Bike Denali — Local services in Alaska

Renting bikes through Bike Denali was a blast. I chose to do the 72 hour rental to bike the length of the Denali park trail down to Wonder Lake (~70 miles out starting from Mile 15, then returning 20 miles before I took the bus back). Brian provided not just the bike, saddlebags, bear can holder, and flat/maintenance kit, but a wealth of insight and knowledge about how best to bikepack the park - suggesting to buy a bus pass so you have the option of busing out, where the best place to get started is, even small but important details like remembering to leave a note on the dash of your parked car when you go out so folks don't mistake your car with that of a missing hiker.

Not only that, Brian was trustworthy - I forgot my compass and multitool in one of the saddlebags when I returned my gear at the end of my trip, and he stored those until I was able to pick them up the next day.

The bike itself was sturdy, well maintained, and gave me 0 issues over the course of the trip. There's some straps provided that you can strap a bear canister to on the front, bungee cords to secure a sleeping pad, and a bike rack for a car that I used to drive my bike into the park. All the straps provided were snug and secure for the duration of the trip - some surprisingly so, like the straps holding my bear canister.

The experience itself was incredible - amazing views of the mountains, a mostly empty road, multiple moose sightings, and lots and lots of pedaling. Be bear aware, and if you're going to Wonder Lake, remember your bug spray and patch any holes in your tent beforehand to keep the mosquitoes out :)

I highly recommend Bike Denali as a much more exciting and active way of getting around the park than by bus, a way of avoiding the crowds, and as a service that gives you fantastic guidance on how to bike the...

Everything about the rental experience from Bike Denali was great. The service, rental bike and gear, and the price. I would recommend this service to anyone looking for a day rental or longer. Brian is a stellar owner. He cares about his service and takes the time to interface with everyone.

This was my first time bike camping and Brian was able to answer all of my Denali related questions over the phone months and weeks in advance.

The rental bikes handled great on the gravel and mud (wet or dry conditions). Shifting was smooth, it could carry all of our gear without issue, and was comfortable for the 4 day/3 night trip into the park. Bike Denali provided all the gear we needed, just like their website stated. The panniers fit all our gear without issue. We didn't bring any bike related gear and felt that the rental gear was more than enough.

We were able to pickup the bear canisters from Brian, a day in advance, to present to the Denali back-country office so we could get our permit. Our car was fine and wasn't damaged while we kept it parked at Bike Denali during our entire trip. On Brian's recommendation, we took the camper van to mile 43 (Denali park road landslide closure) which saved energy and effort. I would recommend other new back-country bike campers do the same and keep in mind that the Denali buses only have two bike racks.

For anyone looking to do the same trip, this is the best service around and Brian is a...

Renting bikes was from Bike Denali was an excellent experience overall - great service from Brian and great bikes.

The bikes were in excellent condition, were comfortable, and were definitely the right type of bike for the days we were riding (roads were wet and muddy). Although we brought our own pedals, seat, and helmet, the rental includes everything you need. For us, the saddle bags and bear spray were much appreciated. And Brian even provided us with a bike rack for our car at no additional charge (we were staying in Healy).

We rented the bikes for three days and used the Transit Bus to get in and/or out of the park each day, depending upon the section of road we were riding for the day. Be sure to make a reservation for your bike on the Transit Bus if you planning to catch the bus at the Bus Depot for a trip into the park. Each bus can only carry two bikes.

Exploring on bike is definitely the way to go. The scenery is absolutely stunning and it's fun to try to find the wildlife during your ride. Besides the usual wildlife (bears, moose, caribou, sheep) - in some cases very close and personal - we even spotted a Lynx right along the road, something that it likely to have been missed from a bus.

I definitely want do another bike trip through Denali and will definitely use Bike Denali again. I highly recommend...