It was another sunny warm day as we drove north on Highway 3 while making several stops to look at cloud-covered Denali in the distance.
Denali in the Clouds
By early afternoon, we were at Cantwell and decided to stay at the RV park for a few days. This rural area is still 40 kilometres from the entrance to Denali National Park but had the benefit of being open and available. We got on the internet and booked our Denali bus tour.
The friendly campground hosts were throwing a barbeque so we jointed in and met some interesting people.
July 3
After a hearty breakfast, we motored into Denali National Park and stopped at the visitor centre.
Denali Visitor Centre
The morning sun cast a golden hue as we sauntered around the centre while perusing the displays and absorbing the ambience of this well laid-out rustic facility.
Grizzly Bear Statue by William D. "Bill" Berry (1926-1979)
Denali Visitor Centre
Like many Alaskan facilities the visitor centre made excellent use of rough hewn logs to accentuate the natural light. It gave the building an expansive rustic feel.
Denali Visitor Centre - interior
Denali Visitor Centre - rear view
Several short hiking trails started from the Visitor Centre and we chose the Rock Creek Trail.
It was an easy to moderate hike that started upward at a reasonable incline.
Rock Creek Trail
We passed through mostly Black Spruce trees with occasional stands of aspens.
Bear Scratching Posts
We were intrigued by the scaring on the aspen trees which started about 7 or 8 feet above the ground.
Bear Scratching Post
On closer inspection, the claw marks were quite apparent. I kept a tighter grip on my bear spray for the rest of the hike.
Wild Rose
Blue Bells
The 24 hour sunlight of Alaskan summers really benefits the flora. There were wildflowers exploding all along the sides of the trails.
View from the Rock Creek Trail
At the crest of the Rock Creek Trail was a nice view of the surrounding forest and tundra.
July 4
We were up at 6:30 a.m. preparing for our bus tour into the heart of Denali National Park. At 8:00 a.m. we dropped Sonaa off with our campground host then drove the 40 kms back to the Denali Wilderness Access Centre to board our bus.
Denali Bus to Eielson
As we congratulated ourselves for our prompt arrival with time to spare for the 9:00 start, we noticed that everyone in our line had tickets for the 10:00 bus.
Oops! We had clearly missed our 9:00 a.m. bus and were one hour late. Turned out our cell phones had finally switched over to Alaskan time leading us to miscalculate the hour.
Traveling the Park Road 46 miles to Eielson Visitor Center
Anyway, the bus company was accommodating and let us board the 10:00 a.m. bus.
It was packed full in part due to two stowaways.
Park Road into Grizzly Bear Country
Our bus driver was a chatty chap and gave us an informative running commentary
as he drove us deep into the park.
Bear Country
Teklanika River Overlook
Our first stop was by the Teklanika River where we had an opportunity to relax and enjoy the view
Teklanika River
Wrangel-St. Elias National Park was mostly forested with few vistas. By contrast, Denali had magnificent vistas with broad, wide-open tundra as far as the eye can see. The scenery was amazing throughout the trip as rolling tundra and snow-capped mountains painted a beautiful landscape.
Bear Country
This landscape was ideal for Grizzly Bears and Caribou so we had great expectations to see both.
Polychrome Overlook
Polychrome Overlook
A short stop at Polychrome Overlook gave us an opportunity to wander about the trails and experience the excellent rainbow of the kaleidoscope colours at this aptly named venue.
Polychrome Overlook
The bus driver stopped near a Gyr Falcon nest so we could take pictures. I was thrilled to see this stately bird as it was the largest species in the falcon family and rare. Other bus passengers were less enamoured. The group's collective perspective appeared to be summed up by one wag who said "onward it's just a bird".
Gyr Falcon near its Nest
Bear Country
As the road wound through the undulating tundra we saw several grizzly bears foraging and lounging.
Grizzly Bear
Several caribou were also cloistered in willow thickets They seemed to be doing a good job of keeping a low profile and avoiding the attention of the bears.
Caribou
Caribou
Toklat River
The welcome rest stop at Toklat River provided a second opportunity to stretch, explore and recharge.
Toklat River
Toklat River
Mew Gull - looking his best
During the winter, birds can look scruffy and subdued but in the spring, they molt into their mating finery and look quite dashing.
Toklat River
Moose Calf
This baby moose was not alone. Mom was hovering just outside this picture.
Basking in the Sun
The bear statue at the visitor centre really captures the carefree look of a grizzly bear when it is lounging in the tundra. Several bears were strewn around the landscape either resting or foraging on berries and grass.
Denali from Eielson Visitor Centre
Finally, after 75 kilometres we arrived at our destination, the Eielson Visitor Centre.
The picture above showed what Denali would look like from here if the clouds did not obscure the view.
Emma at Eielson Visitor Centre
The visitor centre was at mile 66 on the Park Highway and situated 33 miles from the summit of Denali. On a clear day, this majestic mountain dominated the horizon.
Thorofare River and Denali
Thorofare River and Denali
With time to explore, we hiked around the Alpine trail. At this northern latitude and at an altitude over 1,000 metres the growing season was short but the summer days were long.
Alpine Trail
Alpine Trail
Small alpine wildflowers were popping up in pockets around the trail. The terrain was wide open but, even so, we alternated between marvelling at the flowers at our feet and scanning the hillside for bears.
Pink Plumes
Capitate Valerian
Willow Ptarmigan
A few hearty birds and mammals were also scurrying about on the landscape.
Arctic Ground Squirrel
Emma on the Alpine Trail
This was definitely bear country. They had the right of way and we were happy to give them lots of room.
Sow and Cub
Sow Grizzly
Cub
Parting View of Denali
Too soon it was time for the long bus ride back. It was a quiet, tired and happy group, which was often the case when you have experienced something unique. You need time to process the experience.
As we slowly drove back to civilization a lone grizzly stood like a sentinel on a hillside and observed us as we departed.
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