Denali National Park

June 25 - 28, 2024

We left Fairbanks and continued our journey southwest on Parks Highway toward Denali. We stopped about halfway in Nenana, where we were unexpectedly surprised. Nenana is where the Alaska Railroad was completed. President Harding drove home the golden spike. Then, in February 1925, when all other modes of transportation failed, including planes, Nenana is where the sled dog teams began their mindnumbingly cold, lifesaving run to Nome, delivering medicine to combat diptheria.

Nenana Depot Museum

Sled dog teams and mushers still play a vital role today. Denali National Park and Preserve makes extensive use of the teams in winter. Not only is the park prohibited from using machinery in some wilderness areas, dog teams often are more reliable than machines in winter months. Machines don't like to start in the extreme cold and parts can be hard to get. Dogs don't run out of fuel and are less invasive on the terrain. Plus, the rangers noted that dogs are much nicer to cuddle on those remote patrol runs. 

Can you see the caribou in the river bed?

Was that a spider?

Demonstration time

Meadow Loop Trail Overlook

Visitor Center displays

Snow covered Denali barely visible toward right side of photo

Our visit to Denali could easily have been covered in a day. If you don't take a full day bus tour, flightsee or adventure ride with a vendor, much of the area visited is concentrated to the front of the park. A landslide closed the road around milemarker 43, and private vehicles are only allowed in the first 15 miles. Denali itself is a distant view along the road. We had far better views of Denali from K'esugi Ken campground in Denali State Park.

View from K'esugi Ken campground - Curry Ridge Trail

On a side note, we visited Denali National Park on a Tuesday and a Wednesday. Four days later Denali National Park was closed for several days due to the Riley Wildfire.

 Where Are We Going Next?