Denali. It stands apart.

We intentionally chose to visit Denali (Mt. McKinley) in the waning days of summer. In fact, our drive back to Anchorage started in heavy snow showers. We flew into the gateway of Anchorage and rented a car for the drive to the park. This drive turned into one of the luckiest parts of the trip as Denali 'came out' of the clouds and offered a full spectacular view. The mountain loomed over us, and our awe increased as we reminded ourselves that we were still over eighty miles away! Don’t count on seeing the mountain though, most visitors don’t get a clear day.

The Denali Park operation takes a radically different approach to handling crowds of tourists. Unlike bumper to bumper traffic in Yellowstone, Denali does not permit private vehicles to enter deeper into the park than 14 miles. Its focus on conservation is required by the delicate balance of artic life. The number of species that have adapted to this rugged and unforgiving climate are very limited, so human intervention is strictly controlled. The benefits are evident as you view wildlife from the bus tours, see unspoiled valleys and peaks and enjoy the pristine surroundings.

Quick Tips:

Denali Park, and the area just outside the park gate (locals call it "Glitter Gulch"), feel like a human outpost in a rugged land. The buildings look a little haphazard, in an Old West way. The main road is well maintained, but side roads and parking lots are typically gravel and mud with plenty of pot holes. The park has several affiliated accommodations operated by a contracted hospitality corporation. Several are constructed in a log cabin look.

Outdoor activities are the main attraction, but all ages will find something to enjoy. We took in the Tundra Wildlife bus tour, river rafting, a side trip to the town of Talkeetna and a self tour of accessible areas of Denali Park.

The workforce is a combination of local veterans and seasonal, mostly young, workers from around the world. Most share a love of the unique natural wonders and provide a relaxed and informal welcome. Our late season tour was great from two key perspectives: no crowds and vivid fall colors. I would recommend the timing for the colors alone. At this time, however, many businesses begin to close, restaurants run out of favored menu items and the service staffs thin out.

Best Way To Get Around:

We flew into Anchorage and stayed overnight before driving up to Denali in a rental car. The drive was scenic and easy to navigate. Road conditions on the main highways were very good, but side roads are another story as you went further north. Gas stations are sparse, so watch your fuel level throughout your travels.

You can drive into Denali Park only for the first 14 miles. The visitor center is informative, well laid out and a hub for escorted tours. Check the time tables in the entry way or the reception counter just as you enter in order to plan your visit. Drives are time consuming, so some planning is required if you have several things you want to see and do.

The park recommends that you take a bus to see the dog sled demonstration. In late season, we had no problem parking our car near the dog kennels. This is a good idea for flexibility so you can hop back in your car and proceed further into the park rather than backtracking to the entrance to retrieve your car.

The Village is a collection of buildings, many recently constructed, that look like they came straight out a Lincoln Log set. The complex is set next to a beautiful mountain stream which, with the blazing yellow fall foliage, provided a scenic delight at our doorstep. The reception lobby is relatively small as is the bar next to it. The bar offers a lunch menu with standard items such as hamburgers as well as the everpresent fresh Alaskan salmon in a sturdy western decor. With a nice fire burning in the fireplace, we found it a nice place to eat, warm up and plan our afternoon. Prices were on the high side, but this is common to all of the concessions in the area that we visited. The food was average.
Further down the hall is the restaurant. We did not eat in this facility, but it appeared to be functionally pleasant. Since it shares a kitchen with the bar, we decided to have our dinners off the property to try something new.
The rooms and amenities are on the basic side. The experience of getting here and enjoying the outdoors outweighs the few hours spent in the hotel room. The rooms compare more closely with an upscale Motel 6 than a downscale Crowne Plaza despite the steep prices. The staff was friendly and helpful despite the rapidly approaching closing for the season. Logding information can be accessed at http://denalinationalpark.com or (800) 276-7234 or (907) 276-7234 (International, Canada and Anchorage).
Adjacent to the Village is the Denali Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public about the region. It offers frequent lectures, socials and other functions that are enjoyable and informative. It also operates an elder hostel. You can find out more about it at http://www.denali.org/ or phone 907.683.2597.

The Perch restaurant is aptly named because it is literally perched on a bluff with the dining room and large deck poised well above ground level. The Perch offers high dining in a casual atmosphere. As you enter, the entryway quickly opens to a dining room to the left and open kitchen to the right. There is a small bar to enjoy a pre-dinner glass of wine from an extensive wine list. The dining room feels a little like an A-framed vacation home with large windows looking onto the deck and over the bluff. Furnishings are basic, but the food is excellent and the personal, friendly service superb.
The menu featured local fish and game, as well as changing specials. We had a blue cheese filled steak, enormous Alaskan king crab legs (as long and nearly as thick as our forearms) along with fresh salads topped from a selection of dressings brought to our table in a carousel.
The Perch maintains a web page at http://www.alaskaone.com/perchrest/index.htm, or you can call 1(888)322-2523 for more information.

