Into the Wild: Denali National Park & Preserve

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• published: 03 Sep 2017
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The park and preserve retains over 6,000,000 acres of wild taiga and tundra beauty that is saturated with wildlife and flora--which those glossy pages of a National Geographic merely hinted at, when I was a child. We savored the tundra vistas, mountainscapes--Denali eluded us behind a shroud of clouds and fog--and a close proximity to the wildlife, all while being dusted with snow and while drinking in the crisp air. We saw Dall sheep, brown bear, moose, ptarmigan, caribou, and much more! Denali National Park and Preserve dictates that no private vehicles are permitted past Mile 15, within the park; you must partake of one of their bus tours which are intended to regulate the road's integrity and to maintain the serenity of the wildlife. (There are "hop-on-hop-off" buses for hikers.) We went to only Mile 53, to the Toklat River stop, but round-trip, it was a full day, with all of the stops we made to enjoy the wildlife and vistas. One can opt for a bus that goes all the way, to Mile 89, to the Kantishna stop, but we didn't have the time that day. It would be a privilege to return for a hiking and camping experience. I recommend going as deep as you can into the park, and if you're able and experienced (wildlife, terrain, climate), then hike some of it. Do not simply go to Mile 15, where the paved road ends; you miss out on what the Park truly offers. The Park's website: https://goo.gl/H7NMWu Nature found in the Park (wildlife, plants, geology, etc): https://goo.gl/JRpbnD Denali National Park’s 2017 newspaper: https://goo.gl/GYVt9u Plan your visit: https://goo.gl/fRZkPi Professional photography of the Park, complete with views of Denali—not affiliated, just supplying for enjoyment: https://goo.gl/pBrF9E --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Fees (entrance, camping, bus, shuttle, Wilderness Center, Fee-Free Days, yearly passes, discounts, etc.): https://goo.gl/zR1vPd “Educators, are you bringing a school group to the park? Learn whether or not you qualify for an educational fee waiver.” https://goo.gl/oHqeHj --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Map: https://goo.gl/HdDpY1 Detailed, printable map (pdf): https://goo.gl/i54LM6 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Though nearly all private vehicles must turn around at mile 15, Savage River, Tek campers are an exception to that rule...." Details: https://goo.gl/PrdomH (*quoted source, at 2:17) Buses and Shuttles: 9:56 https://goo.gl/st5hjS “All transit bus, tour bus and campground reservations are handled by our bus concessionaire, Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture.” Here: http://www.reservedenali.com/ “Children (15 and younger) ride for free on shuttle buses. Alaska's car seat laws apply to young children.” Courtesy shuttle: https://goo.gl/4Y2yBX --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hiking Trails, Hiking Off-Trail, and Park Entrance details: https://goo.gl/yBRsft --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Cycling in the park: https://goo.gl/hDH5Xw --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Climate change: https://goo.gl/h2fMYD We were told that the Park is going to be faced with a serious situation with permafrost melt; we were told that they are evaluating re-routing park roads. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Book/poem read at end: The book: Mountains and Rivers Without End. The selection: “Arctic Midnight Twilight” By Gary Snyder Pages 94-95 https://goo.gl/orK6Q4 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Music used, repeated, all from the YouTube library: 1. “Prelude No. 7,” by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ 2. “Prelude No. 8,” by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ 3. “Prelude No. 12,” by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/ 4. “Prelude No. 13,” by Chris Zabriskie is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/preludes/ Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/