Tundra Wilderness Tour

Question

My group of 5 adults have booked the tundra wilderness tour for July 13th. When booking I indicated a pick up at the bus depot not knowing this would be the last stop. We would like to get the best seats on the bus (windows up front). For this reason should we plan to board at the first hotel pickup? We have a rental car so it would not be a problem to drive to the hotel and leave the car in their lot (?) Which hotel is the first pick up spot? Thank you.

Answer

Yes, you *can* board the Tundra Wilderness Tour from one of the hotel pickup locations rather than the bus depot, and doing so may improve your chances of getting a more favourable seat (front row, window side) if you plan ahead. However, there are a few caveats and things to clarify.

Here are the details to consider:

The Tundra Wilderness Tour offers pick-ups at “many Denali area hotels and the Denali Bus Depot”.
Your exact pickup time and stop (which hotel) will *not* be fixed until about 48 hours prior to your tour date. The tour operator assigns specific times and pickup locations based on the day’s schedule.
According to forum posts, those staying at hotels inside the Denali Park Village area (for example ) observed that “they said they pick up first there”.
You asked about which hotel is the *first pick-up-spot*. Unfortunately, the operator does *not* publish a guaranteed “first pick up” hotel every day. It depends on routing, the number of guests, and scheduling. Many guides say “stay in line early at your pickup hotel if you can” to maximise your chance of front-row/wind-shield view seats.

What I would recommend you do to optimise your seat location:

Call or email the tour operator (or your booking agent) and ask if you can *select your pick-up hotel* ahead of time (or confirm your hotel fits into the early pickup group) because you have a rental car and are flexible to drive to the earliest hotel pickup. Explain your goal is to board first for best seats.
On the morning of the tour, get to the hotel lobby *10-15 minutes before* your scheduled pickup time (once you receive it) and ask at the desk which bus number is yours and where the line-up will be. Being first in the line helps secure a good seat. Forum users report that being early matters.
If your rental car allows you to arrive early at the hotel lot, that’s a good strategy: pick a hotel pickup point you know is in the “park village” cluster rather than the bus depot stop (which is typically last in the sequence).
Keep in mind the bus seats are first-come, first-serve once you board. The guide will fill the seats by whoever gets on first within your pickup group. So arriving early at the pickup location is key. Forum feedback: “I got lucky … we stayed at Denali Park Village because they said they pick up first there …”

Bottom line: Since you have a rental car and flexibility, yes—drive to a hotel pickup point rather than the bus depot if that allows you to board earlier. However, you likely won’t know *which hotel* is exactly first until the schedule is published. Choose a hotel listed as a pickup point inside Denali Park Village or the “main lodge/hotel zone” near the entrance, arrive early, and confirm the bus number at check-in. Doing this gives you the best chance to sit near the front windows and have a great wildlife/landscape photo view.

Tundra Wilderness Tour

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