Denali National Park

Sunday 24th June  Venue. Denali RV Park &Motel Today we visited the spectacular Denali National Park, all 63million acres of it, well part of it. Te weather was overcast, cold and a strong wind was blowing off the mountains. The park employs buses to shuttle people to various drop off points within the park and we elected to take a 130mile round trip taking 8hrs. As with all National Parks in the US, the park organization and facility was the best. Beautiful timber buildings with interesting geological and botanical displays staffed with well trained people. The trip took us through thick low forest at 1500ft to bare mountain slopes at around 3,000ft.

Dall mountain sheep high up a slope were the first animals to be crossed off our list then Carabou, a Linx, which I missed, a Moose hiding behind bushes and the highlight for the day, two large brown Grizzly Bears grazing well up a slope but close enough to get a recognizable photo.

Whoops, I forgot the real high highlight, an almost perfect view of Danali, Mount McKinley to the  uninitiated. The weather was clearing enough to let the sun shine on the scattered cloud suspended on the mountain crags. The mountain was framed by a valley which fell away from the viewing building and filled the viewfinder completely. At 20,300ft Danali is the highest peak in North America. We were very lucky as few days allow as good a view as today. We rode back to our cabin satisfied with the day.



The montain road up to the Danali viewing station. Notice the Braided River in the valley below, so called for the braided effect of the water flowing through the flat river bed.