Day 22 Ends @ the Boardwalk

Actually, we’re behind the Boardwalk in what is officially the Nenana Canyon Denali Park Commercial Area.

The Boardwalk is a series of small buildings ... tour offices, shops, restaurants ... most still closed but some of them preparing to open for the Memorial Day long weekend that is just around the corner. Behind all these buildings is the Denali Rainbow Village RV Park & Cabins.

We arrived here around noon, checked in, had a quick bite to eat, and set off to walk the pedestrian path ... which is about a mile to the Denali NP entrance. We walked two miles each way from the RV Park to the Riley Creek Mercantile in Denali National Park. Although the temp was only 66F, the full sunshine made it feel downright hot ... even in shirt sleeves we were overheated.

The path goes past the huge Princess Cruises’ Denali Wilderness Lodge where we stayed in 2001 ... closed for 2021 due to cruise ships not crossing the Gulf of Alaska when they resume Alaska sailings this summer ... a big hit to the local economy. Then, a pedestrian bridge crosses the beautiful Nenana Canyon, with the river rushing by below. Only a couple of rafters were preparing to put into the river that sees far greater numbers in a normal year.

Nearing Denali NP, we took a bypass through the woods — much appreciated shade ... plenty peaceful.

At the Riley Creek Mercantile, we braved the nasty looks of a few patrons to pick up some delicious ice cream. Why the nasty looks ... because we forgot our masks 😷 in the rig and the store had none to give us. Although the masking rules have changed for those who are fully-vaccinated, the park is still requiring them indoors. Anyway, we covered up best we could while there and didn’t dally inside. After a quick look at the nearby campground — our next destination — we retraced our steps back to the Boardwalk.

The Denali Rainbow Village RV Park is nothing special. A big gravel lot for RVs with some pull through sites and some back-in. Certainly a hard sell for us after our Joe Lake boondock. The park is still preparing for the season. We were only one of two rigs here last night.

The campground does have several things going for it ... which is why we will be here for two nights. FHU sites and a laundry — which we need after several days of boondocking ... with nine days of dry camping ahead of us that we need to prep for; excellent T-Mobile data and cell signal (thanks to their partnership with the local company, GCI); convenience ... just one mile up the road from the Denali National Park Entrance. Oh, and yes, there are mountain views from our site.

It is an expensive campground ... nightly rate around $60 with the Good Sam discount; bundles of campfire wood $10; laundry is highway robbery at $5 load to wash and $5 to dry. But it is a sellers market here, so we’ll just count the cost of this stay against all the boondocking we plan to do.Read more