9/6/08 – 9/12/08 Denali National Park
The full exposure of Mt. McKinley on the drive north from Anchorage was indicative of the experience we would have at Denali National Park. From over 150 miles away the Mountain could be seen clear as bell. We had been warned by visitors and residents alike that a full view of the mountain is a rare treat. We were thrilled to be granted this magnificent site before even reaching the park.
Upon park arrival, we checked in at the Wilderness Access Center, which is the only access and check-in point for campground, backcountry and tour bus reservations. We arrived one day prior to our Wonder Lake reservations and elected to spend the night at Riley Creek Campground, which is located immediately inside the park boundary from the Parks Highway. This is a large campground that can accommodate RVs and does have a mercantile, laundry, and shower facilities (for a fee). Riley Creek is the only Park campground open year round. Our “camper bus” reservation was for 10:30 am on the morning of the seventh. We spent most of the prior evening organizing and packing our food items for the four-day venture at Wonder Lake as well as compressing all of our warmest (and driest) clothes into our backpack and dry bag.
All busses which service the park interior are school busses, with the camper busses traditionally having the rear few rows of seats removed to accommodate the gear of all passengers. Because our stay coincided with the end of the season for the campgrounds and bus services, all camper busses have evidently broken down for the year. Instead busses equipped to ADA standards were used as the camper busses because these do provide slightly more storage areas. We fit comfortably on the bus and parked ourselves in the front seat so as to garner the best views and the most information from our periodically chatty bus driver Keith.
The trip to Wonder Lake is an 85-mile stretch down the Park Road. The bus system inside the park works on the “flag down any green bus and if they have room they will pick you up system.” Quite efficient actually and also sort of humorous when you come around a corner in the middle of nowhere to an individual or group waving down a bus! The system has scheduled stops at the various campgrounds, overlooks, and visitors centers within the park. These include Savage River, Sanctuary River, and Teklanika campgrounds, Polychrome Overlook and Toklat River, as well as the Eielson Visitor Center. Additionally, the bus will stop to drop off passengers at any requested point or backcountry unit.
The Eielson Visitor Center is located at mile 66 along the Parks Road and was reconstructed for the 2008 season. It is an extremely informative site with spectacular views of the Alaska Range, including identification of the individual peaks. Trails both ascend and descend from the center but access is sometime restricted due to bear activity in the immediate area. Facts regarding the wildlife, geology, and history of the area are presented in movies and displays and NPS Rangers are available to answer questions. The center has flush toilets and potable water, but no goods, services, or snacks are available for purchase. The Eielson Center was constructed with green building standards in mind and has made application for LEED Platinum certification based on their use of previously disturbed sites, recycled and locally sourced materials, natural lighting, and water and energy efficient standards.
After approximately six hours on a school bus we were thrilled to arrive at Wonder Lake Campground. We had been told that the 28-site campground was completely booked so we were not entirely sure how choosey we could be in our campsite selection but we proceeded to the farthest and highest point of the campground to find a site, which we deemed perfect, available – site 26. First priorities were to properly store all food, cooking and toiletry items in the provided food storage areas and then pitch the tent. Paramount concern in the tent pitching was the angle that would afford the best views of McKinley. As we settled in for the evening the cloud cover over the Alaska range thinned so we could see many, but not all of the peaks. By day two, we had many hours of fully exposed mountain to enjoy.
Other campers at Wonder Lake ranged from single folks there for a full two weeks, to other people just passing through for one evening. The remote location of the site and very variable weather conditions caused us to query the decision to make such a trip for one night, but certainly everyone has their reasons. Many people seemed to be moving around from different campground and back country locations within the park while still others made the trip specifically for just one night. Photo opportunities and berry picking seem to be the two most popular activities among campers. Each evening at Wonder Lake, the rangers present an hour-long talk on various topics ranging from day hiking in Denali to bird life, but all talks absolutely include a bear safety segment.
