Alaska Day 27 Denali National Park

Another rainy day but we have made reservations for the 11AM bus tour of Denali. It goes rain or shine. Breakfast, shower ($5)!! and out to get a lunch to take on the bus. First in line for the bus so we got good seats. There is only one road in Denali, it goes for 90 miles. Again, this Park is 6 million acres!!! Cars are only allowed for the first 15 miles. We chose the bus tour that goes to the 66 mile point. Scheduled for 8 hours! Primarily it is information, looking for wildlife, and, of course, views of Denali. No way to see Denali today in this weather. 🙃. Denali is the highest mountain in North America at 20,310 ft. Mountaineers come from all over the world to climb the mountain. 1200+ climbers summited Denali in their climbing season this year which is in May and June. The park exists to conserve the natural state of the environment. Protection of the animals is of utmost importance. The most prominent wildlife are bears - grizzly and black -, moose, caribou, wolves, and dall sheep. Our first wildlife sighting was a moose in the trees not far from the road. Mountain all socked in and hard to see very far. Did see quite a few caribou. Several stops along the way for stretching legs, bathrooms and always something different to see. Got to the end of our line - mile 66 - the Eielson Visitors center. A lovely new building built into the landscape. We had a half hour break there, raining so watched a movie on the climbing of Denali. When we got out, the rain has stopped and weather had started to clear. Large viewing spot for Denali and one could almost make out the lower slopes.
On out return we had much better weather and lots more wildlife. Saw lots of caribou, another moose and finally I got to see the bears. We saw 2 different sets of them - both grizzlys - albeit a ways away. Could see quite well with the binoculars. Amazing how fast they can move!
Back by 7 PM and glad to get off the bus but would recommend the ride to anyone. Spectacular scenery in every direction - even with the rain. Home for soup and salad dinnerand an early bedtime.Read more