Winter Tour to Denali National Park from Fairbanks with Northern Alaska Tours

Visiting Denali National Park in winter is a very different experience than when you’re here in the summertime. We had the opportunity to do a guided tour into Denali with Northern Alaska Tours from Fairbanks and it was a wonderful experience. Our guide with Northern Alaska Tour Co was Sabrina, and she was so passionate and knowledgeable about the Interior of Alaska, its towns and history. We had a great drive to the park, an indoor picnic at the Denali winter visitor center, and an easy hike looking for wildlife.

For those who are unsure about making the drive to Denali in the winter or you want to have a great narrated journey with fun stops, this may be a great option for you to consider. Take a read and if you have any questions about our time with Northern Alaska Tours to Denali National Park in the winter or need other suggestions for fun wintery things to do in Fairbanks, please leave a comment or send us a note. We’re always happy to share more and help others plan an awesome Alaska trip!

Why Do a Winter Tour to Denali NP from Fairbanks

I know a lot about Alaska and used to be a driver guide here myself, but I don’t know everything there is to know about each town and river. Being on a narrated tour to Denali National Park from Fairbanks I got to hear stories about all sorts of things and places, putting the modern Alaska we experience today into context. Our guide with Northern Alaska Tours did a great job sharing local history and anecdotes so that it was both interesting for us, and accessible to the non-native English speakers with us on our tour. It was well done.

The other highlight for us when we went out with Northern Alaska Tours was all of the animals we got to see. I know that wildlife shows up where it shows up, but we had great luck and our guide, Sabrina, was really good about making sure we got an opportunity to get a better luck. Sometimes it meant turning the tour van around (safely) or that we got to linger during one of our stops for a bit longer. Wildlife is why so many people come to Alaska and it was an appropriately big part of our tour with Northern Alaska. The stretch from Fairbanks to Denali National Park and back is beautiful and full of great wildlife opportunities!

Tip: if you want to have a more comprehensive trip, you need to also visit Denali in the summer. We have a great 3 Day Denali NP Itinerary that is easy to plan for and awesome during the summer months.

We did this exact tour!

Tips for a Great Denali National Park Tour

The tour to Denali National Park in winter from Fairbanks with Northern Alaska Tours is an all-day event. It’s flexible to the participants, meaning that it’ll take as long as the level of enjoyment everyone has and amount of wildlife everyone sees. With that, if it’s a really awesome day the tour will take its maximum time and you may not get back to Fairbanks from Denali NP until around 8:00 pm. This means that you need to plan your night appropriately, such as a late dinner and no Aurora tour that starts as early as 8:00 pm.

When it comes to meals and snacks on the Northern Alaska Tours Denali NP winter trip, no food is provided but you’re welcome to bring your own snacks, drinks and lunch. When you meet to begin your tour there is a lunch ordering option available and it’ll be sent ahead to the grocery deli in Nenana for you to pick up when you stop there on your tour. If you don’t want to order lunch, you can always just buy snacks and such to enjoy during the lunch hour and ride.

Gear to Bring for Northern Alaska Tours Winter Denali NP Trip

Visiting Denali National Park in winter, even on a great tour like the Northern Alaska Tours trip, is still a chilly experience. When you make stops for watching wildlife, checking out views or exploring in Denali NP, you’ll be outside long enough to need to be well prepared for the cold. This means warm jackets, hats, gloves and wool socks. If you’re visiting in the dead of winter, you’ll need to keep in mind that your time in Denali National Park includes being out on snowy, cold trails, so be ready for all of that.

When it comes to camera gear, Denali National Park is MY FAVORITE for photographing moose and owls. Every time of year that I visit Denali I’m always prepared with my best telephoto lenses and well charged camera batteries. Be ready for wildlife photography, both up close and from a distance.

Note: when it’s extremely cold, batteries drain very quickly. I always have three camera batteries fully charged when I start an exciting photography day.

