Denali National Park

Visiting Denali is not like the other National Parks I have been too. Most, if not all, other parks have roads that bring you to the historic sights or viewpoints, Denali is different. There is a single 90-mile road, but only the first 15 miles are accessible by the average visitor like myself. After that 15th mile, only tour buses are allowed. This conserves and protects the park, and its wildlife, so I have no real complaint about it. Sure I’d love to see more than 15 miles of the park, but the only option is to ride for hours on a bus filled with tourists… no thank you.

IMG_4768So, Kerri and I made the 15 mile drive, and then we got out and hiked the entirety of the Savage Creek Trail (about two miles round trip). Now, with all my moaning above it may come off that I did not like it, but in fact I did. Kerri and I saw our first ever Caribou along the trail, complete with freshly grown antlers still covered in velvet. Later we spotted what seems like our 100th Moose since crossing into Canada from Montana. I suspect that one day I will tire of seeing these large animals, but this day was not the day. And the scenery was just as it should be – amazing.

IMG_4791 IMG_4829At the end of the day we drove only a few more dozen miles down the Parks Highway and have stayed the past few nights in a large gravel pullout, only 2 miles from the National Park boundary, with an amazing view into the park.

IMG_4840Denali is my 67th National Park visited (not including the two Canadian National Parks visited) with two more coming while here in Alaska. However, with the visit only encompassing 15 miles of the 6 million acre park, I have not yet been able to see Mt McKinley (the highest mountain in North America) which to me, *is* what this park is all about. Hopefully that will change in the next day or two.

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5 Responses

  1. Michele Overacker says:

    Loved seeing the pictures of the moose and caribou – great shots! I hope you and Kerri have better luck seeing the top of Mt. McKinley than we did when Kerri was little. It was always hidden in the clouds.

    Hope you guys have a great Fourth of July!

    • Van-Tramp says:

      Thanks! So far no sighting of McKinley. Been rainy the past few days and right now we are not in position to see it even without the clouds. The next two days look hopeful, so fingers crossed

  2. caroline seattle/las vegas says:

    I hope you will reconsider a bus trip into Denali .. the wildlife and scenery are spectacular! A Denali shuttle is a must-do for any trip I make to Alaska. If I had the time I’d spend a week there and ride the shuttle every day. (on my list for the retirement trip.)
    With the shuttle buses you can hop off anywhere along the road to walk or hike (as long as there is no wildlife nearby), then you flag down a bus when you’re ready to roll again. OR, if you take the shuttle to Eielson Visitor Center it only takes about 4 hrs, then you can eat lunch at the VC, and hike for a few hours. When you’re ready to leave, the bus dispatcher will find you available seats. Hope you’ll reconsider … it’s not like you’re riding a school bus full of screaming kids., just people who are pre-occupied with spotting wildlife. And if you don’t like your bus-mates, you can hop off and wait for another bus.
    Regardless …. I’m enjoying your blog. I’m following several Alaska blogs this year to glean info for my future trip. Thanks for sharing !

  3. pjreads says:

    If you make reservations for Teklanika CG you can drive your airstream in and stay for 3 nights, makes the bus ride shorter if you decide to take one because you start and end further down the road. You can just ride the bus an hour or so, get off and hike, then take the bus back.

    • Van-Tramp says:

      Yea. It is my understanding that those campsite reserve pretty quickly after they become available, many months out. Our issue was that we did not want to have predetermined dates that we *had to* be anywhere for a reservation or anything else. This came at a cost of course, but allowed many other freedoms

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