Alaska 2011 - Denali National Park

Denali - "The High One or Great One"

We could not wait to start our adventure to Denali National Park. We left Anchorage and passed through Wasilla, Alaska – once the home of Sarah Palin. We understand from many Alaskans, that she now lives in Arizona. We did not get to visit with her on this trip.

Mt. McKinley (Denali) is the highest mountain in North America. It stands 20,320’ high and to be able to view “The Great One” or “The High One” from its base to the top is not always possible. We were fortunate to have that “postcard” picture day.

Talkeetna, Alaska is a railroad town. Talkeetna is on the National Register of Historic Places. It is full of log cabins and old buildings. It is the permanent home of people who are very proud of their lives’ and their families. Talkeetna, Alaska is McKinley’s mountain town. The BEST professional mountain climbers from every country in the world come to this town as their jumping off point to climb Denali. You see Tibetan prayer flags, as well as Korean banners, grizzled trappers, and Alaska huskies in a very exciting and authentic Alaskan location. Flight service, from Talkeetna, takes the climbers into various locations on the mountain, including McKinley base camp at 7,200’ on Kahiltna Glacier. We had a caribou burger and beer at the West Rib Café & Pub. This is where the climbers, if successful in their summit attempt, gather to celebrate. They enjoy the West Rib caribou burger and a beer. Their names and artifacts left behind fill this old building. Around 1,200 to 1,500 make the attempt each year starting in the spring, with only a 50% success rate. The Talkeetna, Chulitna, and Susitna Rivers all meet at Talkeetna, Alaska and are a sight to see when the waters are high and the salmon spawning.

Denali National Park was awesome! There are 1 ½ million people that visit the park each year. Denali is served by the Alaska Railroad and brings people to the park from Anchorage and Fairbanks on a daily basis. We stayed at Riley Creek Campground for three days. We took the tour bus to Eielson Visitors Center, which is 66 miles into the park. This is the only way that you can see the park’s interior. Denali National Park is 6 million acres of pristine wilderness. The Denali Wilderness Preserve can only be accessed in the winter by sled dog teams. On our tour we got to see Mt. McKinley (base to top), grizzly bears, moose, caribou, dall sheep, and many birds and small mammals. It is amazing to see so many large predatory animals living is such close proximity to each other on the tundra. This can only happen when there is a vast food source available to these animals in the spring and summer months. We did not get to see any wolves or lynx, but they were definately around the park as evidence showed. Come winter, everything changes as the snows start to fall. We had a great time and took many, many pictures.

We also got to visit Sled Dog Kennels. There are 31 Alaska Huskies that are employed by the U.S. Federal Government to patrol and carry supplies into the Wilderness Preserve, which is 2 million acres, in the winter time. Ten dogs pull a sled that may range in weight from 350 to 500 lbs., which includes the “musher” and supplies. There are remote log cabins in the wilderness where park employees stay during the winter months. The Alaska Husky is not recognized by the American Kennel Society as a breed dog because it is not a “show” dog. The Alaska Husky is a “work” dog and is much bigger than the “racing dogs” used on the Qwest and Iditarod Sled Dog races.

CLICK HERE to view the Talkeetna, Alaska slideshow!

CLICK HERE to view the Denali National Park slideshow!