BLOG 18b--ALASKA: DENALI--THE BIG ONE

September 07, 2015 • Leave a Comment

Hello!

It's so difficult to describe Denali. At 20,310 feet high--it is simply grand. It is the highest mountain peak in North America. At some 18,000 feet, base-to-peak rise, it is considered to be the largest of any mountain situated entirely above sea level in the world.

Denali is located inside of Denali National Park:

"Denali is six million acres of wild land, bisected by one ribbon of road. Travelers along it see the relatively low-elevation taiga forest give way to high alpine tundra and snowy mountains, culminating in North America's tallest peak, 20,310' Denali. Wild animals large and small roam un-fenced lands, living as they have for ages. Solitude, tranquility and wilderness await."

Excerpt above taken from link below.

Check out the link: http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm

And the recent news of Mt. McKinley now being renamed officially to Denali: http://www.pasadenastarnews.com/government-and-politics/20150905/alaska-mountain-is-renamed-to-denali

And: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Denali

Access inside of Denali National Park is restricted as there is only one 97 mile long road that takes you close to the base of the mountain. We took a many hour ride to beyond mile marker 66 on the Tundra Wilderness Tour in a very old off white painted school bus. See: http://www.denaliparkvillage.com/denali-tours/tundra-wilderness.aspx

See the map below--we drove from the entrance to past the Eielson Visitor Center:

We saw:

- 1 baby moose

- 4 adult moose

- 1 ground squirrel

- 4 bear (2 buff colored and 2 brown)

- 12 caribou

- 2 Dall sheep

- 1 ptarmigan and 6 babies

We did see the BIG 4: moose, bear, caribou, and Dall sheep. To get the BIG 5 you have to see a wolf as well.

Before we got too far into the park a ranger boarded the bus and told us all of the rules. No talking while the bus in stopped for viewing of wildlife, no hanging limbs outside of the bus windows, stay on on trails or walkways when off the bus, and most of all enjoy the views of Denali National Park!