If I Were Going...: 2021 Alaska #2: Denali

Denali National Park

As Charles Dickens said, “It was the Best of Times and it was the Worst of Times.” Mainly, it was the times you get when planning isn’t on par.

We spent the first night in Fairbanks at our go-to place, The River’s Edge Resort. Nice room where we collapsed from exhaustion. But, that was a mistake. While we slept, there was apparently some pretty good aurora.

The next three days were in Denali.

Denali National Park

I will split my coverage into three sections. Not chronological, but by location: inside the restricted area of the Park, normally Mile 15 to Mile 92 (“Inside”), the part of the Park where you can drive your own car, including the main Visitor Center and the first 15 miles of the road (“Self-Drive”); and outside the Park, including the town of Healy ("Outside").

Inside, Outside, Self-Drive

As I mentioned, it was late in the season, but not late enough for us to be able to drive into the Park. Let me explain …

Where you can and can't go by car

Technically open year-round, Denali is broadly accessible only from late May through mid-September.

Because the environment is fragile, you can’t drive your own vehicle past 15 miles of the 92-mile Park Road, with some exceptions.

There is great stuff in the first 15 miles, especially lots of Moose and Porcupines. During the fall, this area is a great place to visit because its where the Moose gather for the rut. If you are lucky, you can see some big boys with pretty good-sized antlers.

Alaskan Bull Moose

The Park’s shuttle bus system begins limited service in May and full service in early June, weather permitting. Buses run until mid-September. We usually visit in mid-September and, one year, we were on the last bus of the day on the last day of the season.

Fall is a nice time to visit

There are several bus options: transit buses where you can get off one and on another as much as you want; tours that feature detailed commentary and that require you to stay with your same group all day; and private transport to the two Denali Lodges at the end of the road. These trips all book out early, although sometimes you can pick up cancellation. As I mentioned, we had booked tours for two days and we planned to see if we could change at least one to a transit bus when we arrived.

A tour bus (there was allegedly a Lynx right by the road here; we never saw it)

They have a variety of route lengths. I have always liked to go all the way to the end and back at least once. Several times, we have stayed at the Backcountry Lodge, which included 92-mile-long (all day) bus rides to and from.

It takes all eyes to find the good stuff

ALL buses – even the transit shuttles – have experienced drivers who provide narration and stop for wildlife.

Since the driver is spotting AND driving, the passengers carry a great deal of responsibility for finding wildlife. Photographers are always the best spotters.

There is a Road Lottery you can enter in May that, should you win, permits you to drive your own vehicle the entire road during the second weekend after Labor Day. It is a great opportunity, but sometimes weather keeps the winners from collecting the prize.

When we went in 2015, nobody was making it through!

Once the lottery weekend is over, all private vehicles may drive up to 30 miles into the park until snow closes the road for the season. We have done this – and it delivered a Canadian Lynx!

My best Lynx photo was a lucky moment

Inside

So, the day we arrived at Denali (the day before our booked tours), we checked in at the reservation desk to make sure everything was OK. It wasn’t.

First, there were still no transit reservations, so we were to stick with our scheduled Tundra Wildlife Tours (no biggie).

Our ride for two days

Second, that 6:40 a.m. “start time” was misleading. In the past, I had been able to pick a start time and I always picked early morning because that’s good time to see animals.

It did say start time was subject to change

So, when only 6:40 was available, I didn’t mind. But, it appears that they had changed how they do it.

Now, all tours are listed as 6:40 a.m. and, then the day before, they email you with your real start time, which can be much later. This was not clearly explained at the time of booking. Ours were 9:00-ish one day and 10:00-ish the second. Because we were traveling, I had not seen the email.

I was surprised and I overheard several other people who were equally surprised, including a couple that had driven down very early only to have to wait several hours for their tour.

Third, and this is the worst. About two weeks earlier (while we were in Iceland and not seeing lots of news), the Park closed the road at Mile 43 (that is only halfway in), dramatically reducing the amount of Park any visitors could see and shortening the tours. This decision to close was based on serious road degradation that will take major engineering and funding to fix.

Photo: National Park Service

The closure is at a location known as Pretty Rocks, where landslides have become commonplace. Landslides have occurred there since at least the 1960s, but, until recently, only required maintenance every two-three years. During the 1990s, the landslide, which occurs below the roadbed, only caused small cracks in the road surface. However, by 2018 the slumping increased to almost half an inch per day, and then to three and a half inches per day by August 2020.

