After my brother's graduation from Colorado State University in December, we started planning a trip for him to come and spend some time in Alaska. I don't get to see him very often, so it's something that I'd looked forward to all year. I wanted to plan a few trips to show him what I love so much about being here.
One obvious choice was Denali National Park. Much like other parts of Alaska, there's an incredible amount of wildlife, spectacular views, and wide open expanses in all directions. Something that's very unique about Denali though, is that aside from a few special permits, cars are not allowed on the only road that takes you in for the majority of the year.
The park entrance is 240 miles north of Anchorage. From there, a single 90-mile dirt road is the only way in or out. The park itself is roughly 6 million acres. A piece of trivia that's always put that in perspective for me is that it's larger than the entire state of Massachusetts. We stopped to pick up a backcountry permit at the Wilderness Access Center, took a required safety course, grabbed our bear canister for food, and hopped a bus for a 3-day backcountry trip.
"Known wolf packs are here... Here... Here... Here..."
This is just one of the wild weather swings that we saw on the trip in. The previous three photos were taken less than 15 minutes apart. Overall, we were very lucky when it came to the weather. The rain was mostly at night and we got to see the mountain, which can be surprisingly uncommon in the summer even where you're as close as we were.
The park is divided into 87 zones. As long as the number of people in each area is low, you can choose pretty much anywhere you want to go. You are restricted to camping in your designated zone, but can wander anywhere you like. One of my favorite things about the park is that you're allowed to camp where you want as long as you are not visible from the road. This makes for an excellent experience as you travel into the park because you only see the landscape and wildlife. After a good hike in, the rain started up again and we decided to set up under a ridge past a series of hills obscuring us from the road. We had lots to dry the next morning.
As we made breakfast we noticed that there was a clear path over the ridge behind us. After climbing over the top we were excited to see that there was a wide open valley below with plenty of room to explore.
There are no trails in Denali. At least not in the way that we tend to hike. It's all up to you to find where to go and how to get there. It can be challenging, but also incredibly freeing.
Still near the top of the hills, we notice a pair of brown bears drinking from the banks of the river below us. If we could make it down the hill fast enough, cross a field, scramble across a small stream tucked in somewhat deep brush, get up onto the next ridge, we thought we'd have a great place to watch them from a safe distance and take some photos. Unfortunately, in the time it took for us get there they had disappeared. Either way, it still made for one of the most fun hikes I've ever done.
Coming back up the ridge offered us the best views of Denali and Foraker. We took a rest and I set up a few shots as the clouds started to come back. Due to rain and efforts to cover ground quickly heading out, I didn't have my camera out for much of the rest of the trip. It was great just to catch up with my brother and enjoy the meals and walks.
... So, where are the animals, right? We actually saw so many on the trip, it became impossible to keep count. Here are just a few that we saw along the way.
As I mentioned, we camped the first night in the rain. It was such a nice surprise to wake up to clear skies and sunshine that I wasn't really even looking around as I crawled out of the tent. I was just soaking in the warmth. As we walked toward where we had decided to make breakfast, my brother noticed a small herd of caribou climbing over the ridge and practically right into our campground. For the next hour, we got to watch them pick their way down the ridge, walk across steep shale slopes, and graze on the green tundra grass. It was an experience I'll never forget.
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