Sometimes, despite our poor planning and organization, things work out. Our trip to Denali National Park was one of those times when things just happened to work out.
We could have done a loop around Alaska that would have taken us through Denali six weeks ago during the high season (when it’s sunny). But, for no particular reason, we ended up doing that loop in reverse. Unbeknownst to us, this would put us at Denali in the middle of their spectacular two week long Fall. Another advantage of the low season visit was that there was no need for campground reservations which are normally at a premium.
There are plenty of hiking, biking and camping opportunities in the park but there is a catch. There is only one road into the park and you are not allowed to drive your own vehicle. That means you have to plan your trip (not our forte) and make reservations for a shuttle or tour bus. The road sometimes narrows to one lane perched on the edge of a cliff so I was glad to leave the driving to the professionals.
We didn’t get our sleepy heads over to the bus depot until late in the morning and there was only one bus left that day. We waffled about whether to go the next day instead but, in the end decided to go for it. It turned out to be the best weather we had seen in days.
The 11 hour drive to the end of the road and back was spectacular. The driver said the colors came out last week and by this time next week they will be all gone. I’m sure the ride during the high season is great but the colors of Fall really made it for us.
There were some clouds that topped the peaks of the Alaska range but the rest of the sky was clear all day. We never got to see all of Denali at once but the clouds and the views evolved so that by the end of the day we had seen the whole peak.
An 11 hour drive sounds long and boring but it wasn’t. The scenery continuously changed and the driver pumped us full of information about the park. There were wildlife, photo and potty stops along the way and although he will deny it, the Lil’ Dude did fit in a power nap.
Just like at Yellowstone, I ended up with 400 pictures. I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to share them all but I will put the scenery pictures in with this post and wildlife in the next post so I can fit more in. The experience will definitely go on the highlights list for Alaska as well as being fodder for future trips.
“How glorious a greeting the sun gives the mountains! “ John Muir
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