DrewE's Alaska Trip Travelogue
I returned about a week ago from a marvelous ten-week trip to and through Alaska (and back) with my dear mother. I went in a 32' class C, actually about 35' overall with a bicycle rack on the back, w...
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Note: the pictures are not in chronological order here.
August 8th - 10th -- We stayed at Teklanika ("Tek") campground in Denali. This campground is the furthest in national park campground that RVs are permitted to use, and has a bus pass special where if you pay for a bus tour on the first day you can ride any bus the remaining days on a space-available basis for free. They do have a three night minimum. To do again I would stay at least four nights, as three nights really boils down to two days in the park and that's hardly sufficient.
On the 8th, we mostly just wandered through the visitor's center, got our bus tickets, and had a pleasant drive into the campground. The site we ended up with was basically next to one of the vault toilets, which didn't really smell but did mean a bit of a stream of people wandering through the general area. They generally were quite good about not walking through the site proper, I must say. We attended the ranger presentation at the campground on Caribou, which was both well presented and well attended. The presentations on the other nights did not particularly interest us.
Click For Full-Size Image.
Fireweed and Mountains
On the 9th, we had beautiful weather for our reserved shuttle bus travel. We elected to go the full length of the park road to Kantishna (on the theory of wishing to see everything). To do again, I don't think I would bother with going beyond Wonder Lake; actually, I would probably just take the initial shuttle to the Eielson visitor center as it's a bit less expensive and go further on later days. At any rate, it was an enjoyable trip, although somewhat grueling sitting in a school bus with upgraded seats for several hours.
Click For Full-Size Image.
View at the Toklat rest area, including a typical braided river
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Also at Toklat
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A brief stop at Polychrome Pass
The mountain was visible nearly all the day, possibly excepting for the very tippy top. It is a magnificent sight indeed.
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Click For Full-Size Image.
Click For Full-Size Image.
View from Wonder Lake. Apparently quite unlike some other times, there were not bad mosquitoes in the area when we were there.
On the 10th, I went to the Eielson visitor center and hiked around a wee bit, going up the alpine trail. The weather was overcast with low clouds (I got a fine view of the inside of a cloud) and occasional showers or threats of showers. I think my mom also ended up going to Eilson, although we were going our separate ways for the day.
Click For Full-Size Image.
Hiking into the clouds
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Magnificent views from the end of the trail! Or so they say.
On the 11th, we departed the campground and spent a little time in the visitor's center area. We also went to the sled dog demonstration before heading out, continuing on south down the Parks Highway towards Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula.
Click For Full-Size Image.
At the savage river rest area, which is the limit for how far the general public may drive into the park generally. Going beyond (such as to the Tek campground) requires a pass of some sort; needless to say, campers receive such a pass, good for a trip into the campground and back out, but no further driving.
Click For Full-Size Image.
Tephra, a hard-working sled dog. I do like the rustic doghouses.
We were fortunate enough to see quite a bit of wildlife, including very good views of grizzly bears (and cubs), caribou, and a decent view of moose. We also saw Dall Sheep, but only in the distance as white dots on the hill--through binoculars, they looked like vaguely sheep-shaped, slightly larger white dots on the hill. Smaller animals included hare, ground squirrels, and various birds (including a short-eared owl on the way out from the campground). The gray jays at the campground were incredibly bold; if you turned your back for maybe four seconds they would steal supper right off the picnic table.
Click For Full-Size Image.
A bear cub right next to the road and bus...pretty cool
Click For Full-Size Image.
Bear and cubs cavorting
Click For Full-Size Image.
Spot the moose!
Click For Full-Size Image.
Caribou
Click For Full-Size Image.
Ptarmigan crossing and causing a traffic jam at the Toklat access road
Click For Full-Size Image.
Arctic Ground Squirrel
Denali is a beautiful but popular, park. The crowds, as one might expect, are pretty much concentrated along the road, on the busses and in the visitor's centers and so forth; while we did not do it, even a brief backcountry hike would generally allow one to be quite alone.
August 8th - 10th -- We stayed at Teklanika ("Tek") campground in Denali. This campground is the furthest in national park campground that RVs are permitted to use, and has a bus pass special where if you pay for a bus tour on the first day you can ride any bus the remaining days on a space-available basis for free. They do have a three night minimum. To do again I would stay at least four nights, as three nights really boils down to two days in the park and that's hardly sufficient.
On the 8th, we mostly just wandered through the visitor's center, got our bus tickets, and had a pleasant drive into the campground. The site we ended up with was basically next to one of the vault toilets, which didn't really smell but did mean a bit of a stream of people wandering through the general area. They generally were quite good about not walking through the site proper, I must say. We attended the ranger presentation at the campground on Caribou, which was both well presented and well attended. The presentations on the other nights did not particularly interest us.
Fireweed and Mountains
On the 9th, we had beautiful weather for our reserved shuttle bus travel. We elected to go the full length of the park road to Kantishna (on the theory of wishing to see everything). To do again, I don't think I would bother with going beyond Wonder Lake; actually, I would probably just take the initial shuttle to the Eielson visitor center as it's a bit less expensive and go further on later days. At any rate, it was an enjoyable trip, although somewhat grueling sitting in a school bus with upgraded seats for several hours.
View at the Toklat rest area, including a typical braided river
Also at Toklat
A brief stop at Polychrome Pass
The mountain was visible nearly all the day, possibly excepting for the very tippy top. It is a magnificent sight indeed.
View from Wonder Lake. Apparently quite unlike some other times, there were not bad mosquitoes in the area when we were there.
On the 10th, I went to the Eielson visitor center and hiked around a wee bit, going up the alpine trail. The weather was overcast with low clouds (I got a fine view of the inside of a cloud) and occasional showers or threats of showers. I think my mom also ended up going to Eilson, although we were going our separate ways for the day.
Hiking into the clouds
Magnificent views from the end of the trail! Or so they say.
On the 11th, we departed the campground and spent a little time in the visitor's center area. We also went to the sled dog demonstration before heading out, continuing on south down the Parks Highway towards Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula.
At the savage river rest area, which is the limit for how far the general public may drive into the park generally. Going beyond (such as to the Tek campground) requires a pass of some sort; needless to say, campers receive such a pass, good for a trip into the campground and back out, but no further driving.
Tephra, a hard-working sled dog. I do like the rustic doghouses.
We were fortunate enough to see quite a bit of wildlife, including very good views of grizzly bears (and cubs), caribou, and a decent view of moose. We also saw Dall Sheep, but only in the distance as white dots on the hill--through binoculars, they looked like vaguely sheep-shaped, slightly larger white dots on the hill. Smaller animals included hare, ground squirrels, and various birds (including a short-eared owl on the way out from the campground). The gray jays at the campground were incredibly bold; if you turned your back for maybe four seconds they would steal supper right off the picnic table.
A bear cub right next to the road and bus...pretty cool
Bear and cubs cavorting
Spot the moose!
Caribou
Ptarmigan crossing and causing a traffic jam at the Toklat access road
Arctic Ground Squirrel
Denali is a beautiful but popular, park. The crowds, as one might expect, are pretty much concentrated along the road, on the busses and in the visitor's centers and so forth; while we did not do it, even a brief backcountry hike would generally allow one to be quite alone.
