Frequently Asked Questions
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Some of our hiking tours are located in Denali National Park, while others are located just outside of it. Denali National Park itself was created for the Dall sheep rather than the scenery, and we try to do our tours where we can give you the best experience - which isn't always inside the National Park. If you really care about having a tour inside the Park boundaries, book our Naturalist Walking Tour! Our Naturalist Walking Tour takes place inside National Park boundaries every single time — unless the Park is closed for some reason!
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We have several tour options depending on what you want. All are day hikes, and some have a focus on Alaskan survival.
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All ages are welcome for our Naturalist Walking Tour, Wilderness Wonders Tour, and Denali Survival Tour. However, we require travelers to be ages 12 and up for our Into the Mountains Tour.
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Our hikes are based on time instead of mileage. Each group goes at their own pace. This is so that no one ends up feeling rushed or disappointed by how long or short the hike was! The duration of each hike is listed on its tour page.
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Make sure to bring comfortable hiking shoes, water, sunscreen, bug spray, and anything else you may need for your hike. Some tours have specific recommendations, so keep an eye out on the “What to Bring” section of your confirmation email. Keep in mind that you will be carrying whatever you have on your back; pack accordingly.
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Free hotel pickup is included with each tour purchased. Specific pickup and drop off times will be arranged personally with your guide.
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Our professional guides are very experienced with the local terrain, and are constantly adventuring and exploring new areas. They are also well-versed in natural navigation - feel free to ask them how they do it! In addition, they have Wilderness First Responder certifications. That means they're better prepared for a backcountry emergency than an EMT. They carry GPS and SOS devices on every tour to safely navigate through the dense forest.
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Yes! Northern Epics has a Commercial Use Authorization agreement with the National Park Service that allows us to operate inside of the Denali National Park boundaries! However, not every tour takes place inside the National Park boundaries.
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Absolutely! Our Denali hiking tours are crafted specifically to work well for groups of mixed abilities! We run our tours based on time rather than distance, so we can go at the pace of the group. Companies that guide a set trail often end up having to rush or slow a group to make it to the end on time, and we want to avoid that. We also have a position called the Falcon, whose job it is to swoop in in the event that a group that has such mixed abilities that they’re incompatible. In this case, the Falcon can take part of the group at a different pace so no one feels left out and everyone gets a personalized pace and guide. The Falcon is always a fully trained guide as well, so if they need to jump in it’s only going to make the experience better for everyone!