Denali National Park

The drive from Fairbanks to Denali was slow – it was the first time on this trip that we have encountered delays due to road construction.

Denali Park is around 6 million acres and there are 6 campgrounds – front country and backcountry. There are 3 visitor centres in the park. It is home to about 39 species of mammals, 169 bird species, 14 different kinds of fish, and one amphibian. The park road is 92 miles but private vehicles can only drive up to mile 15. Visitors wanting to venture beyond mile 15 will have to catch either a bus tour or shuttle. The highest point along the road is Sable Pass at 3900’. There are a few hiking trails and it is ok to create your own path out on the tundra – all they ask is that the hikers do not trample on the same spot as it will take years for the plants/shrub to recover.

Today we got on a bus for the Tundra Wilderness Tour.

The main objective was to see wildlife and we sure did see it. We saw a bull moose with an impressive rack. You have to see this moose to really appreciate its massive size – they can grow up to 1500 pounds.
There were dall sheeps way up in the mountain which appear like small white specks against the rock. The coolest sight was seeing a herd of caribou (100+) move across the tundra. It was definitely a sight to behold and the Ranger said getting to see a herd of caribou was rare and we were lucky. On the return trip, a grizzly bear decided to walk right down the middle of the road and so the bus had to follow slowly behind it without scaring it off the road. We attended a couple of evening ranger talks and it has been extremely educational learning about animals that live in this park.

The kids are working on their Junior Ranger Badge. I hope Jerry the Moose doesn’t mind it 🙂

No, we haven’t seen Denali yet… It has been cloudy and raining..