top of page
TA hiking

Denali Guided Hikes

11. DBG-Heli-hiking
Hiking level: Easy to moderate

The Alaskan tundra is one of the most esoteric and breathtaking landforms on the planet – like nothing you’ve ever experienced before. This trip begins with an awe-inspiring flight in a helicopter landing you in a remote alpine wilderness setting. Once there, you’ll take a guided hike around the truly unique and spectacular environment. It is possible to see Denali on a clear day from this area. Hiking area is located near Mt Fellows and Yanert Valley, not in Denali National Park, but it is remote wilderness. 

  • Bring your outdoor gear: sturdy walking shoes, water, snack for the trail, jacket and rain gear. 

  • Don’t forget your camera, and bring binoculars if you have them!

  • Some basic equipment is available upon request, including rain gear, water, overboots and trekking poles.

Availability: May 15 - September 15

Times: 7:35AM & 10:35AM

Duration: 3 hours walking on tundra, 4.5 hours total

Easy

1. Northern Epics-Denali Naturalist 3 Hour Walking Tour-Easy

Lush forests. Exotic wildlife. Abundant wildflowers. These are all staples of Denali’s boreal forest. But why? Denali is a frozen wasteland in the winter. Why is it so spectacular during the summer? That’s one of the many questions we answer on the Naturalist Walking Tour. “But helpful stranger,” I can hear you saying. “I’m not a hiker! I like walking, but I can’t climb a mountain!” Well, my lovely friend, guess what? You don’t have to be an avid hiker to enjoy this tour. You’ll be on well-maintained trails the entire time. The leisurely pace will let you take in the beauty of the National Park as you walk. Listen to the twittering birds. The chattering squirrels. Stop and smell the delicate wildflowers. Later in the season, enjoy a bounty of delicious berries. Cloudberries, crowberries, lingonberries, nagoonberries, bog bilberries, and more. I’m willing to bet you’ve never heard of many of those. Want to know what they taste like? You should. They’re delicious! The truth is, I can’t touch on everything that you’ll learn on the Naturalist Walking Tour. You’ll have to book it to find out. What I can promise you is this: Your fellow travelers will be shocked by your Denali knowledge after this tour. Don’t believe me? Just watch their face when you point to a clearing and tell them the depth of the permafrost there. The benefits of delving deeper in Denali don’t stop there. When you understand something, you appreciate it. Think about your favorite things in life. You understand them pretty well, right? The same goes for your vacation. You’re traveling thousands of miles to see Denali. Don’t let it be the cookie-cutter vacation that leaves so many feeling disappointed. Chances are, you’ll learn more on this tour than on the rest of your vacation combined. You’re the type of person who wants more than the average tourist experience. You’re here after all! That’s admirable. It’s what we’re here for too. Don’t just see Denali. Experience it. Understand it.

Naturalist Hike

Hiking Level: Easy

Length: 3 Hours

Offered  daily

4. Northern Epics
Wilderness Wonders Tour-Easy to Moderate

Adventure. Authenticity. Exploration. This tour embodies these three ideas. Leave the trails and cookie-cutter tours behind. Venture off-trail through Denali’s magical boreal forest. Leave the navigation to your guide - they’re an expert. Put your present self into your future shoes for a moment. Your feet sink into the deep peat moss that carpets the forest floor. Your guide hands you a fistful of wild blueberries. They’re tastier than the ones you bought from the store. The complex flavors wash over your palette as your guide tells you about the nutritional benefits. Out of the corner of your eye you spot movement! A snowshoe hare. It hasn’t fully lost its ivory-white winter coat yet. Your guide decides to change course and follow the hare. Why not? You’re not on a trail after all. Now drag yourself back to the present. Did that sound like something you would like to experience on your Denali vacation? If so, the Wilderness Wonders Tour was designed for you. The best part? The scene I laid out for you isn’t an outlier. The magic begins when you leave the trail. The worst part? Due to the high skill level required to guide tours like this, most companies don’t offer them. You won’t get many chances to experience something like this. Don’t let the opportunity slip away. Availabilities are first-come-first-serve, so don’t wait for someone else to decide your vacation’s fate.

Hiking Level: Easy/Moderate

Length: 4 Hours

Offered  daily

Wilderness Wonders Tour

3. NWA-Triple Lakes Trail
Hiking level: Easy to Moderate

 This out-and-back hike on a graded path offers spectacular views of the Nenana River and the glacially carved Yanert Valley. At least 50 varieties of Denali’s wildflowers speckle the hillsides from purple pasque in the early season to fireweed later in the summer and delicious wild edible berries in the fall. After a gradual climb for 2 miles, the first alpine lake comes into view, and makes for a great turnaround snack break. With any luck, the resident beavers will be out for a swim. Two more alpine lakes await with a little more effort of uphill and miles.

