearest "town"). You may be able to arrange something with them--look them up online. In fact, look for small (locally-owned) tour operators in the Trapper Creek area online. If you have trouble finding one, post here again and I'll look in the Mat-Su Valley phone book under Trapper Creek and see if I can help you find something.

The Kenai Princess, which I stayed at once for a friend's wedding, is much the same way. It's probably walking distance to the Kenai River (probably *the* most popular fishing spot in the state), but I don't think it's really within walking distance of any trails (my Google Earth is running slowly over the 1xRTT connection, and the resolution for that area is lacking, anyway). I know the popular Resurrection Pass trailhead, which goes probably several dozen miles across the Kenai Mountains to the town of Hope (and also features several shorter spurs), is nearby, but I can't say that it's within walking distance. Again, without a car, your options are limited. Check with them, though, and see if they have a shuttle, and also look for locally-owned tour operators in the Cooper Landing (the nearest "town"--gas station might be more like it) area. Same applies--let me know if you're having trouble.

The Denali Princess is a bit better. It's close to the park entrance, and I'm sure they offer a shuttle to the park visitor's center, from which you can catch a park-operated bus all the way into the park on the closed-to-public-traffic road (the Princess-operated buses only go to Mile 15). Be aware, though, that the park-operated buses go something like 60, 70, or 80 miles into the park--an adventure that can all day or more (i.e. 8 hours each way, I think, so plan accordingly). Check out the NPS's Denali National Park site and click on Bus Services for more details on this. The bus (read about them carefully, as there are several different ones) can take you all the way to Wonder Lake (the end of the road), or you can get off at any of the designated intermediate spots (Teklanika River, Polychrome Pass, or Fish Creek), from which you can camp, hike, or just sit and watch the wildlife.

All right, I'm due in Fairbanks in a few hours, so I'd better get back on the road. Enjoy your trip, and if you need any other pointers, PM me or post back!