From the campground, infinite hiking opportunities abound, although only one established trail is in the immediate area. This is the McKinley Bar Trail that connects the campground to the McKinley River which ultimately flows from the Muldrow Glacier. The trail is fairly moderate with minimal elevation change but some rough terrain underfoot. It is lined with berries so certainly bear encounters are possible. On the return trip, we gathered a quart size bag of berries while Rebekah contemplated how to prepare a cobbler based on our available ingredients and cooking utensils. Turned out the solutions lies in creating a double boiler with an empty bean can and adding some crunchy granola bars– best dessert yet and easy clean-up to boot!
Undocumented trails spread from the service road uphill from the campground. These trails provide spectacular vistas of the Alaska Range although the peaks are not always in view. Amazingly, at some points with the low cloud ceiling it really would be possible to be completely unaware of the massif looming in the distance. Although, Wonder Lake campground is the last campground along the park road, it is not the end of the road. Kantishna lies at Mile 89. This area lies outside the park’s wilderness boundary. It is an historic gold rush town and today houses several private lodges and an airstrip. Some of the green park busses do travel to the end of the road in Kantishna, but marked trails are limited in this area. However, this is apparently a frequent point of backcountry access as some of our fellow bus passengers were setting out from this location.
Our four nights at Wonder Lake concluded with a very rainy day. We did manage to stay dry and had to work a bit to keep warm. The weather conditions provided ample justification as to why the campgrounds and bus transportation ceased for the season on our departure date. Snow was predicted to reach the lower elevations the next night. Not surprisingly, the bus to exit the park was slightly crowded given the fact that everyone needed a ride out. However the scenery was no less spectacular. Fall colors were still prominent in various stages at different elevations and aspects within the park and wildlife are apparently always plentiful. We were fortunate enough to see grizzly bears, caribou, moose, lynx, and Dall sheep. However, perhaps the most interesting observation was the migration of hundreds of sandhill cranes. Living in Florida, I am very familiar with the distinct call of this species but I have certainly never heard (or seen) them in such numbers, much less flying in formation! Really a spectacle; even the bus drivers thought it an exceptional sight. The cranes erased any discomfort we may have been considering after tearing down a soaking wet campsite in the cold morning air.
Upon park arrival, we checked in at the Wilderness Access Center, which is the only access and check-in point for campground, backcountry and tour bus reservations. We arrived one day prior to our Wonder Lake reservations and elected to spend the night at Riley Creek Campground, which is located immediately inside the park boundary from the Parks Highway. This is a large campground that can accommodate RVs and does have a mercantile, laundry, and shower facilities (for a fee). Riley Creek is the only Park campground open year round. Our “camper bus” reservation was for 10:30 am on the morning of the seventh. We spent most of the prior evening organizing and packing our food items for the four-day venture at Wonder Lake as well as compressing all of our warmest (and driest) clothes into our backpack and dry bag.
All busses which service the park interior are school busses, with the camper busses traditionally having the rear few rows of seats removed to accommodate the gear of all passengers. Because our stay coincided with the end of the season for the campgrounds and bus services, all camper busses have evidently broken down for the year. Instead busses equipped to ADA standards were used as the camper busses because these do provide slightly more storage areas. We fit comfortably on the bus and parked ourselves in the front seat so as to garner the best views and the most information from our periodically chatty bus driver Keith.
The trip to Wonder Lake is an 85-mile stretch down the Park Road. The bus system inside the park works on the “flag down any green bus and if they have room they will pick you up system.” Quite efficient actually and also sort of humorous when you come around a corner in the middle of nowhere to an individual or group waving down a bus! The system has scheduled stops at the various campgrounds, overlooks, and visitors centers within the park. These include Savage River, Sanctuary River, and Teklanika campgrounds, Polychrome Overlook and Toklat River, as well as the Eielson Visitor Center. Additionally, the bus will stop to drop off passengers at any requested point or backcountry unit.
