Several companies offer flightseeing tours of Denali National Park from the small airports in the the towns of Talkeetna and Healy. Although Talkeetna is more than 60 air miles south of the entrance to the park, it is actually closer to Mount McKinley than is the entrance. For this reason, Talkeetna is the starting point for most climbers attempting to Summit Mt. McKinley. This is the airport from which I took my own flight over McKinley. For years I dreamed of climbing McKinley one day, but that would take a minimum of three weeks time, thousands of dollars, months of physical conditioning, and would still be a risk of life. With my advancing age and limited pocketbook, I decided seeing the summit from the air was going to be the best I could do.
A variety of different tour routes and lengths are offered, with the most expensive being the summit flight.
I hesitated at first to take the McKinley Summit Tour because it cost $225, which is serious money to me. However, it was such a beautiful day and the mountain was "out," so I swallowed hard and bought a ticket. It was one of the best travel investments I ever made.
The McKinley Summit Tour departed from the airport in Talkeetna and climbed to over 20,000 feet in a twin engine, oxygen equipped airplane. There were five passengers on board, in addition to the pilot, and since I was the odd man I was asked to take the co-pilot's seat to help balance the load.
"Breathtaking," "Stunning," and "Stupendous" are not strong enough words to describe the flight. We circled the highest mountain in North America, soared close right over the summit, wove in and out between towering peaks, skirted frightenly close Denali's fabled Wickersham Wall, dipped down into shadowed canyons, and flew for miles through the great gorge of the Ruth Glacier, one of the longest rivers of ice in the world. It was definitely an experience I will always remember and treasure.