Flying Next To The Tallest Mountain In North America
If there’s one experience that’s worth splurging on in Alaska, it’s a flightseeing tour around Denali. While hiking and bus tours provide incredible perspectives from the ground, nothing compares to seeing North America’s tallest mountain from the air. Departing from the historic town of Talkeetna, K2 has been offering scenic flights into the Alaska range for decades and is widely regarded as one of Alaska’s premier flightseeing operators. Here’s a glimpse at what to expect on a flightseeing tour.
Flightseeing tours give you some of the best opportunities to get unobstructed views of Denali National Park. Denali (also known as Mount McKinley) is so massive that it creates its own weather system often covering it from view. As a result, only 30% of visitors to Denali National Park are fortunate enough to actually see Denali, being that it is often hidden by clouds. We believe that booking a flightseeing tour gives you the best chance of actually seeing the mountain peak as the pilots are trained to fly around the mountain to find the best vantage points. If you have the budget, this is absolutely an experience we would prioritize on an Alaska trip!
We would recommend any of the K2 Aviation flightseeing tours. They fly out of Talkeetna, Alaska, which is about 2 hours north of Anchorage and is about 2.5 hours from Denali Park. This makes it the perfect day trip or a great way to break up the drive on the way to or from Denali National Park and Anchorage. We did their most popular tour, the Denali Flyer with Glacier Landing and absolutely loved it! A typical flightseeing tour through K2 involves 1-2 hours of flight time with the option to add 30 minutes for a glacier landing. K2 flights are generally small aircrafts that accommodate up to 12 people (including the pilot) leading to a much more personalized experience.
The tour itself gives you so much more of an intimate up close experience with the mountain that is simply not possible from the ground. We were glued to the window and in awe from start to finish. Our pilot landed on the Ruth Glacier within the Sheldon Amphitheater, where we had the opportunity to step out onto ancient glacial ice surrounded by towering granite peaks. We loved being able to take a photo with the plane with the mountains in the background! We recommend potentially wearing layers and appropriate footwear for glacier landings. Flying around Denali from the air and walking on the glacier gives you the opportunity to appreciate Denali’s enormous scale in addition to granite peaks of the Alaska Range, glaciers, remote valleys, and more.
What Is The Best Time Of Year For Denali Flightseeing?
K2 Aviation runs tours year round, so you really cannot go wrong any time of year! If you want to do a glacier landing, we recommend summertime for the most pleasant temperatures. We went in late July and the temperatures on the glacier were relatively comfortable. That being said, for best visibility, wintertime offers the highest statistical clarity and crispest skies, giving the best chances to see the full mountain. Gracie landing might not be possible during the winter as temperatures can be extreme with temperatures often below -40°F.
How Does Weather Affect Denali Flightseeing?
Weather can affect flightseeing trips at any time, so just keep in mind that visibility changes on a day to day basis. During the summer, we’d recommend scheduling a morning flightseeing tour as visibility often is better in the morning. We generally recommend booking your flightseeing tour earlier in your trip if possible to give yourself more of a chance to reschedule if necessary. K2 Aviation has a live webcam on their website that gives you an idea of current visibility. We actually ended up moving our flightseeing tour to one day earlier because the predicted weather conditions for our scheduled flight was not great. K2 Aviation is great at accommodating schedule changes if there is availability.
How Much Does Denali Flightseeing Cost?
K2 Aviation has varying price ranges for their experiences from $305 to $640 per person. As mentioned before, we felt like the experience was absolutely worth the price to get so close to the tallest mountain in North America!
What Should I Bring?
It’s smart to wear layers and appropriate footwear, particularly if you will be part of a glacier landing. You will definitely want to bring sunglasses as the reflections of the glacier ice can be intense. Don’t forget your camera as you’ll get plenty of photo opportunities throughout the experience! If you are prone to motion sickness, medications can be helpful as the ride itself can be turbulent at times. K2 Aviation, like any other flightseeing tour operator has restrictions for how much you can bring on the plane with you, so I wouldn’t plan on bringing any large bags.
Any Tips For Getting The Best Views?
Every person gets a window seat so you really cannot go wrong, but we’d recommend getting as close to the front of the plane as possible for the most unobstructed views. This way the plane wings aren’t in your view nearly as much. The pilot also might ask if anybody wants to sit at the front with them and don’t be afraid to volunteer!
Final Verdict
Overall, flightseeing in Denali National Park is one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that we will never forget. If you are booking through K2 Aviation, use the code Kelleyandcarl at checkout for 10% off your tour! Book Here
This post includes affiliate links to K2 Aviation.