The Eielson Visitor Center is located at mile 66 along the Parks Road and was reconstructed for the 2008 season. It is an extremely informative site with spectacular views of the Alaska Range, including identification of the individual peaks. Trails both ascend and descend from the center but access is sometime restricted due to bear activity in the immediate area. Facts regarding the wildlife, geology, and history of the area are presented in movies and displays and NPS Rangers are available to answer questions. The center has flush toilets and potable water, but no goods, services, or snacks are available for purchase. The Eielson Center was constructed with green building standards in mind and has made application for LEED Platinum certification based on their use of previously disturbed sites, recycled and locally sourced materials, natural lighting, and water and energy efficient standards.
After approximately six hours on a school bus we were thrilled to arrive at Wonder Lake Campground. We had been told that the 28-site campground was completely booked so we were not entirely sure how choosey we could be in our campsite selection but we proceeded to the farthest and highest point of the campground to find a site, which we deemed perfect, available – site 26. First priorities were to properly store all food, cooking and toiletry items in the provided food storage areas and then pitch the tent. Paramount concern in the tent pitching was the angle that would afford the best views of McKinley. As we settled in for the evening the cloud cover over the Alaska range thinned so we could see many, but not all of the peaks. By day two, we had many hours of fully exposed mountain to enjoy.
Other campers at Wonder Lake ranged from single folks there for a full two weeks, to other people just passing through for one evening. The remote location of the site and very variable weather conditions caused us to query the decision to make such a trip for one night, but certainly everyone has their reasons. Many people seemed to be moving around from different campground and back country locations within the park while still others made the trip specifically for just one night. Photo opportunities and berry picking seem to be the two most popular activities among campers. Each evening at Wonder Lake, the rangers present an hour-long talk on various topics ranging from day hiking in Denali to bird life, but all talks absolutely include a bear safety segment.
From the campground, infinite hiking opportunities abound, although only one established trail is in the immediate area. This is the McKinley Bar Trail that connects the campground to the McKinley River which ultimately flows from the Muldrow Glacier. The trail is fairly moderate with minimal elevation change but some rough terrain underfoot. It is lined with berries so certainly bear encounters are possible. On the return trip, we gathered a quart size bag of berries while Rebekah contemplated how to prepare a cobbler based on our available ingredients and cooking utensils. Turned out the solutions lies in creating a double boiler with an empty bean can and adding some crunchy granola bars– best dessert yet and easy clean-up to boot!
Undocumented trails spread from the service road uphill from the campground. These trails provide spectacular vistas of the Alaska Range although the peaks are not always in view. Amazingly, at some points with the low cloud ceiling it really would be possible to be completely unaware of the massif looming in the distance. Although, Wonder Lake campground is the last campground along the park road, it is not the end of the road. Kantishna lies at Mile 89. This area lies outside the park’s wilderness boundary. It is an historic gold rush town and today houses several private lodges and an airstrip. Some of the green park busses do travel to the end of the road in Kantishna, but marked trails are limited in this area. However, this is apparently a frequent point of backcountry access as some of our fellow bus passengers were setting out from this location.
Our four nights at Wonder Lake concluded with a very rainy day. We did manage to stay dry and had to work a bit to keep warm. The weather conditions provided ample justification as to why the campgrounds and bus transportation ceased for the season on our departure date. Snow was predicted to reach the lower elevations the next night. Not surprisingly, the bus to exit the park was slightly crowded given the fact that everyone needed a ride out. However the scenery was no less spectacular. Fall colors were still prominent in various stages at different elevations and aspects within the park and wildlife are apparently always plentiful. We were fortunate enough to see grizzly bears, caribou, moose, lynx, and Dall sheep. However, perhaps the most interesting observation was the migration of hundreds of sandhill cranes. Living in Florida, I am very familiar with the distinct call of this species but I have certainly never heard (or seen) them in such numbers, much less flying in formation! Really a spectacle; even the bus drivers thought it an exceptional sight. The cranes erased any discomfort we may have been considering after tearing down a soaking wet campsite in the cold morning air.
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