The Trip to Alaska

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After our trip to Utah to see some of its national parks a few years ago, I asked my mom where else she wanted to go. She told me she'd like to see Denali. This year she turned 79, a good year to make the trek.

We flew to Anchorage and spent the night there before catching the morning train to Denali. A great muskox, mounted but not behind glass, greeted us in the hotel lobby at Anchorage. His fur was coarse on the outer coat but deliciously soft underneath. I thought of qiviut and decided I wouldn't return to the "outside" without some for knitting.

The Alaska Railroad has lovely scenery, passable food with a chef on board, and is a relaxing way to get used to the thrill of being up there. It is possible to see wildlife, even bears, during the ride, and there are outdoor platforms at the back of the cars where you can enjoy the delicious cool air. When you check in at the RR station, your luggage is tagged with your destination inn and you'll find it waiting for you in your room when you get there. When you leave the inn, they tag luggage for your RR destination (Denali, Seward, Anchorage for us). This makes traveling easy for seniors, as they don't have to haul their own luggage. The RR has plenty of baggage cars and forklifts for moving what looks like giant egg crates filled with luggage. NEAT!

That night we were at Denali Cabins, really did have our own little cabin in the woods. There's a shuttle that runs you to the eating/shopping areas, but you're neither close enough to or far enough away from them to want to stay there more than one night.

The next day we had the grand bus ride to the end of the 95-mile road into the park. Though much of the wildlife we saw was distant, it was still thrilling to see caribou and grizzlies. We were particularly lucky to have the first sunny day in over three weeks, which placed us in the elite 20% of Denali visitors who get to see "the mountain" in its entirety.

The bus ride was not only scenic but thrilling - I mean scary. The sheer drop-offs, the wash-outs, the one-lane road with the occasional oncoming traffic (bus heading out of the park). Our driver told us that if the view from our window was frightening, we should just close our eyes, which he said worked for him.

When we were assigned our cabins at Denali Backcountry Lodge, we were given no keys. In such a remote location with only a few guests, why did we need keys? It was relaxing to dispense with the precautions of civilization.

During our only full day in the backcountry I went on a group hike up Quigley Ridge and saw some more deep breath kind of views (and also some arctic ground squirrels) while Mom painted a marvelous picture of "the mountain." Mom got her feet wet on the morning hike (Alaska was still recovering from heavy rain and floods, and our "trail" on a bit of road was well under water). Luckily the lodge had a "drying room" heated by venting the heat from the camp's generators, and guests parked boots, socks, and assorted other clothing there. It worked beautifully, and quickly.

Then it was up early the following morning for the ride back out of the park to board the noon train back to Anchorage. We really enjoyed the Denali Backcountry Lodge, especially the fantastic setting, and would have loved to stay longer. The Sept/Oct issue of Audubon magazine has a good article on another lodge also located at the end of the Denali road. These accommodations close for the season in mid-September when the snow gets serious.

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Photos

Glaciers from the air
It's a long flight and there's no food, but as you get close to Anchorage the scenery is fantastic.

lobby greeter
Brownie and I both had to pose with him(her).

Rivers
Some of the scenery on the train from Anchorage to Denali

Alaska Railroad
It was a beautiful cloudy day

The Road at Denali Cabins
The next morning we began to think the clouds would lift so we could see where we were

First wildlife sighting
This collared cow moose was right by the road near the park entrance

Mom in Denali
At one of the visitor centers during the ride to Kantishna (the backcountry)

Exhibit at Eielson Visitor Center
A lovely quilt at this visitor's center well into the park. Lucky were the viewers who got this far.

Glacial river on the road in to the lodge
With so much silt carried by the glacier, the rivers kept forming new channels to carry the meltwater.

Caribou
Not as small as they appear in this landscape

Polychrome Area on the road in
Check out this narrow road. The landscape was breathtakingly beautiful and the view from the road often left me gasping. I kept saying to Jenny, "pinch me!". I can't believe I'm really here.

Mountain road close-up
Bus emerging on the left over the top of the hill and the road reappears several times in the distance.

The Alaska Range
Though I'd read a lot about Denali, I was still surprised at how immediate the mountains are

Denali from the road in
Such luck! Clouds kept on clearing and views of THE mountain got better and better.

Moose and "the mountain"
Even huge animals look small in this landscape

Denali on a clear day
We were SO lucky to have the first sunny day after a month of storms and heavy clouds over the mountain.

Detail of foothills and lower Denali
I zoomed in to get this lovely closeup.

Backcountry Horizon
This is my kind of horizon!

Clouds over the Alaska Range
During our hike in Kantishna the clouds started to move back in

Flute player at Moose Creek
Jenny found a perfect spot to make up some backcountry flute melodies.

WIllow ptarmigan
Several of these were right by the road during our drive back out of the park

Comments

[Belinda]

Denali
I will be in Anchorage Sept 21-26 (after the season) and would love to see Denali, I was told all the tours will be closed for the season. I guess we will have to drive ourselves any suggestions on where to stay while in Denali. Or does anyone know of any tours maybe from locals for Denali? Thanks for your help.