Photo: National Park Service

Early August rains in 2021 appear to have triggered the rate to increase significantly, with much of the landslide currently moving downhill at over ten inches per day. The day before the closure, it was 17 inches in one day.

Landslides and repairs have moved the road up and down; Chart: NPS

A ranger explained to us that the cliff on which the road is built isn’t actually solid rock. Rather, it is rock bound in ice. Climate warming is weakening the entire mountain.

The road west of Mile 43 was closed to nonessential vehicles in August because of the landslides. More than 80 backpackers, campers and guests of the lodges had to be evacuated.

A bus leaving the turn-around point

According to the Anchorage Daily News, the roadbed has since slumped about 30 feet since September. The Park is now looking at building a permanent bridge over the slide area.

Illustration: National Park Service

Construction was originally slated for 2023, but the National Park Service and Federal Highways Administration have been working to identify funding sources to move up the timetable. I will be surprised if it opens within the next five years. I hope it does, but that’s a big mountain and a steep cliff.

So, we were looking at a shorter trip with less ground to cover. Still, we opted to stay both days because, at Denali, you never know what you’ll see. That turned out to be a good decision because the two days had different weather and different animals.

Of course, we took more photos on the sunny day!

Interestingly, although our tours were at different times, we had the same tour guide. She was pleasant and well-informed, so that wasn’t a problem. But, all drivers have their own spiel and stories. By the end of the season, they are pretty set. So, we got to hear Donna twice (pretty much word-for-word).

Donna, our driver, and me on the bus; Photos: Scott Stevens

The buses are your basic school bus, mainly because the fragile roads can’t handle heavier tour buses. They have windows that can be opened, but if you want to take photos, you need to get a seat where you can open the window yourself and get the open part by your seat. They can be tricky to open and close, but it can get too cold and much too dusty if you leave them open.

Dall Sheep on the screen

There was one new thing on the tour buses that was really quite nice. The driver had a zoom camera attached to a viewing screen.

For folks who have difficulty seeing distant wildlife, this is a big plus. And, for those having trouble finding the actual wildlife with their own eyes (happens all the time in that vast area), it helps give an idea where to start looking.

There are several stops where you can get out (including a couple of potty breaks at the nice rest areas along the route).

The Teklanika Rest Stop (Mile 30) has some nice views

There is no food for sale within the Park, but the tour provides lunch. Wait! Don’t be fooled. Even the driver admitted that it was the poorest excuse for a meal you can imagine. Water, chips and cookies. The cookies were good, but take your own snacks and/or lunch if you go.

But, we aren't newbies!

Over the two days we visited inside the Park, we had some animal sightings. But as seasoned Denali visitors, we have had much, much better encounters on previous trips.

Yes, we are a bit (a lot!) jaded.

What we saw would have been pretty good for a newbie.

We did see Caribou. A good number, but kind of far away.

Caribou with some great fall antlers

We saw Dall Sheep even farther away.

Dall Sheep on a distant mountain

And, over two days, we saw four Grizzly Bears.

We spent a lot of time with this guy

None were particularly close ...

Brown Bear (AKA Grizzly Bear) on the hill

... but this is why you have a long lens. It’s always a good day when you see a Bear, no matter how far away ...

Coming down the hill

Apparently, the area where the road is closed is in the middle of the most common place to see Grizzlies. I have seen them multiple places in the Park (including once about one minute out of the bus depot), but this is the area where you have the best chance.

Digging for squirrels and walking away

We had some good encounters with Spruce Grouse …

Roadside Grouse

And, quite a few Willow Ptarmigans in their transitional plumage as they change from summer’s brown to winter’s white. Unfortunately, they were pretty far away ...

Changing from brown to snowy white

And, we saw a couple of Arctic Ground Squirrels ...

Cute little guy on the road

This was one of the few trips where we saw no Foxes or Moose within the restricted driving area. What we did see (and we have also seen this before), was 20,310-foot-tall Denali, the tallest mountain in North America.

And, a glorious view it was!

You may hear that it is obscured by clouds at least 75 percent of the time and you won’t see it if you visit the Park. But, climate change seems to be revealing the mountain more often. I have seen it every time I have visited since 2008.

