South on Parks Highway toward Denali.
We arrive at a chilly Denali National Park and check out the camping opportunities.
I was surprised and a little put off by their visitor’s center. Large digital screens line the wall behind the help desk displaying availability at each campground within the park. A starbucks kiosk gargles and steams near the gift shop.
Denali is unique to most of the National Parks I’ve been to. There is only one road into Denali Park. The first 15 miles west of the highway are accessible with public vehicles. The remaining 75 miles are only accessible by shuttle bus. We paid for two nights camping and a bus tour of the park and preserve.
The first night we stayed in a walk in tent camping site. This was the only option available. We weren’t exactly prepared with temperatures in the low 40’s overnight but were still excited about camping VAN-less. The mystique quickly wore off. We huddled around the campfire while light rain saturated my 0% waterproof cotton sweatshirt.
As the last of our scavenged firewood made it into the fire ring, a guy at the adjacent campsite quickly set up his tent. He made his way over to us asking to warm up by our fire.
We gathered some more damp wood and introduced ourselves. His name was Niv and was traveling from Israel across the Canadian Rockies and into Alaska. We talked for a while about traveling, culture, and how to make S’mores. He offered us a Snickers bar in exchange for our hospitality and went to bed.
Denali tent camping provided great opportunities such as cold jagged rocks in my back, wet clothes, and warnings of an agitated moose charging campers.
The next day we were able to camp in a vehicle accessible campsite. Temperatures were low and it drizzled on and off all day. We made the most of it exploring the park a little bit and planning out the next leg of the trip.
We took the shuttle out to Eielson Visitor Center at 7:00 AM the next day. Three overcast days in a row provided ZERO glimpses of Mt. McKinley so far. It’s strange to think a 20,000 foot tall mountain can hide from view completely. A few miles into our trip we pulled over to watch a grizzly bear munching on some roots. Awesome. Our overly enthusiastic bus driver cheered.
The shuttle was a little bit difficult to see out of once the rain started, but we were still able to get some great views of wildlife. Caribou were plentiful but distant.
Apparently a grizzly bear killed a moose calf on the Savage River Trail a few days before we got there. In the best interest of hikers’ safety, park rangers relocated the calf to a remote area near the Savage River Bridge.
The bus pulled over on the bridge and sure enough, there was a grizzly bear devouring the calf! Forget Mt. McKinley, seeing this was much more memorable.
Eielson Visitor’s Center provided great views of thick fog directly in front of our faces and photos of what the mountain should look like.
This was our best view of the day.
Denali is the only National Park with a dog sled team. We stopped to see the new puppies and sled demonstration.
After being enticed by the advertisement in the Denali newspaper, we went to 49th State Brewery. We stuffed our faces with a burger, a reuben and some beers.
They had the bus made famous by the book and movie Into the Wild. It was depressing to see it used as a marketing tool emblazoned on their merchandise.
South on Parks Highway for a campsite.
Next stop Trapper Creek Alaska.