Denali National Park……….OMG!

On Thursday we toured Denali National Park and Preserve with Denali Backcountry Tours. The tour took us 95 miles into the park and is the only tour that goes that far into the park.  Private cars are only allowed to go the first 15 miles into the park, so the only way to see the interior is by park shuttles or by private contractor. After reading the brochures we had picked Denali Backcountry Tours and it turned out to be a great choice….we would recommend them to anyone wanting an experience to remember.

We boarded the bus at 6:00 AM and headed into the park.

Our driver and guide, Peter, was very personable and full of information regarding the history of the park as well as about the animals that inhabit it. He gave us the usual “speech” as we started out that he could not guarantee that we will see any of the animals as they keep their own “schedule”. He also told us that only 30% of the visitors to the park actually get to see Denali (Mount McKinley) as it is usually covered by clouds. But we would hope for the best………………and the best is what we got!!!!

          As you can see the roads are not for the faint of heart!!!

 

The morning was clear and the sun was shining brightly and soon we started to get glimpses of Denali (an Athabascan word meaning ‘the tall one’).

Right away we were treated to a sight not seen by 70% of visitors to the park ………..

                   and the day just kept getting better and better!

 

We saw so many animals that I do not have room in this blog to show then all, so I will post just a few…….

 

Many golden eagles soared above our heads….

 

Caribou, herds of them, and they have the right of way and cross anywhere they want!!!

 

By the way, if you have always wondered as I have what the difference is between a caribou and a reindeer, here is the answer. Reindeer are simply domesticated caribou and according to Peter they have been “trained to fly”…..ho ho ho!!!!  Not sure about the last part!!!

 

Here is a moose cow and her new calf. There are moose everywhere in Alaska .

 

                                                Isn’t he cute?

Here is another of the many that we saw along the road, but this is a solitary bull moose.

There are only grizzly bears in Denali……they eat grasses, berries, and, their favorites, ground squirrels. Whereas black bears eat fish and the glacial rivers and lakes in the park don’t have fish.

Most of the grizzlies are this “blond” color but some are a brownish-black. The coloring on this mother bear is very distinctive.

 

They also have the right of way and cross in front of buses, which makes for great photo opportunities.

                          Mom was followed by her last years cub………..

 

A very rare sighting, 2 wolves napping right along side the road. We  stopped an watched them for a while staying very quiet so as not to spook them!!!  Fantastic experience!!!

We also encountered many Dall sheep, both near and far up in the rocks. But this group decided to entertain us with a demonstration in “head butting”.

 

I think this raven with rethink where to nest next year as buses run over this bridge many times a day! But the chicks are almost ready to head out on their own, so she is sticking it out!

 

A ptarmigan that is still in the process of changing from winter white to summer brown.

 

           Another rare sighting, a fox hurrying along her way.

 

We had a great buffet lunch at the Denali Backcountry Lodge and spent some time there before getting back on the bus to head back home. While we were there some of the group panned for gold………. 

…..others went on a nature walk, and some of us just checked out the place. We decided that if we ever wanted to ‘get away from everything’ this is the place to go!!!!

It was a long tour, 15 hours, but it was an experience we will never forget and we have pictures of animals and scenery that we will enjoy for years to come.

 

Just us kids…………..