To get to Denali I drove 171.60 miles. The drive started off with a section of smoke from wildfires, but it cleared after a bit of time.
I checked in with the wagon masters and received my campsite information. Because it was a somewhat sunny day, I drove directly to Denali National Park.
After a quick visit to the visitor center, I drove to mile 11 of the park where Denali should be able to be seen.
Only 30% of the people that visit Denali have the good fortune to see the magnificent mountain as it is typically shrouded in clouds.
Denali is the highest mountain peak in North America. Its tallest summit is 20,300 feet above sea level.
The mountain was originally called Mt. McKinley after President William McKinley.
In 1975 it was renamed as Denali. The original natives of Alaska called it Denali which means Big or the Great One.
At mile 11 there is a sign that shows where Denali should be able to be seen.
I was not lucky on this day to see the mountain.
The final photo which shows Denali was taken by someone in my traveling group. They arrived at the park earlier in the day when it was clear.
Our first evening in Denali we boarded a bus and were taken to Cabin Nite Dinner Theater. The meal was served family style and our waiters were also the entertainers.
The next day we boarded a park tour bus at 5:45 AM for a drive through the park.
Only the first 15 miles of the road are available for anyone to drive on. The road after that is to traffic except for those that have special permits to camp further down the road. Further past the campgrounds the road is completely closed due to a slow moving land slide over the past few years. They are working on a solution and should have it completed and the road back open in 2026.
On the tour we quickly saw a Wolf and were told that it is very rare to see one as there are only around 94 of them in the park.
A little further down the road we saw a grizzly bear off in the distance. Surprisingly to me we were told that there are only approximately 100 grizzly bears in the park and there are no black bears.
We saw quite a few different colored Ptarmigan birds, and a porcupine.
We kept looking for moose but never saw one. I have still yet to see a moose, caribou or elk while on this trip.
ATV adventure in Denali
Take a Hike!
I drove to the 15th mile o the National Park Road. On the right is the Savage River Trail.
This trail is 1.7 miles long and travels along each side of the Savage River.
This was such a nice walk with great views of the river and of the mountains on either side of the valley.
The only animal I saw was an Alaskan ground squirrel.
Near the end of the hike, I came upon a bench. It was so peaceful to sit there and look at the beauty of my surroundings and to reflect and give thanks for how blessed I am.
A fabulous visit to Denali! mountain.
After donning glacier boots, I boarded a plane and off to Denali we go!
I had fabulous views of Denali from the ski and from a glacier as we landed on Ruth Glacier.
On the way back we flew over our campground. Can you pick out my van in the lineup of the RV’s?
The pilot also showed us on the map exactly where we landed on Ruth Glacier. He said he lands at 7 different places, but this is his favorite.
After returning from the flight, I decided to take a drive to mile 11 of the National Park in hopes of seeing wildlife and also Denali from the ground!
It was a success on both! This was my first moose sighting of the entire trip! Denali wasn’t crystal clear, and the photos didn’t pick up what could be seen with the eye, but it could definitely be seen!
What a great end to our stop in Denali, AK.
Next, we are traveling to Anchorage, Alaska. But first a side trip that I took over the Artic Circle