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Denali National Park

Awesome, awesome place. People are always talking about whether or not the weather is good enough to see Mt. McKinley, but even if you can't, there is so much else to see.

Private cars are only allowed near the entrance of the park. I took the park shuttle bus - if you stay on the bus all the way into the park, it is about an 11 hour round trip (including rest stops and photo stops). With the shuttle buses, you can get on and off whenever you like (getting back on is based on space availability - might not be able to get on the first bus that comes along). Bring food and water - there are one or two spots where you can refill water bottles, but no food is available in the park. And definitely bring binoculars - most of the animals I saw were far enough away that I wouldn't have been able to see anything without them. The bus drivers aren't officially tour guides, but my driver provided a lot of info and spotted many animals. When I was there I saw a moose, a black wolf, lots of caribou, willow ptarmigan and bears, including a sow with three cubs.

There are some shorter tours if you don't want to spend all day on a bus. There is also a tour bus that goes into the park a little farther (13 hours round trip) and that has an official tour guide and provides lunch. And there are also ranger led hikes in the park.

I stayed at the Denali Crow's Nest Cabins. They are basic cabins with shower stalls, no phone or TV. There is a restaurant on site (lunch and dinner) that is OK (burgers, steaks) and box lunches can be bought to take with you into the park. It's on the side of the mountain and has a gorgeous view. They have a shuttle bus that can take you to the park or area restaurants. You can walk to the gift shops and restaurants at the bottom of the valley, but it is a very very steep walk back.

The cabins are in five tiers, with the office/parking lot at the 2nd or 3rd level. So if you get a cabin on the fifth level, for instance, there are a lot of stairs. If noise bothers you, ask for a cabin at the end of a row so there are fewer people walking by.