Trip Times: 8am 

Hiking Time 3.5 hours

Level: Easy/Moderate

Distance: 4-7 miles (Depending on group)

Elevation Gain: 800-1250 feet

5. NWA-Ox Bow Trail
Hiking level: Easy to moderate

This well-traveled graded flat path is the best option for travelers with young children or folks looking for a less strenuous hike. High above the Nenana River, this 2-mile hike contours the west banks of the river so you can watch rafters brave the 36-degree rapids. Besides the river views, there are panorama vistas of Mt. Fellows, Sugarloaf Mountain and Mt. Healy as you weave through the spruce, aspen and birch forest. Halfway through the hike, you’ll reach a gravel bar where you can test the temperatures of the river … if you dare. 

Trip Time: 6:15pm 

Hiking Time: 2 hours

Level: Easy

Distance:  2 miles

Elevation Gain: 300 feet

Moderate

12. Northern Epics-Half-Day Survival Tour
Easy to Moderate

 

What comes to mind when you think of Alaska? Is it gift shops, boardwalks, and buses? Maybe commercialized tours where you’re driven along like cattle? Or is it the rugged mountains, rugged people, and independent survivalists? If you answered yes to the last question, you’re just like me. Sadly, most travelers settle for the first two options. I want to give you something better. Something more authentic. I want to take you off the beaten path of Denali. And I mean that literally. Our survival tours are entirely off-trail. That means you get the REAL Denali experience. Now it’s time to transport yourself to Denali. Feel the peat moss squish down under your feet. You’re walking on a lush green cloud. In some places, you sink down nearly a foot with every step. As you stare in wonder at the unfamiliar forest around you, your guide hands you a wild berry. You taste it. It’s good! It tastes exactly like banana cream. Your guide tells you it’s a cloudberry, and teaches you how to identify it. By the end of the tour, you know how to identify dozens of edible plants and berries. For the rest of your Alaska trip, you have a wilderness buffet everywhere you go. When you’re on hikes, people ask you how you know what’s edible. They’re impressed by your knowledge, and want you to teach them too. But it doesn’t end there! Your guide walks through the forest with you until they reach a suitable place to stop. This is where your tour gets really special. You sit down in the lush moss. It absorbs you. Your expert guide gives you a passionate lesson on authentic Alaskan survival skills. You learn how the indigenous Athabaskans refrigerated their food. You learn how to build a shelter that will keep you warm, even in the harsh climate of Denali. Your guide tells you stories of the many survivalists who have come to Denali. You hear about Chris McCandless, who met his unfortunate end just miles away from where you sit. By the time you’re done with your tour, you’re a different traveler. When you look at the forest, you see more than trees. You see where the permafrost is lower. You recognize moose signs. At a glance, you pick out the best places to build a shelter. You spot game trails, and think about what animal might have made them. You’re no longer observing Denali. You’re experiencing it! Does that sound better than the cookie-cutter tours everyone else offers? If it does, don’t wait to book. These tours are limited, and getting booked fast. If you decide to change times or cancel, you can do it for a full refund until 24 hours before your departure. Don’t lose your spot. Your only risk is waiting too long.

Screenshot 2024-10-09 at 2.25.58 PM.png

Hiking Level: Easy/Moderate

Length: 4 Hours

Offered  daily

2. DBG-Guided Denali 3 Hr Walking Tour 
HIKING LEVEL: Moderate

Walking with an experienced local naturalist is really a great way to see the complicated connections of plants, animals, and people within the splendor of true wilderness in Alaska. Trails are best described as moderate, with tree roots, hills, and mud in places. This tour is not meant to be a workout, but it is three consecutive hours of walking on sometimes unimproved trails. Average pace is about one mile per hour with frequent stops. There is time for resting, drinking, conversing and even picking berries in season. The trail is not flat. Some up and down is required for the entire length of the tour. Expect to walk 3-4 miles with up to 800’ elevation gain.

  • Bring your outdoor gear: sturdy walking shoes, water, snack for the trail, jacket and rain gear. 

  • Don’t forget your camera, and bring binoculars if you have them!

  • Some basic equipment is available upon request, including rain gear, water, overboots and trekking poles.

