Denali Parks

Denali Parks are split into two: the State Park, and the National Park. We stopped at the State Park for 4 days - 'cuz we couldn't get a campsite in the National one right away. The State Park campground was called Byers Lake, and it was great. B caught a lake trout off the shore the first night, and we paddled down a tiny winding creek later to catch 2 rainbow trout the next day. Food is not a problem here, and the wine is cheap!

We can just barely see the tall mountain from the lake, although the first day it was cloudy anyway so you can't see the top. The last 2 days were clear and sunny and we rushed to the south viewpoint on the highway to take pictures.

We also spent time on the other end of the lake and saw our first "red" salmon, and 2 trumpeter swans with little ones.

We were eager to get to the National Park, because that is where all the big wildlife is, so we left early in the morning. We had booked for the farthest campground into the park that you can drive into. It normally takes about an hour and a half to drive in, wildlife permitting. Well, half an hour up the road we met the welcoming committee!

Two caribou, with huge antlers, were walking directly down the road towards us! There is no place to pull off, as it is a narrow gravel road, so we just stopped as far over as we could. The two walked right up and past us. B could have put out his hand and touched them. For a moment he thought they were going to challenge the truck and come right at the front end! What a welcome.

The next day we took a bus. These buses are the only vehicles allowed to drive on the road beyond the campground. We went farther into the park and saw grizzlies, caribou, fox, and the white Dahl Sheep with the big round horns. The last part is where I ran into trouble. See, Dahl Sheep only stay in the highest parts of mountains, clear of predators. So to see these animals up close, the bus went up to 4,000' elevation on this narrow gravel road - along the mountainside with a very steep 2,000' dropoff. No guardrails, no shoulders even, and another bus coming the other way wanting to go by!!! If there had been another way home, other than walking alongside the bears, I would have taken it. But there was only the one "road", and after the day out, we had to come back it. It was worse going home, as we were on the side with the dropoff, not the cliff. Christian Science is a wonderful thing, as I could close my eyes and imagine the dropoff wasn't there. It got me back, anyway.

Over the next few days (we extended our stay) we got to see all kinds of things. Big bears on the other side of the river from our campsite, and flowers everywhere. B took the bus another time and saw wolves, too.

The river that we camped on was interesting. It was called a "braided" river, because it came from the mountain and there were so many rocks and stones in it that they kept rerouting the river. So the one riverbed held up to 5 streams of water, all fast and silty. They would twist, and join, and then split again. The riverbed itself was at least a kilometer wide, and the rocks were all different colours. Every colour except blue; all different reds, yellows, and greens along with the usual black and white. Even purple shades!

What an education being here. So many things to see.

W