Mount McKinley | Denali Expedition Day to Day Itinerary
Our Guide Kristie Kayl is a force of nature and a wellspring of invaluable information. She’s got the right stuff and from day 1 of our trip I felt lucky to be on her team. Kristie’s leadership skills and judgment got us up to the top and down the mountain safely. Kristie never talked down to anyone and always presented information and suggestions in a manner that was easily digestible. Facing a challenging weather and timeline scenario at the end of our trip, Kristie was our ace in the hole and I attribute the success of our summit bid to her leadership.
AAI’s food situation was way better than I expected and apparently better than most other guided groups on the mountain, at least based on conversations that I had with other climbers. I didn’t know that AAI had a reputation for having the best food on Denali, but this seems to be the case. We had some great and really well-prepared meals under the circumstances and no one ever went to bed hungry.
Please note the below is a sample itinerary, due to the nature of climbing Mount McKinley | Denali. There may be delays/accelerations due to weather and in the field guide decision-making. It is important to keep schedules flexible, as we will take extra days or combine days if necessary to give everyone the best possible chance of success. All itineraries subject to flight delays in/out of Talkeetna.
Day before your climb begins
Fly to Anchorage, arriving no later than 5:30 p.m., then travel onward to Talkeetna by shuttle. Climbers must make their own arrangements with a shuttle service and book lodging near downtown Talkeetna for night 0 and night 1. See the trip Logistics Page for details on shuttling and suggested hotels.
Day 1
Meet at the Alpine Ascents Office at approximately 9am –we will transport climbers from their selected hotel to our facility. We will provide coffee and light snacks during this morning orientation, however please eat a full breakfast prior to meeting.
The morning will start with group introductions and an expedition orientation. We’ll then move into a detailed gear check. After gear check, guides will help climbers pick and pack lunch and snack food for the expedition to supplement the lunch food climbers have brought from home.Once all equipment is ready, packs will be weighed and finalized for the flight to base camp.
In the afternoon, guides will review Leave No Trace practices specific to traveling in the Alaska Range, along with camp craft. We’ll then attend the required climber briefing from the National Park Service at the ranger station. The team will wrap up the day with a welcome dinner in Talkeenta, after which climbers will be dropped off at their hotels for an early start tomorrow. Please note, climbers will not have access to their expedition gear or left luggage after weighing in at the gear check.
If inclement weather is forecasted for Day 2, we may fly to Kahiltna Base Camp the evening of Day 1.
Day 2
Fly into basecamp, taking off from Talkeetna at approximately 8:30am. Our airplane on wheel-skis will fly into Base Camp on the Southeast Fork of the Kahiltna Glacier at 7,300 ft. The flight to Base Camp is marvelous, presenting outstanding views of countless peaks including Mt. Foraker, Mt. Hunter, and the Moose’s Tooth. Upon arrival on the glacier, the group sets up Base Camp and reviews technical skills right away. We’ll carry a load of gear to our intermediary camp (approximately halfway to the traditional Camp I), or alternatively do a single push to Camp 1. This gives us a chance to get an easy start and allows extra time for climbers to sort out any gear adjustments and dial in their sled-pulling setup. This is important, as we’ll be pulling these sleds for the next eight days. Climbers will likely be using snowshoes to travel between camps on the lower sections of the mountain.
If conditions do not allow for a flight into Base Camp on Day 2, the team may overnight in Talkeetna.
(Note: Guides may perform a full glacier travel review on this day, choosing not to travel from Base Camp.)
Day 3
Carry loads to Camp I (7,800 ft). Snowshoes may be necessary for travel between camps on the lower mountain.
Day 4
Carry loads to cache between 9,800 and 10,000 ft. (Camp II) and return to Camp I. The route this day ascents a slope called “Ski Hill,” which flattens out as we approach Camp II.
Day 5
Our carry today depends on snow/weather conditions and how the group is feeling. We’ll either ascend back to our cache and camp for the night or continue on to 11,200 ft. (Camp III.) Camp III is located in a small cirque at the base of Motorcycle Hill.
Day 6
We’ll carry all our gear to Camp III.
Day 7
We’ll carry half our gear up Motorcycle and Squirrel Hill and then traverse a long gradually rising plateau to Windy Corner. We’ll continue on around this narrow corner for a few hundred yards to make a cache (at approximately 13,500 ft.) and return to Camp III. This day provides stunning panoramic views of the surrounding peaks and the northeast fork of Kahiltna Glacier, 4,000 feet below.
Day 8
Move to Camp IV (14,200 ft.).
Day 9
Descend to our cache at 13,500 ft. and carry to Camp IV. This is an easy day as we’ll descend 700 ft., pick up our gear, and return to Camp IV.
Day 10
We’ll carry loads to 16,500 ft. and return to Camp IV. We’ll ascend 1,100 ft. of moderate snow slopes to reach the beginning of the fixed lines. Using ascenders on the lines to self-belay, we’ll climb the Headwall, which consists of 900 feet of 45–50 degree snow and ice up to the crest of the West Buttress. From there, the climb takes on an entirely different nature with views that fall off in both directions several thousand feet below us.
Day 11
Rest Day at Camp IV.
Day 12
Carry and move to High Camp (Camp V, 17,200 ft.). We’ll again ascend the fixed lines and follow the exposed ridge 600 feet up around Washburn’s Tower, and on to Camp V, which we establish on a saddle just above the Rescue Gully. It overlooks Camp IV 3,000 feet below.
Day 13
Possible rest day. Rest and prepare for the summit attempt.
Day 14
Summit day. We traverse across a steep snow face to Denali Pass. From here, we’ll follow gentler slopes to reach Archdeacons Tower and a large plateau at 19,400 ft., known as the “football field.” From the plateau, we’ll ascend moderate terrain to the crest of the summit ridge, where we’ll look down upon the immense 8,000 ft. South Face, with Cassin Ridge and the South Buttress in full view. Once on the summit ridge, excitement grows as we’ll climb the last 300 feet to the top of North America. From the summit, we’ll have a 360 degree view of the entire Alaska Range, with Mt. Hunter and Mt. Huntington to the south and Mt. Foraker to the west. These peaks, along with scores of others, make this mountain view one of the most impressive in the world. After taking photos, we’ll descend to our High Camp.
Days 15-16
Return to Base Camp. From High Camp, we spend two days returning to Base Camp, where we will board a plane and return to Talkeetna.
Days 17-21
Extra days, for inclement weather, rest and acclimatization as needed.
Please plan to depart from Anchorage the day after your climb ends after 1:30 p.m.
Note: Due to the nature of climbing Mount McKinley | Denali, there may be delays/accelerations due to weather and guide decision-making. It is important to keep schedules slightly flexible, as we will take extra days or combine days if necessary to give everyone the best possible chance of success. A detailed logistics package will be forwarded to each team member upon receipt of application. Our staff will work closely with all Mount McKinley | Denali climbers.
Alpine Ascents is an authorized concessioner of Denali National Park and Preserve.
Alpine Ascents is an authorized mountain guide service of Mount Rainier National Park
Our expedition was a superb trip. A once-in-a-lifetime adventure. I cannot say enough good things about my guides. They were superb for twenty days of trial and tribulations. By the time my expedition was over I considered them both good friends.