 

Availability: May 12 - September 15

Times: 

  • 7:40AM - 10:40AM

  • 5PM - 8PM

  • 8:30PM - 11:15PM (May, June & July only)

Duration: 3 hours​ / Moderate

Family Guided Hike Denali
Difficult

7. NWA-Rock Creek Trail
Hiking level: Moderate to Strenuous

Often the reward to a hard hike is the view, but what about seeing sled dogs halfway through a hike? As the only national park with a working sled dog kennel, Denali harnesses the 100-year history of the Alaskan husky rangers who patrol and haul supplies in the winter, and enjoy pets from visitors in the summer. You can visit the kennel by taking the human-powered route on this quiet 5-mile invigorating loop trail via Rock Creek and Roadside trails through the boreal forest

Trip Time:  2 pm

Hiking Time: 3-4 hours

Level: Moderate /Strenuous

Distance: 5 miles round trip

Elevation Gain: 950 feet

10. DBG-GUIDED 5-hr. INTERPRETIVE HIKE
HIKING LEVEL: Strenuous

This tour is for the more fit travelers. While still a narrated tour, the interpretive hike covers more ground, and explores the glacier topology in depth. The extra time on the ground gives the group a chance to see the forested area near the Nenana river, the brushy but wildlife rich sub-alpine tundra, and the gorgeous views and highly adapted vegetation of the taiga. Expect to gain 1500' in elevation and walk 5-6+ miles, off-trail at times.

  • Bring your outdoor gear: sturdy walking shoes, water, snack for the trail, jacket and rain gear. 

  • Don’t forget your camera, and bring binoculars if you have them!

  • Some basic equipment is available upon request, including rain gear, water, overboots and trekking poles.

Availability: May 12 - September 15

Time: 11:15AM - 4:15PM

Duration: 4.5 - 5 hours / Strenuous

**There is a minimum of three (3) people per hike and maximum number of seven (7).

Guided Strenuous Hike Denali

8. DBG-Denali Wilderness 4 Hour Hiking Tour.  Hiking level: Strenuous

This tour is designed to be the same intensity as our 5-Hour Wilderness Hiking Tour and for more fit travelers. While still a narrated tour the Interpretive 4 hour Hike covers more ground but a little shorter in duration. Expect to cover 4-6 miles and climb up 1500-1800' in elevation.

*Note, this tour often operates in areas just outside the National Park so we may explore the mountains off-trail and utilize locations that are more remote and have a wider variety of terrain to explore.  We can drop you off at the train depot in time for the 12:30pm train departure.


Hiking Level: Strenuous

Group size 3-7 travelers

Offered once daily 7:30am - 11:30am

9. Northern Epics-Into The Mountains Tour.  Hiking Level:  Strenuous.

Do you like jaw-dropping views? A good workout? Learning about Denali? If you answered “no” to any of those questions, stop reading now. This tour isn’t for you. If you’re still reading, then this might be exactly what you’re looking for. This is the tour that one satisfied customer (Alicia G.) said was “the best guided tour I have ever had.” Are you ready? Leave the buses and boardwalks behind. Hike high into the Alaska Range. Feel the wind in your hair and the rocks beneath your feet. As the views begin to unfold, you won’t be able to peel your eyes away. The rugged mountains rise around you like monolithic castles. The wide valleys stretch into the distance. The greens, reds, and blues of the tundra create a patchwork quilt unlike any other. Now pick your jaw back up! There’s more to see, and higher to go! Toil further up the steep ridge. Scramble over jagged rocks. Stroll along saddles filled with beautiful alpine wildflowers. Later in the season, enjoy the bounty of wild blueberries, lingonberries, currants, and more. Keep an eye out for the elusive Dall sheep. You’re in their domain now! Your guide will point out signs of them everywhere. Maybe they’ll even lead you along a sheep trail for a time. But sheep aren’t the only animal you might see. Our clients have seen moose, bear, ptarmigan, stoats, porcupines, and more on the Into the Mountains Tour. So what do you think? Will you continue with the buses and boardwalks of most people’s Denali vacations? Or will you embark with us on a grand adventure into the Alaska Range, gaining a vantage point normally reserved for the Dall sheep and golden eagles? The choice is yours.

Screenshot 2024-10-09 at 2.23.37 PM.png

Hiking Level: Strenuous

Length: 5 Hours

Offered  daily

Deposit/Cancellation Policy
Book now, pay later! 
  • Payment is collected 48 hours prior to check in, cancel 72+ hours prior to check-in, within 48 hours of arrival tour is non-refundable. 

  • Tours operate rain or shine and seldom cancel for rainy weather. If a trip is cancelled a full refund will be issued. 

  • Due to high demand and short visitor season, we highly recommend travel insurance. 

bottom of page