And then I mentioned this above, but the last important thing to bring with your for your Fairbanks to Denali NP tour is you snack bag. You’ll have several hours during your time with Northern Alaska Tours where you’re driving from stop to stop and there aren’t many services open out there to purchase snacks. Just keep that in mind so that you’re not starving through the day.

What to Expect on the Northern Alaska Tours Denali Winter Trip

Now, I’m not going to give a detailed account of all the stops you might make during your Fairbanks to Denali tour, but I’ll share enough. The day begins early to make sure you can cover the distance between Fairbanks and Denali National Park. Meeting at the Northern Alaska Tours office on the southern side of the Fairbanks International Airport, at the office you’ll get a rundown of the plan for the day, you can order lunch, and sign any waivers you made need to. This is also a good time to use the restrooms before you start the drive.

Your first stop of the day is actually in Fairbanks near the University of Alaska. LARS, the Large Animal Research Station, is a great spot to get to see musk ox up close, as well as Alaska’s woodland bison. Visitation is limited to one viewing area in the winter, but it’s still cool to stop at. Continuing on, you’ll hear stories of the different mining communities through the years and stop for views of the Alaska Range and hopefully Denali. One of the longer stops, Nenana is a neat little town to visit (this is where you can pick up your lunch).

Note: if you’re okay with furs and trapping as a part of a culture and community, there is a chance to do a small shopping moment for locally trapped and processed furs including fox, caribou and other mammals.

Watching for wildlife along the way to Denali National Park, the winter landscape makes it easier to see certain animals. Moose really stand out again both the snow and the light colored grass fields. Owls can easily be spotted in the trees on the way to and inside Denali National Park. Dall sheep can be a little more difficult to spot because they are white and sometimes there will be snow on the cliffs where they hangout. Once you’re in Denali National Park, part of your Northern Alaska Tour trip includes time at the visitor center and indoor picnic area.

After you’ve eaten and gotten your National Park Passport stamp, it’s time for a hike/walk in the park. If the event that there is a lot of fresh snow, snowshoes are provided, but in general the trails you’ll visit have been packed down enough to not need the snowshoes. When you’re done visiting Denali it’s time to drive back to Fairbanks. There are bathroom/snack stops, but by the end of the day everyone is a bit tired and ready to be home. It’s a really wonderful tour and we enjoyed it very much.

Things to do in Fairbanks

I feel like when people talk about visiting Alaska, Fairbanks is a last thought, but it shouldn’t be. I love this city, it’s people, it’s dogsled culture and the beautiful nature all around it. Fairbanks is THE winter destination in Alaska with ample dark sky space to watch the Northern Lights and endless outdoor opportunities, whether you’re looking for a mellow snowy escape or hardcore Alaskan adventures. In summer, Fairbanks is a great home base for visiting the Arctic Circle, Denali National Park, spending days kayaking or fishing. It’s beautiful!

Ideas for Fairbanks activities:

Where to Stay in Fairbanks, Alaska

Keep in mind when you’re planning your trip to Fairbanks that it is not a large city. It’s the second largest in Alaska, but it’s not huge. Hotel options are limited and when it comes to booking a luxury hotel stay, that’s not really a thing here. There are nice hotels and really cool lodges and vacation rentals, but white glove luxe ain’t happening. We’ve stayed in all kinds of Fairbanks accommodations, so have solid recommendations (below). I like being based downtown if we have a diverse, busy itinerary, but staying outside of town up in the hills is such a treat, it’s worth planning a night or two away from the city.

You’ll find that the cost of lodging in Fairbanks ranges wildly from season to season. In the summer, standard hotel rooms are not likely available for under $250 per night, with the average being well over $300 per night. In the winter you can get some awesome hotel deals as low as $125 per night. Just keep this in mind as you’re planning your visit to Fairbanks or anywhere in Alaska.

Here are our hotel picks in Fairbanks: