We spent a total of 10 days in the beautiful Denali National Park. Our 1st day we had some sunshine, then rain/cold the remainder of the time. Good for the animals I suppose, not good for pictures or our attitudes. We got to see almost all of the animals we wanted to see in the wilds. What we missed seeing were the lynx and the wolves. Others reported seeing them though, so we know they're there somewhere.
In the picture, Eloise has climbed up on a neighbor's RV to get a picture of Denali.
Alaska has taken the step to officially call the 20,320' Mount McKinley by the name Denali, the original native name for the mountain. It is the highest peak in North America, and even during the time we've been traveling, two climbers died trying to climb it. They happened to be Japanese. An estimated 50% of those who attempt it will get to the top. During one of the educational programs we attended in the park concentrated on health issues. We were given scenarios and a chart. From the point system we were to decide if this person should continue to the top of the mountain, whether they should wait and see if their bodies adjusted to the altitude or if they should be returned to the base of the mountain for medical assistance. It was a real eye opener and you can see how people who have come here to climb might be too stubborn to quit at that point.
The shuttle bus system is really good. A continuous cycle from early to late will take you without charge to anyplace on the paved section you need to go. You can catch one of the Princess buses at the visitor center for a free ride to the small berg that is outside the park bounds. Not much there except hotels and other lodging, but there are restaurants and shops too. One of the things we did was to go to the attraction called "40 Below". You can experience what it is like to be in 40 degrees below zero weather in their refrigerated room. The parkas they provide kept us pretty toasty, but we were only in there for a few minutes. The escort showed us that throwing boiling water into the air evaporated before it could hit the floor. She also blew soap bubbles into the air, and we could catch them. They freeze as soon as blown, when you catch them, they melt into a blob. There is a display area outside the room that has interesting facts about living in that kind of temperature. It costs $10 pp. (The optional picture taken under the thermometer is $10 too.) Gary couldn't believe how warm he was so I suggested he pull his hood back. That was a blast that made him realize just how cold it really was.
There is only one 90 mile road through the park. The first 15 miles are paved, and those are the only miles that visitors can drive their own vehicles on. The other miles are for the tour buses that run out of the Wilderness Access Center. Various prices take you to locations along that one highway. My personal recommendation is to just hunker down in the Riley Creek campground, and take the buses everywhere. They're nothing more than school buses, and some are a little "rattly", but most of the drivers are extremely friendly, and willing to stop anytime as long as it's safe to do so. Although we took the bus that went to the end of the line in Kantishna, I'd recommend, to anybody who asked, to only buy a ride on the bus to Eielson's new visitor center. We didn't see any animals after that stop all the way to the end of the line. The only interesting thing to me was the restored home of Annie Quigley. Whoop-de-do. Save some money. It was $43 pp to take the bus we did. Our driver was experienced and stopped for and pointed out all the animals that were out. Aramark offers another one for $150 that goes to the same place but it has a naturalist on board and they give you a box lunch. Another no brainer.
I was surprised at how few marked trails there were. Their idea is that the fewer trails, the less impact on the environment. They want hikers to take routes thru the tundra that hasn't been tramped down, walking side by side instead of following each other. A good idea I suppose, but I am prone to get lost without a trail, so we didn't do that kind of hike.
The weather as I said was rainy and cold and never dark (it did get darker after sunset, just not dark). It was beginning to bother us both...only imagine what it's like to have month after month of really cold, and really dark.
Denali is a must-see. Thoroughly enjoyed, even with my stated negative comments. It's also touristy with train loads and bus loads of visitors coming up daily from Anchorage off the cruise ships. They usually only have a few hours or an overnight to appreciate Denali. It takes longer!
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