Denali National Park and Preserve, only 250 miles south of the Arctic Circle, is composed of the mountains of the Alaska Range and large areas of subarctic wet and dry tundra.
After checking in at the visitors center, we drove 29 miles into the park, the farthest you can drive in your own vehicle without a special permit.
We had an exceptionally good day, seeing much wildlife even before reaching our camp.
Ptarmigan--The Alaska state bird
Grizzly Bear
Caribou
Wolf pack
Most Denali wolves are grey-brown
Black colored wolf with tracking collar
Snowshoe hare
Camp on the Teklanika River
We hailed a bus and finished the day riding further into the park.
During our 4 day stay we learned that perhaps this is the most popular driver in the park. We sure felt so. His enthusiasm and love for the park made our visit a true joy. We waited for his bus every day.
The 95 mile road follows glacier fed rivers and snow capped mountains of the Alaska Range.
Arctic Ground Squirrel
Magpie
Me scouting for Dall sheep--
--seen high on ridge tops--
--and in high mountain meadows.
The new visitors center on a sunny day.
Beautiful quilt in the center
Mt. McKinley, or Denali, as Alaskans will say.
Alaska Range
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