Seeing the mountain is one of the attractions of going to Denali National Park

This time, we got good views from both “Inside” the Park and from the "Self-Drive" Area.

Denali from another vantage point

Because it was September, the foliage was rapidly changing to the dramatic yellows, reds and oranges of a Denali fall.

Fall on the river

We could see more color as each day progressed.

Denali is colorful in the fall

We’ve been in Denali in previous Septembers where there was already significant snow, but this year was still fall with just a hint of coming winter.

A gorgeous fall day

Self-Drive Area

We had a couple of good sightings in the Self-Drive area, both from the tour bus (this area is part of the tour) and from our own car. The biggest draw is Moose.

We were looking for bulls, but calves will do!

We did see a couple of big bulls, but, unfortunately, they were either very far away ...

Is this really a sighting?

… or in deep grass …

Is this?

We seemed to just miss a couple that were near the road. But, that’s the way it goes.

We had better luck with cows and calves. We had good encounters with a mom ...

A beautiful cow

... and her yearling …

A pretty good-sized yearling

… and then with a cow with this year’s baby ...

Mama and baby

Still a baby

The baby was quite grown as winter approaches, but still gangly and cute.

You might wonder why we care so much about Moose. After all, there are plentiful Moose to be seen in Colorado. True, but Colorado has Shiras Moose. Alaska has Alaskan Moose.

Ranges of the four Moose species: Mooseword.com

Alaskan Moose are as much as 40 percent larger than Shira Moose.

Males average 1,400 lbs., but can reach 1,800. They can stand seven feet at the shoulder and have an 80-inch antler span. That is big!

One of the big boys

We also had two great sightings of Northern Hawk Owls, the Owl most commonly seen in Denali.

Northern Hawk Owl at close range in good light!

The first one was in great light and was extremely interested in us, making for great photos.

Peeking at us from his perch

The second was in much less favorable light and it wasn’t particularly interested at first because it had a meal to eat.

He caught a vole and landed in a nearby tree

Once the owl had consumed the vole …

Down the hatch!

… then it wanted to know just what we were up to …

You lookin' at me?

I just love Owls.

Doesn't everyone love Owls?

When we took an evening drive, we had a very special thrill: a Canadian Lynx.

Not a good photo, but a great sighting

This is the third one we have seen in Denali (I also saw one in the Kenai Peninsula years ago). It was full dark and, even with headlights, the only photos we could get were on my cell phone. Still, most people never see a Lynx. So, we feel lucky.

The Savage River Area is also along this route. We stopped and took a walk along the trail where I have seen a lot of birds before.

The Savage River trail

This time, it was pretty dead. But, it’s nice to stroll for a bit.

Close to the developed areas of the park is a very picturesque railroad bridge. We were fortunate on this trip, to be able to catch the Alaska Railroad as it headed into the Denali Station.

The Alaska Railroad

In fact, we were very fortunate because this was the last trip from Anchorage to Fairbanks of the special Denali tour train of the season.

Crossing the ravine

We have never taken the train, but it might be fun.

The Alaska Railroad's last run of the season

Outside

We were also able to make it to a second scenic railroad bridge to catch the train after it pulled out of Denali Station. We rushed because we didn't know how long it would take to make it there.

Turns out we had plenty of time.

There’s just something about photographing a train!

While in the Denali area, we stayed at the Aurora Denali Lodge in Healy. A bit farther away than some of the cabins we have stayed in before, it was nice with a spacious room.

The Aurora Denali Lodge; Photos: Booking.com

It can be tricky getting services – hotels and meals – near the Park as businesses start to shut down for the season. This year was even more difficult because many restaurants had shut down (I fear some permanently) because of COVID. So, getting dinner was an issue.

Serbian sangria!

We found one (very popular) spot, where we ended up eating twice (one snack, one dinner). Cleverly named Moose-AKAs, the restaurant specialized in delicious Serbian food. It was an unexpected treat.

And, boy was it busy (I mean, even the Subway had closed for the year).

My favorite was mekice, a fried bread with a red pepper sauce and cream cheese. I could eat that every day!

Photo: Moose-AKAs

On our last day in Denali, we even awoke to what Alaskans call “termination dust:” the first light snow of the season.

The signal that the season is ending

Denali Always Delivers

Our visit to Denali was pleasant. I have had better animal sightings and I was certainly sad that the road was closed halfway. But, we did see a Lynx and Bears …