• North to Alaska By RV 2021
    The Teklanika River will never fill the gravel bar ... just carve channels for itself — Denali NP.
    A "wandering the Teklanika River gravel bar" selfie — Denali NP, AK.Teklanika River ... flowing strong, deep, cold — Denali NP, AK.The clouds hanging out in the blue skies — Denali NP, AK.Two channels merging to make one ... Teklanika River — Denali NP, AK.An old channel now abandoned by the river makes a good reflecting pool — Denali NP, AK.There are still fields of snow on the gravel bar — Denali NP, AK.Such a brilliant day on the Teklanika River gravel bar — Denali NP, AK.Raven ... an important symbol in the culture of Alaska Natives ... Teklanika Rest Area — Denali NP.A raven strutting his stuff in the parking lot ... Teklanika Rest Area — Denali NP, AK.

    Hiking the Teklanika River Gravel Bar

    May 31, 2021 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 50 °F

    Woke up to sunshine, blue skies, and character clouds this morning. Peaceful and quiet as most of the campers were still abed. It was only 37F at 6:45a, but with very little in the way of a breeze, the temps climbed quickly.

    After breakfast, we set off to do another wander on the Teklanika River gravel bar. This is one of several braided rivers in Denali National Park that runs through areas carved by glaciers. These rivers all drain into the Mighty Yukon, which then takes these waters out to the Bering Sea.

    With rumors of a bear wandering the area — no visual confirmation on our part — Mui donned his bear bell, secured his bear spray, and attached the iTouch to the speaker so that we could play music as we wandered around the gravel bar. That we had the whole bar to ourselves was a delight ... except for a woman camping near the river with her dog.

    This time, we headed towards the Teklanika River Bridge. The hike was not necessarily a difficult one ... all flat ... but the varied size rocks did require special attention to our footing. We criss-crossed the area, wading through streams to get closer to the main riverbed where we found the Teklanika River rushing west.

    When we arrived at the Teklanika Rest Area, about a mile by road from the campground, we decided to head up there. Easier said than done as there is no “formal trail” from the riverbed to the observation platform. We found a steep and narrow path — little more than a goat path — through the trees. Luckily there were enough hand- and footholds for us to safely make it up to the observation deck.

    And that’s when the rest of our plans for the day changed ...    Read more