Denali National Park: Alaska

Mt. McKinley from Denali Road

The summer sure does keep us busy. From BBQ's to weddings, and hiking and camping locally to road trips across the country. We have been very blessed to be able to do some traveling this year and one of these great lands we were able to visit was Alaska.

Alaska is an untouched land full of wonder and awe. It is a place where the beauty is surreal. No matter how much reading and research is done, you cannot fully be prepared for the experience that awaits you. Although this will be the first of a few posts on Alaska, there will still be a break in the amount that can be gathered from a simple blog on what the experience itself is like.

Caribou

As we flew in Alaska, the time read one in the morning, but the outside told us it was six o'clock pm. As we landed we made our way to our luggage, found our rental car, made our way to the hotel and slept as best we could with excitement running wild in our minds of what the next few weeks would hold. As we woke the next morning we hurried about as we knew our first destination was awaiting us: Denali National Park.

looking west in Denali

As we entered Denali National Park, we went straight to the Visitor's Center to settle the feeling of being overwhelmed by the amount of things to do, how to go about doing them and where you need to be in order to experience them! Our first day in the park we spent getting acquainted with the area and our surroundings. We went for a fifteen mile drive into the park (that is as far as you are allowed to take your personal vehicle in order to keep the park preserved). On the drive we saw our first caribou and the beginning of all the mountain ranges in the park. We also did some hiking around on some of the shorter trails! As we left we knew we needed a tentative plan for the next few day, so that night we made that plan.

approaching McKinley in the plane

The next morning we got to experience the park in a way that many visitors do not. We had the privilege of doing a flight tour of Mount McKinley and its mountain range. This is one of my most favorite things we did while in Alaska if not my most favorite. We boarded a eight passenger plane as our pilot told us about the safety precautions. As we left the runway you could already see how secluded and surrounded by nature you were. We flew over rivers, brush, trees, glacier runoff and one highway. In fact I remember as we flew over the highway the pilot said "Its interesting to think the next highway west of this one is in Russia."

As we approached the McKinley range you could see the glaciers carving away at the rock, creating these beautiful white valleys surrounded by these magnificent, rugged mountains. As we got closer to McKinley we started to get a better idea of just how big the mountain is. Mount McKinley sits at twenty thousand three hundred and twenty two feet high. As we flew up to and around McKinley the plane went silent in awe of the mountain that sat in front of us. So prominent, so extreme, so massive, and so incredible. We happened to be there during its one hundredth anniversary of the first summit and as we watched some of the climbers at base camp I imagined what it was like to be down there with them. Needless to say, its almost impossible to imagine.

laying on the glacier

As we started to make our way away from McKinley we were landed on a glacier, Ruth Glacier, that was flowing off of McKinley. This experience took my breathe away. Our pilot dropped the plane down onto the glacier, had us put on some glacier shoes and exit the plane. As we stepped onto the glacier we knew how lucky we were to be walking around ON the McKinley range. The ice was slick, the air was crisp and the sun was shining brighter than ever. We got to play around on the glacier for about thirty minutes and then we were told to re-board. As we flew away from the mountain, McKinley stood strong and defined behind us. We would never see McKinley the same.

A view from the Mt. Healy Trail

Over the next few days we hiked different trails, road the bus into the park, met the parks sled dogs, and just sat and took everything in. We saw mountain goats, a lynx, grizzly bears, caribou, moose, a wolf, and plenty of birds! Truly incredible! A place we will never forget and will surely return to!

Grizzly Bear in Denali

Lastly, one of the coolest things about Denali was that we got to see it
at the beginning of our trip when there was still snow and a few weeks later at the end of our trip when summer was in full bloom, which allowed us to get a view of "two seasons" in Denali, both of which left us speechless!