About Denali County, AK

It's October and we don't have any snow on the ground to speak of. Can you believe it? Normally by this time we're covered by at least a thin blanket of snow. Yesterday we took advantage of yet another gorgeous Autumn day in Alaska and drove down to Denali Park. From Fairbanks, Denali is a short 115 mile drive down the Parks Highway.

With some good 'ol beach music streaming from the ipod we headed down the road. I doubt we passed more than a dozen cars; all the blue hairs have left for warmer climates. Just south of Healy we spotted a RV that somehow managed to end up on its roof. A rough landing no doubt. A recent two-foot plus snowfall prompted the closure of the Park Road beyond Milepost 15 (Savage River). But, there's wildlife galore to be seen in those 15 gorgeous miles. On this trip we didn't see any bears, but we did see several moose, including a large herd at approximately 12 mile.

The first moose we saw was a large healthy bull in his prime. He soon locked horns with a smaller bull nearby who was hoping to get to know one of the cows in the big boys harem. It didn't work. We didn't get to see it but heard them fighting and a few minutes later the smaller bull was heading in the opposite direction. For those who haven't seen or heard them fight, it's an unmistakable sound. When in full rut and fighting with gusto, the sound of two bulls locking antlers sounds like a lightening strike.

The photo below was captured a few minutes later when the dominate bull and his harem wandered out onto a dry river bed. Click the photo to see a larger version.

Although most Park activities ended near the middle of September, Denai Park is open all year. Cross country skiing, showshoeing, dog sledding and snowmachining are popular winter activities. For more information, contact the Winter Visitors Center @ 907-683-2294 (daily 9-4PM).

I swore I would never, ever make that trip again.  The last time I did, it cost a pretty penny to charter a helicopter to fly me off the mountain.  For some reason I have an aversion to looking out the window of a bus (driven by an undoubtedly high college kid who looks like he's one toke away from driving us all to a certain death) and seeing terra firma... 1,500 feet straight down.  Nope.  Sorry. Just not gonna do it.

This past weekend the boss and I took some much needed R&R time and headed south to Denali Park.  I know, I know... some say all we do in the summer is take time off.  It's amazing how much business you can conduct via a satellite connection. :)  Where there's a will, there's a way, right?

While we were fortunate to have gorgeous sunny skies and temps in the 70's I was dreading the mere mention of 'the trip' up the mountain.  God help me, I don't think there's enough Valium in the western hemisphere to get me back on that bus.

Fortunately for me the buses aren't in operation yet.  But, the Park road (the only one in Denali National Park) is open to milepost 30 at the Teklanika River. We took a leisurely drive over the mountains and through the woods watching for critters large and small.  There were tons of ptarmigans, a lynx who was too quick for me to catch on film, a small herd of caribou, several moose, a black bear and on our return trip a pack of wolves we had a short standoff with in the middle of the road.  

If you're thinking of making a trip to Denali, this is a great time.  The terrorists tourists are not out yet and with less traffic on the Park road the odds of seeing wildlife is much greater.  Riley Creek Campground, the first campground in the Park, is the only one open and doesn't offer any hookups but camping is free until the 14th.

The photo's below are a few from the trip... I hope you enjoy them!