Denali National Park, Alaska

July 26, 2018

Anchorage to Denali National Park

It took 5 hours to drive the 237 miles/380 km to the Denali National Park entrance from Anchorage. Once out of Anchorage most of the road went through forrest, and there wasn’t much to see. There wasn’t much traffic, and the road was great, so it was an easy drive.

Around half way we finally left the trees behind and drove along the mountains.

While waiting for our flight to Kantishna, we spent time at the visitor's center to learn more about the park.

Denali National Park

Denali National Park is located in the Interior Alaska, and this might have been the corridor though which the rest of the continent was peopled, as waves of hunter-gatherers migrated across the Bering land bridge to points south. Ancestors of the region’s present Native group, the Athabascans, are thought to have been here at least 6000 years. In the 1800s the Russians and the Britons began to trickle in to trade. The park spans over 6 million acres, and there is only one road through the party, After mile 15 the park is closed to private vehicles, and the only way into the park is by bicycle, bus or plane.

Flightseeing

The weather was fairly good, and we were excited about possibly seeing Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley), the highest mountain in North America.

Andy was the co-pilot, and he did a great job!

It was an amazing flight; we saw rivers, mountains and many glaciers. The glaciers are so much more than the icey part clearly visible to the eye. Over time the glacier pushes dust and dirt up from the ground, which makes it very difficult to actually see the whole glacier.

This photo shows 2 glaciers pushing up the dirt between them.

We even came very close to this glacier.

Mt. Denali

The Athabascans call Denali the Great One due to it’s 20,320 ft / 6,190m bulk of ice and granite, and we were lucky enough to get a peak at the summit just above the clouds. The 2018 climbing season is over, and of the 1114 people climbing the mountain only 496 (45%) summitted.

These kettle lakes were formed by pieces of glacier that made indentations in the earth enter separating from the glacier. Over time, the water filled the indentations creating all the lakes.

Kantishna

Kantishna is located at the end of road 92 miles into the park, and this is where we landed on the gravel run way in the valley. Kantishna is an old gold-mining enclave, and there are still a few buildings left from those days.

Skyline Lodge

The lodge is pierced on the side of the mountain above the river, has 6 rooms, is solar powered, and off the grid.

Dinner was great, and we spent the evening chatting with the other guests and enjoying the views, and the long days. This picture was taken at 11:00pm, and the sun hasn’t set yet.