My wife and I took "Double Denali" package in July on HA. We spent the night in Anchorage then took the breathtaking and comfortable McKinley Explorer train to Denali National Park. Each glass-domed car has a narrator/guide, a bartender (of course) and a waitress. Our guide was excellent. The scenery was magnificent. The sky was clear making Denali and the other mountains clearly visible.The lower level of each car contained a dining car and outdoor viewing platforms.

We stayed at the McKinley Chalet Resort owned by HA. It's a vast property with great public spaces and decent food. There are a variety of good restaurants across the road from the main entrance to the hotel, as well as extensive and well maintained trails. Unfortunately it's not air conditioned and our room was stifling, even with two fans going.

The next day we got up very early (again-it's a good thing Alaska's three hours behind CDST) to board the seven hour Tundra Wilderness Tour. To be honest I had some trepidation about spending seven hours in a bus in the middle of nowhere but it turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip. The scenery was amazingly pristine and the wildlife viewing was beyond our expectations. The bus makes regular bathroom/stretch your legs stops and we were able to get good, reasonably priced box lunches at the hotel. Again we were lucky to have an entertaining, knowledgeable driver/guide. Read more