Denali National Park

For a short, three-day road trip, my husband, folks, and aunt rented an SUV and drove the Parks Highway to Denali National Park. The forecast of cloudy and rainy weather dimmed our hope of actually seeing Denali, but we decided to go anyway, since the terrain and wilderness is beautiful on its own merit. Plus, the “partly cloudy” weather prediction could also be read as “partly sunny”, meaning we could have a brief encounter with Denali. Denali, which means “The High One” (formerly known as Mount McKinley), is 20,328 feet high and the tallest mountain peak in the United States and North America. Denali National Park includes more than six million acres of raw, wild land. What a national treasure.

Our upscale camp site at the Cantwell RV Park.

On a tip from friends in Wasilla, Alaska, we rented trailers in the Cantwell RV Park for our lodging (Milepost 210). This was great fun, and provided us an “upscale” camping experience, without having to haul around camping gear or drive an RV. In the Park (Milepost 237.2), we signed up for shuttle service to the Eielson Visitor Center, an eight-hour round-trip ride with brief restroom breaks and frequent stops for wildlife viewing. This is a great way to see the park – letting an expert drive, with the option of getting off and on the buses. Our driver informed us that Denali is so tall that it makes its own weather, and that only about 30 – 40% of Park visitors actually see the mountain.

It is hard to fathom the distance and grandeur from a photo.



Our green shuttle making a stop to view wildlife and the terrain.

Our shuttle left the Wilderness Access Center (WAC) at 10:30 in the morning. We had a great ride and a very knowledgeable bus driver. We saw lots of wild life – grizzly bears, caribou, foxes, wolves, mountain sheep, hawks, magpies, chipmunks, and a seagull. We saw beautiful sweeps of tundra, with its tapestry of miniature plants and jagged mountains.

Caribou	Tundra tapestry
Miniature fireweed	Grazing grizzlies

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We enjoyed the 40 minute break at the Eielson Visitor Center with its sod roof, solar panels, and grand vistas. But no glimpse of Denali. The mountain was continually shrouded in clouds and mist. Our shuttle returned to the WAC at 6:15. For dinner we dined at The Salmon Bake just north of the Park (Milepost 238.4), and then returned to the RV Park for the night.

Eielson Visitor Center, with a non-view of Denali.

The sun occasionally peaked through the clouds and mist.

The next day was a beautiful – full sun, puffy clouds, and warm temperature. We drove our rented SUV back to Anchorage in high spirits. And guess what? We saw Denali. All the way to Anchorage we had spectacular views of the mountain – from the North, West, and South. Clouds drifted across the snow capped peaks but we had a clear view. I heard one fellow in the South parking lot state that he had never seen such a clear view of Denali in all his years in Alaska.

Denali from the Parks Highway – North View.

Denali from the Parks Highway – South View.

If you are ever in Anchorage or Fairbanks – go to Denali. You might get lucky and see the mountain, despite the odds, or you’ll have a great story to tell about NOT seeing the mountain.