Denali, The High One

July 6, 2023

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Denali is 75 miles away from this viewpoint.  It is the only all white, snow-covered mountain 

out there at this time of year.

We just spent 4 days at Denali National Park and are feeling blessed.  Only about 10 - 20% of visitors get to see the mountain and we saw it on three separate occasions.   We drove out into the park for the 15 miles that personal vehicles are allowed to go early in the morning before the shuttle and tour buses got busy.   Because the mountain was in the southwest, the early morning light from the east made for good viewing.  We also took the bus tour out to mile 43, but didn't see the mountain on that day.   The Park Road is only open to mile 43 even for the official tour buses because melting permafrost caused a landslide that covered the road and it will be at least three years before a bridge can be built to reopen the road.  The engineers are still grappling with how to stabilize the road.  

We did a few hikes, the moderate ones that I felt comfortable and steady enough to do.  Trekking poles help.

The Savage River Loop Trail begins at the park road where the river is wide 

and braided . . .

. . . the follows the river downstream for a mile . . .

. . . gets narrower and faster moving.

This is Kris crossing the wooden footbridge to the other side before hiking back upstream

back to the parking lot.

Like the Tortoise, slow and steady won the race, or . . .

. . . at least got us back to the parking lot where Moby awaited us.

Another hike around Horseshoe Lake took us to a beaver dam.   The trail begins at the railroad crossing, took us downhill to the lake, then "what goes down, must go back up."  That was enough hiking for the day!

Horseshoe Lake down below

Beaver Dam (we did not see the animals themselves)

water spills over the dam here

Horseshoe Lake

McKinley Station Trail took us to Hines Creek

railroad trestle over Hines Creek

The bus tour was disappointing.  Some wildlife was spotted - Dall sheep, moose, caribou - but all were too far away for photos.  On our own early morning drive, we found this moose cow about 50 feet from the side of the road.

The bus tour goes out to Mile 43 on the park road before turning around at East Fork.  It was very cold and windy so we didn't stay to hike and wait for a later bus.  This is as deep into the park as visitors are allowed to go these days.

Denali is the only national park with a kennel of working dogs.  The sled dogs help patrol the park in the winter.  We saw a demonstration of how eager and excited they get while in harness.

While at Denali, we celebrated our 46th wedding anniversary.  I have lost count of how many anniversaries we have observed in campgrounds and national parks,  more than half of them.  We celebrated the Fourth of July in the small town of Healy about 10 miles north of the park by attending the parade and community barbecue at Otto Lake.

Otto Lake

We found some geocaches out on Stampede Road north of Denali.  This road ends up at Stampede Trail where Christopher McCandless of Into the Wild fame (infamy? since it did not end well for him.) A few years ago, the state airlifted the bus he lived in out of the wilderness after copycats when out there, some of them dying.  It was so quiet and peaceful once we got off the main highway.

Nice view of the Alaska Range from Stampede Road

evidence that hungry wildlife have nibbled on this cache

miles and miles of peace and quiet

My favorite John Muir quote again

After leaving Denali NP, we arrived in Wasilla after driving through rain all day.   We passed through Houston, Alaska, and had to stop for a few photos.

NOT the HFD our son, Mark, works for