Denali National Park and Preserve

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This park is truly a national treasure. At 6 million acres, it is larger than the state of Massachusetts. Only one road goes into the park, and it stops after 90 miles, by design. Only park buses can travel the entire length of the road, so if you want to go in on the ground, you take the bus and ride for hours—but what a ride! Many people opt for flight-seeing tours, it is so magnificent.

Mount McKinley, also referred to as Denali (the High One), is the jewel of the park and the king of the 600-mile Alaskan Range. The mountain is the highest in North America at 20,320 feet, and still growing at a rate of about one millimeter per year due to active plate tectonics. Measured from its 2,000 foot lowlands near Wonder Lake, its vertical relief of 18,000 feet is even greater than that of Mount Everest. It is a mountain climber’s magnet. Solid granite and slate, it is mostly covered by permanent snowfields and ice that is hundreds of feet thick in places.

While the mountain is usually covered by clouds and only visible a fraction of the time, we were extremely fortunate to see it several days in a row. During our drive north, we first spotted Denali from the highway near Willow, over a hundred miles away. Words cannot describe the wonder as this mega-mountain loomed in the distance, beckoning us to come closer. Our camera lens tried, but failed, to capture what the naked eye saw. We will have to rely on our memories and our pitiful camera shots to conjure up all the beauty we saw.

Wildlife is also abundant in and near the park. We spotted the big four (or the Grand Slam, as our tour bus driver called it)--moose, bear, caribou, and Dall sheep. The sheep weren’t captured on film, as they looked like white dots on the mountain. Only through binoculars could you actually see them. They graze high up on the slopes, and can easily climb higher to avoid predators. The caribou spotted were all loners, and our driver explained that they don’t form herds until fall, when mating season begins and they begin their annual migrations.

We will always treasure our memories of this magnificent place!

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Photos

Denali--the High One
This was a zoom shot from Denali Viewpoint North, an Alaska State Park, where we overnighted on the way to the national park--75 miles away.

Where's Coco?
This provides some perspective as to how far away the mountain really was in the last shot.

Another Perspective
This one taken from farther north on the Parks Highway...note that the mountains in the foreground are very tall from 11,600 to 17,400 feet.

Park Sign
Always beckons as a photo opportunity

Denali Park Road
Across the tundra towards the Eielson Visitor Center

Denali Again
From the Eielson Visitor Center terrace

Another Zoom Shot
From the Eielson Visitor Center

Young Bull Moose
Seen with his twin brother and mom

Mama Grizzly and Two Cubs
Seen walking across the tundra

Young Caribou
Nonchalantly walking across the park road

Caribou Antlers
Larger and heavier than you think