Alaska-Denali

Two weeks in Alaska went by way too quickly. We’re already at day 9 and heading to Denali out of Palmer. One of the most breath-taking experiences in my life and possibly the best US National Park, we saw Denali three ways. I encourage anyone and everyone to splurge on the flight seeing tour. Denali Air is minutes from the park entrance. Additionally, if you get the evening tour, you’ll have especially beautiful views based on the sun shining on the mountains. Don’t worry about glares and reflections through your phone, there’s a fix! You can edit out most of the reflections easily through the gallery/photos app. Just to prove it to you, here’s an excessive amount of pictures from our flightseeing tour.

There are numerous cabins to rent through VRBO or AirBnB around the park but be careful to check the amenities. And yes, plumbing is an amenity in Alaska. Our cabin was right by the Denali Air runway and a few minutes’ drive from the park entrance. On day 10, September 5th, we drove into the park and hiked. The Savage Alpine Trail is amazing, however, most it is on a ridge and can be very windy. We experienced 60 mph winds and had to turn around before we reached the end. The views were still spectacular, and the fall colors had started to show. Of course, souvenirs were a must, so we also ventured into the gift shop. It is important to know that the Denali Mountain is almost never seen from the ground, which is why you must also do the flightseeing tour. A great way to see different areas of the park since you can only hike so far. Pictures below are of the hike for the Savage Alpine trail and the Savage River loop. See if you can spot the Arctic Ground Squirrel.

Our final day in Denali involved a 6 am bus tour. The Denali Tundra tour is one of the few ways to see past mile 15 on the park road. This tour is around 5 hours with stops every 90 minutes and will go to mile 43 on the park road. We spotted several Moose, some Ptarmigan, a Caribou, and a Grizzly Bear. Add the animals to the fantastic views and it’s a great tour. The elevation near the end is around 4,000 feet, which in early September has the potential for snow! I’m not sure I’ve ever seen fall colors combined with white snow, but it’s something I’d love to see again!

That’s it for Denali. A bit of advice to anyone planning an Alaska trip, stay another day in Denali. The only thing I would change about this trip would be more time in the park to fully enjoy the beautiful land and the animals. No worries, I’ll be back one day. It’s time to drive to Fairbanks.