Was wondering whether anyone has any thoughts regarding a helicopter excursion (1.75 hr) vs plane excursion (2.5 hr)? Price is about the same for each tour.

If price is the same, but the flightseeing excursion is that much longer I would probably opt for that one. I will add that seeing this region by air is definitely the way to go.
Nancy

Thanks for your input.

The one thing that a helicopter offers, is the ability to hover. If you are a photography buff, a helicopter is easier to take pictures from.

Thanks penny3333. I thought of that advantage, but I only have a point-and-shoot camera anyway (nothing fancy), so I think I'll go for the longer ride. I appreciate your feedback.

I took a plane ride oround Mt. MCinnly and I can tell you what we saw was spectacular but I will warn you the 90% of the time the mountain is surrounded by clouds and fog and getting close may be difficult. The mountain peaks leading up to Denali offer plenty of scenery though. As far as a helicopter or plane? You will have limited visibility in a plane depending on where you sit. This also holds true for a helicopter based on the copter's size and configuration (which you may not know what you're getting until they know how many people they're taking).

I would go on either as both are enjoyable. If you've never riden in a helicopter and can afford the extra cash then go that route as the pilot has more options when it comes to holding one position for site seeing.