Denali National Park

We arrived at Denali RV Park and Motel, set up in the rain, and enjoyed soup and sandwich for lunch.  Then off for a ride to Denali National Park.  Denali, or as native Alaskans call it “the High One”, is the home of Mount McKinley, the highest mountain in North America.  The park is over 6 million acres and probably one of our most protected.  You can only drive in by private vehicle 15 miles.  To really see it (if it isn’t cloudy and is visible) you must travel by bus on the one road through the park. 

We saw almost no wildlife, and no Mount McKinley.  Only 30% of visitors are lucky enough to see Mount McKinley as the weather conditions change so rapidly.  At one point there were about 3 cars pulled off to the left side of the road so we stopped.  Someone had spotted two caribou.  If they wouldn’t have, we would never have seen them as they were quite far away, downhill and across some water and one was behind a bush.

The next day’s adventure was traveling the Denali Highway which was recommended to Mike by a Princess Tours bus driver at the campground in Fairbanks.  He said, and literature states, this highway is often overlooked by motorists, yet it offers some of the most spectacular scenery in Alaska.  It is a historic and archaeological glimpse of the Last Frontier – wilderness in all directions.  The entire route presents outstanding views of the Alaska Range, boreal vegetation, glacial features and wildlife.  We were hoping to see caribou, moose, fox, marmot, wolf, ptarmigan, trumpeter swan, and other waterfowl as mentioned in their hype.  We did see some pretty scenery, but the only critters we saw were about three or four beavers and/or marmots and three trumpeter swans.  We drove about 80 of the 135 miles.  The road connects Paxson on the Richardson Highway with Cantwell Junction on the Parks Highway.  The first 3 miles east of Cantwell (where we started) were paved.  The rest is gravel, and there were many spots lacking gravel, therefore having many potholes.   

Most of the points of interest we thought we would see, we didn’t.  Nothing was marked!  Judy thought, and finally on the return trip we saw it was more obvious, an esker which is a ridge of silt, sand, gravel and cobbles that were carried and deposited by a steam that flowed within a glacier, confined by walls of ice.  We also saw the Susitna River which is a major drainage system in the Denali region.  We did look for the Valdez Creek Mine at its viewpoint, but didn’t see a thing!  We did see the beautiful Alaska Range, the Nenana River, but never did see Mount McKinley.  There were too many clouds hanging around today (and yesterday!)

Welcome Sign



From the Archives: Seeing Mt. McKinley in 2005

Rafting the Nenana

It's a Caribou

Magnificient Scenery

Cold Glacial Stream

Threatening Weather

More Threatening Weather

Having a COOL Picnic

More Magnificient Scenery