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Denali National Park and Preserve Denali flight
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Denali National Park and Preserve
Flightseeing
Ready for takeoff
Ian Shive
 

One of the more dramatic ways to tour Denali National Park and Preserve is from the window of a small aircraft. From the air, park visitors can take in the enormity and diversity of the park landscape - soaring over gentle foothills, along meandering glaciers, up to the rugged peaks of the Alaska Range.  In addition to the stunning scenery, flightseers can often catch glimpses of mountaineers en route to the high summits.

 
Basecamp landing

Ian Shive

Landing strip at the Kahiltna Glacier.

The majority of flightseeing companies, including both fixed wing and helicopter operations, are based in the communities immediately surrounding the park such as Talkeetna, Denali Park, Healy, and Kantishna. Some flight tours also originate in Anchorage and Fairbanks. A variety of routes and itineraries are available, weather permitting.  Some operators offer flight tours year-round.

For an enhanced flightseeing experience, visitors can opt to land on one of the park glaciers aboard a ski-equipped airplane.  Enjoy a unique opportunity for a mid-summer snowball fight, or for the more experienced, an overnight glacier adventure. Due to variable snow conditions, glacier landings are primarily offered during the spring and summer months.

The following four flightseeing concessionaires are permitted to land aircraft on glaciers in Denali National Park:   

Fly Denali, with offices in Talkeetna and Healy, AK; 866-733-7768, www.flydenali.net

Sheldon Air Service, Talkeetna, AK; 800-478-2321, www.sheldonair.com

K2 Aviation, Talkeetna, AK; 800-764-2291, www.flyk2.com

Talkeetna Air Taxi, Talkeetna, AK; 800-533-2219, www.talkeetnaair.com 



Kantishna Air Taxi (Kantishna, AK and Denali area; (303) 449-1146 (Oct - May) and (907) 683-1223 (June - Sept), http://katair.com/index.html) provides air taxi services between the McKinley Park Airstrip, at the park entrance, and the Kantishna Airstrip, as well as flightseeing services from Kantishna.

A host of other air taxi companies are also permitted to operate within parts of Denali.

 
Flightseeing in the Alaska Range
Ian Shive
 
Private pilots interested in flying in the park should consult the pilot information page for recommended reporting points, airstrip locations, and other flight planning assistance.
 

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Image of Denali National Park in the fall

Did You Know?
Did you know that Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska is nearly 6 million acres and over 9,419 square miles in size?

Last Updated: February 08, 2011 at 18:12 MST