The Experience
We strongly suggest a Denali flightseeing tour as an addition to either your arrival or departure flight into Chelatna Lake. Our flightseeing partner offers a 1-hour flightseeing tour past Chelatna Lake Lodge into the national park.
As you journey toward Denali from Anchorage, be prepared for breathtaking views of the Chugach Mountains. As you ascend towards Denali itself, you’ll be treated to a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle of some of the world’s largest icefalls. A highlight includes circling over the remote base camp where mountaineers prepare for their ascent of Denali. The flight may also feature sightings of Mount Foraker, Mount Russell, and Mount Hunter, the three next largest peaks in the Alaska Range. Whether it’s the dramatic 6,000-foot granite walls of the Ruth Amphitheater, the picturesque Toklat River basin or wide expanse of endless tundra, you’re bound to uncover the grandeur of the park and capture moments that will stay with you for a lifetime.
Mount Denali & Basecamp
On every flightseeing trip, our pilots aim to fly past the tallest peak on the North American continent–Denali. Soaring 20,310 feet into the sky, it will captivate even the most skeptical family member. Its summit never reaches above freezing temperatures, and the coldest known ambient temperature at the summit was recorded at -77 degrees Fahrenheit.
Whether you’re marveling at the awe-inspiring Wickersham Wall on the north face, a colossal 15,000-foot ascent making it one highest vertical inclines in the world, or listening tales of a 12-year-old climber who conquered its summit, the mountain is fabled of stories and tragedies that have befallen those bold enough to climb it. Denali National Park’s bookstore offers a great list of Best-Selling Novels that might pique your interest and provide some more perspective.