River rafting this close to the artic is not your average float trip. The glacially-fed Nenana River water is extremely cold and is so silt laden that you cannot see through it. Two options are available, so you can tailor your experience to your physical condition and confidence level. Fully guided rafts offer a trip without having to paddle. Slightly more adventurous trips allow you to participate in navigating the rapids and collect face-fulls of cold water.
We elected to paddle. The trip was not taxing, and the rapids (on that day) did not appear to be severely challenging, but a guide is definitely required. There were enough holes and standing waves to be exciting.
Upon arrival at the rafting company, we completed the requisite paper work and safety briefing. Pay attention here because the water is deadly cold. To protect you, just in case you fall or dive in, you are outfitted in heavy rubber dry suits. These go over your street clothing and seal you tight, so there is no need to bring a change of clothing. We felt like the Michelin man in a space suit by the time we zippered, snapped, velcroed and sealed ourselves in. Despite feeling and looking a little silly waiting for all the fellow passengers to don their suits, we quickly forgot the garb once we launched the raft.
While we took a pause for the other boats to catch up, our most daring shipmates were invited to take a dive into the river. The suits made this safe from the cold, and they provide considerable buoyancy due to the air trapped inside.
Several visitors had some trouble getting the dry suits off before boarding the bus for the return ride to the main station, and we pitched in to help a few. Be sure to protect any optical surfaces from the water…if you rub your glasses or camera lens dry the glacial silt may turn your soft cloth into fine sandpaper. This is a great occasion for a water-proof disposable camera.
Like all guided rafting trips, you can select a photo taken by their professional photographer while you were zooming over a rapid. These are expensive (approximately $10-$15), but how else can you get a bird’s eye proof of your daring exploit to show your friends in the lower 48?

Bus tours are the only way to see the inner wilderness areas in Denali Park. There are multiple options that focus on different interests such as geology and wildlife spotting. We took the tundra wildlife tour.
The buses depart from the Denali National Park Hotel parking lot, near the diner. There are a number of buses, and even in the off season, many confused tourists milling around trying to decide where they should be. Lines form quickly, so get there early for a good seat. This is doubly important because the buses are typically of the "old yellow school bus" design with hard straight seats and obstructions in some rows that yield no legroom. The ride will last up to eight hours, so comfort is paramount.
One of the first things the guide did was to inform us that we were all on lookout duty. Each passenger was instructed to yell "STOP" if and when interesting wildlife appeared. We were amazed at the ability of other passengers to see a bear, moose or Dall sheep on the move a quarter of a mile away! Many times this was not necessary as our driver would come to a gentle stop when other buses were already watching a show. We saw several bears and cubs, sheep, moose, various birds and small animals as advertised. Our binoculars were a big plus for getting good views.
As you drive deeper into the park, the road rises and winds above a valley with incredible scenery and colors (Polychrome Mountain is appropriately named) which cannot be captured by words or photos. The colors were a product of fall…reds of the miniature trees and purples, reds and other hues from the lichens. The view also gives a great vantage point for spotting bears and other large animals along the streams. With luck you may catch a close up view of Denali, but the weather closed in on us that day.
A box lunch is served along with a well orchestrated cup of hot cocoa in a souvenir Denali travel mug (pass the box of cocoa and instant coffee mix down the aisle, now the box of creamers and stirrers, line up outside the bus for the heated water…). The reindeer sausage is interesting, and after two hours of riding in a bus on bumpy mountain roads, we ate every item offered. The bus did make well-timed comfort stops, and the facilities were surprisingly clean for "non-permanent" toilets.
While spending hours in a school bus may sound rough, we found the trip enjoyable and informative. It is the only way to really see the park, and you have the satisfaction of knowing that we humans are imposing as little as possible on the fragile ecosystem. More information, including tentative schedules, can be accessed via the official Denali web site at http://www.nps.gov/dena/home/index.html, or you can call about bus tours after the last Monday of February at 1-800-622-7275 from the USA or (907)272-7275 for Anchorage and International callers.

The Park Rangers at Denali offer mushing demonstrations several times a day for park tourists. Unlike a zoo or “recreation” experience, the dog sledding demonstration provides a glimpse into the real workings of park administration. Since the time of the parks founding, dog sleds have provided a reliable means to access deep, remote areas of the park.
The kennels have a mix of puppy areas where the younger dogs are raised and socialized, several open houses with some of the friendlier dogs, and fenced houses for the more aggressive animals. As you wait for the demonstration to start, you can tour the small sled barn where working sleds and historical exhibits are kept, including the winter clothing worn by various generations of mushers.
During the demonstration, visitors are accommodated in a small “bleacher” which offers everyone a view. The love that the rangers feel for their work and their dogs is evident as they explain the sled, mushing and how the dogs work. After an introductions, they begin the noisy process of harnessing the dogs. The dogs live to mush, and they become very excited when they are hitched. The ranger makes a swift race around a gravel course before wrapping up with questions and answers. Visitors may examine the sled up close as the dogs are rested and watered, but the rangers insist on leaving the dogs plenty of space. The demonstration merits a stop for all ages.