Anchorage to Talkeetna: Dream Trip to Denali

 

View from the terrace at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge, 9pm June 5, 2022

I spent three summers of my seven years at sea sailing the inside passage of Alaska with Princess Cruises. I heard passengers talk about their pre-cruise adventure in Denali National Park and it has long been on my bucket list!

Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

I absolutely LOVED my road trip adventure to Denali with Pursuit Alaska. View our Anchorage to Talkeetna experiences in the videos below and look for PART TWO with our stay at Denali Cabins, Denali Backcountry Adventure Tour and Moose sightings!

Base Camp Bistro at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge

WHERE to STAY and EAT in TALKEETNA?

The views at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge were beyond belief! I could not believe how great this location is for seeing the mountains. You can have happy hour at Base Camp Bistro outside-and then move inside to Foraker for dinner.

We had lunch at the brand new Homestead Restaurant. Chef Richard Pace is serving hearty dishes with a warm welcome right on Main Street!

Homestead Kitchen on Main Street, Talkeetna, Alaska

After lunch, I walked on to Talkeetna Riverfront Park at the end of Main Street where three wild rivers, the Talkeetna, Susitna, and Chulitna join to form the “Big Susitna River.” I loved the panoramic view of the Alaska Range! I want to stay in the cabins on the trail. In town, I met the Mayor–a cat named Denali.

Seeing Denali from the air was exceptional! Thank you to our pilot Leon & K2 Aviation for an incredible flight seeing tour, the Denali Experience. It was so awesome! Thank you to Colin Dougan for the photos of me in the Cessna.

Photo by Colin Dougan

I flew to Anchorage from Los Angeles on Delta which was also like a flight seeing tour!

Lisa in Anchorage talking about her bucket-list adventure:

What to see in Anchorage?

I loved walking the Anchorage Coastal Trail. It is easy to go through the tunnel at Elderberry Park (5th & N) and I strolled along the water to Westchester Lagoon. Next time, I am going kayaking! I saw the planes taking off from the airport and saw a train go by! I also went to Centennial Rose Garden.

WATCH ALL OF MY DENALI ADVENTURE VIDEOS HERE

Lisa Ellen Niver

Lisa Niver is an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries on six continents. This University of Pennsylvania graduate sailed across the seas for seven years with Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Renaissance Cruises and spent three years backpacking across Asia. Discover her articles in publications from AARP: The Magazine and AAA Explorer to WIRED and Wharton Magazine, as well as her site WeSaidGoTravel. On her award nominated global podcast, Make Your Own Map, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors, and as a journalist has been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded three Southern California Journalism Awards and two National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist twenty-two times. Named a #3 travel influencer for 2023, Niver talks travel on broadcast television at KTLA TV Los Angeles, her YouTube channel with over 2 million views, and in her memoir, Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.

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