Which Denali flight to choose

The four routes side by side

Every route is flown to the weather of the day, so the pilot may change the order or skip a section where cloud sits. The highlights above are what the listings promise when the sky allows. A note on the name, too. We call the mountain Denali, as many Alaskans do. A January 2025 executive order made Mount McKinley its official federal name again, and GetYourGuide files these tours under that name, but the park is still Denali National Park and Preserve.

Southside Explorer, one hour

TAT's Southside Explorer from ~$351 is the shortest TAT flight and the most reviewed on our site, at 4.9 from 201 guests. About 10 minutes after take-off you leave the braided rivers of the Susitna Valley behind and meet the range. The pilot follows the Ruth Glacier into the Great Gorge, where rock walls a mile high hem in ice roughly 4,000 ft (1,220 m) deep. Beyond it lies the Don Sheldon Amphitheater, a basin of snow below the south side of Denali, 20,310 ft (6,190 m) at the summit.

What you miss is the western side of the mountain and the long Kahiltna Glacier. For a first look, or for anyone uneasy about time in a small plane, an hour is plenty. With a landing the trip stretches to 1.5 hours.

Mountain Voyager, 75 minutes

The Mountain Voyager from ~$469 flies the Southside Explorer's route, then swings west. The extra 15 minutes reach Denali's west faces and the Kahiltna, a glacier of about 45 miles, under Mt. Hunter at 14,573 ft (4,442 m) and Mt. Foraker at 17,402 ft (5,304 m). TAT counts seven big glaciers on this flight, its "Southside Seven", from the Kahiltna and the Ruth to the Coffee and the Buckskin. The spare air time also gives the pilot room to hunt for clear views on a patchy day. Every English-speaking reviewer so far has given it five stars.

Grand Denali, 90 minutes

Our pick, the Grand Denali from ~$586, is the TAT flight that goes around to the far side. After the southern glaciers, the pilot crosses one of two passes beside Denali, weather permitting, and comes out above the flat alpine tundra of the park's north side. Ahead stands the Wickersham Wall, Denali's north face, which the listing credits with 13,658 feet (4,163 m) of vertical relief. TAT calls this its longest and most comprehensive flight, and one recent reviewer put the advice in a line: "Do the longer tour of Denali."

The catch is the passes. If cloud closes them, the pilot stays on the south side and spends the time there, so the north face is a hope rather than a promise. Rated 4.9 from 194 reviews, it is still the flight we would book first.

K2's landing flight, 105 minutes

K2 Aviation's Denali flight tour with glacier landing from ~$544 starts on the ground. Before take-off you sit by the fireplace with a hot drink and watch a short flight video in K2's theater. A safety briefing and an assigned window seat follow. The route crosses the Susitna Valley, where moose and bears sometimes show, then climbs the Tokositna Glacier through Little Switzerland to the Kahiltna, which K2 calls the longest glacier in the park. From there it slips behind Mt. Huntington and along the south face of Denali, within about 6 miles of the summit, past the Moose's Tooth and the Bear's Tooth into the Sheldon Amphitheater and the Great Gorge, before landing on a glacier.

It is a south-side flight with the landing included rather than a loop to the north. Set against a Mountain Voyager with a landing, it covers similar ground, and the difference comes down to the company and the price structure.

K2's three-in-one listing

K2 also sells a guided tour of the park by air from ~$335 with three lengths in one listing. The one-hour Experience comes within six miles of the summit and takes in the Sheldon Amphitheater and the Great Gorge. The 1.25-hour Flyer adds Mt. Foraker and Mt. Hunter along with the climbers' base camp on the Kahiltna at 7,200 ft (2,195 m). The 1.5-hour Grand flies a full circle that includes the Wickersham Wall. The listed price is for the Experience, and K2 prices the longer options at $410 and $495 on its own list. It also flies a Top of the World route, its highest, up to 20,000 ft (6,096 m) for $545. The park fee is included.

TAT or K2

Both companies fly small groups of up to 10 from the Talkeetna State Airport, and every seat has a window. TAT offers more routes, including the Grand Denali to the north face, and it flies year-round with a single noon departure in winter. Its check-in includes an up-to-the-minute weather briefing, and the company says its pilots average 12 years of flying in the park. K2 puts more into the ground experience, with its fireplace lounge and loaner sunglasses, and includes the park fee on its three-option listing. Reviews are excellent for both, so choose on route and timing rather than on the name on the tail. If you are still weighing a start from the park entrance instead, see Talkeetna or the park entrance.

How to choose

• First flight, or nervous. Southside Explorer, one hour. Our guide for nervous flyers covers turbulence and seating;
• The whole mountain. Grand Denali, if the passes are open on your day;
• Standing on snow. K2's landing flight, or the landing added to any TAT route. What the landing is like;
• Climbers and base camp. Mountain Voyager or K2's Flyer in May or June, when climbers camp on the Kahiltna. The season guide has the months;
• Photographers. A longer flight gives the pilot time to find the light. Our photo guide covers the window and settings;
• Watching the budget. The price guide shows what each route and landing adds.