Monday was our departure day from Anchorage. After morning runs toward the University of Alaska-Anchorage, we had breakfast then packed up for the trip north. Along the way, we stopped in Wasilla and met Sarah Palin and picked up groceries before continuing toward Denali National Park. I also managed to leave my planner on the roof of the van in Wasilla, so will need to pick it up from a good Samaritan on Thursday who grabbed it off the highway.
We stopped in Trapper’s Creek at a gas station/diner for lunch, which is a little more than 1/2 way to our destination. As we continued north after lunch, we were able to take advantage of the clear day and get spectacular views of The High One from both South and East/Northeast exposures. It’s massive façade was breathtaking.
Alaskan Mountain Range 
The crew with Mt McKinley (Lily took the picture)
After multiple photo stops for Denali, we headed further north to the park gate where we drove the 15 miles to the end of the line (for personal vehicles) at Savage River. After all day in the car we were looking to walk a bit so did the riverside trail; a 2 mile flat loop that meanders along both sides of the river. The short hike was eventful since we had a close encounter with a caribou and ended the hike getting caught in a pop-up hailstorm.
Monday night ended with us driving a little further north to Healy where we moved into our cabin for the next couple nights and grilled out for dinner.
Tuesday morning started early with a quick breakfast on the way out the door before heading back to the park Wilderness Access Center, where we picked up our 8am shuttle into the park. Our tickets were for the Eilson Visitor’s Center 66 miles along the park road and only accessible by park busses. Once you get past the portion of the park road open to the public, the road turns to dirt and gravel and the amenities are pretty much nonexistent. It’s an intentionally wilderness oriented park.
We had expected to hop from shuttle to shuttle and take hike breaks along the way, but the weather was drizzly and overcast and hiking would have been difficult without any groomed trails while carrying a baby and her car seat. Also, the bus trip was longer than expected; 8 hours round trip for with a couple restroom breaks and 30 minutes at the visitor center turnaround. Instead we watched for wildlife from the bus and were very lucky, we managed to see 2 foxes, 4 grizzlies, numerous caribou and dahl sheep, and other smaller animals. There was also a lynx sighting by the bus, but we mostly missed it.
A herd of dahl sheep on the mountain
A herd of caribou taking a walk 
Susan and Lily at an overlook 
A little fox trotted along with our shuttle for a while 
Momma grizzly with her two cubs
After our shuttle returned, we took a quick 3-mile hike to Horseshoe Lake which included a beaver dam at the turnaround point.
At the turnaround 
Heading back to the car
The one animal missing from the day was the moose. In the evening we drove back to Healy and had dinner at the 49th State Brewery Restaurant. It was a surprisingly nice gastropub with a great beer selection. After dinner, it was back to the cabin where we made a fire and played some cards before bed.
Wednesday morning we were graced with the missing moose from Tuesday. It was grazing on plants along the driveway in the cabin’s backyard…very up close and personal.
Miss Lily got to eat her breakfast with our new moose friend
Once the moose continued on its way, we checked out and started southbound again. Most of the early afternoon was spent driving with a lunch stop at a Denali overlook café, but unfortunately the rainy day meant no mountain views. We checked into a new cabin (or small lodge) in Talkeetna then went in to explore the small town. It is mostly restaurants, coffee shops, and souvenir shops…a little tourist town.
In the evening we took a quick break at the cabin before heading back into town for dinner at the Denali Brewing Company Café. The food and beers were pretty good but the highlight was getting the info on their casual World Cup watch party the next morning. Otherwise, with it being a rainy evening we returned to the cabin to hang out for the rest of the night.
Leaving the interior tomorrow.
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