Ready for another photo dump? This time we’re heading into the wild, Denali National Park.
About six hours north of Seward and four hours from Anchorage, we took in all the beauty the drive had to offer. On the way there, we made a pit stop at the Alaska Wildlife Conservancy to see the bears, owls, eagles, coyotes, wolves, buffalo and more that were on the med, temporarily or permanently. A must stop for any animal lover.
Planning this leg was a bit difficult because by the time we got up to that part of the state, the season was over. The town we stayed in (Healy) was all but completely shuttered, with only a few restaurants open, the rest only a few weeks from closing. The Denali park-sanctioned bus had also stopped running for the season. We did our best, and I say we did just fine.
In lieu of the bus, we took a fat tire truck tour, and it exceeded our expectations! Run by Joel, or our state trooper/search and rescue/tour guide, we got not only a tour of the views, but also a geology lesson, a photography lesson and story telling, all in one! If you’re out that way, check it out!
We had quite a lot of fun.
The rest of the time, we really took in as much as we could of the views.
Oh, the views.
A trip to Denali wouldn’t have been complete without at least one hike, so we opted for the shorter version of the Horseshoe Lake Trail in order to give is time to do the 60 mile round trip drive through the park.
While only 2 miles, it was the most breathtaking two miles I’d ever hiked.
I’m relieved to say that we saw no wildlife – I was not keen on encountering any moose, bears or other predators on our path. The best we saw was this little beaver damn.
#nofilter
Yes, this is real. Is this heaven?
Fall only lasts about two weeks up in these parts and we couldn’t have timed in more perfectly. Another week and this view in all its golden splendor would be gone.
Later that night, we woke up in the wee hours to chase the northern lights.
And whadda know, we caught ’em!
(If you’re up there searching yourself, check out this tool from University of Alaska. The best time is between 12-3a, so set your alarm, and watch out for moose crossing the road)
After our northern adventures, we schleped back to Anchorage where work was the order of the next few days. Still, we made the most of it.
Oh, Alaska. I’ll see you again.
Cheers to the 49th state!
