Denali National Park and Preserve (Part 1)

 

Unlike most of the national parks, Denali National Park and Preserve was initially established as a national park, not because of its spectacular beauty, but to conserve wildlife.  The original park boundary did not even include the mountain.  The lack of hunting and car access today is designed to keep the park wild.  The original 2 million acres still does not allow any motorized vehicle access, so the park has their own kennels (about 35 sled dogs) for mushing in the winter.  100 rangers work in the park during the winter.

In 1980, then President Carter not only tripled the size of the park but also renamed it Denali National Park and Preserve from the original Mount McKinley National Park.  Denali means “the High One” for Athabascan Indians north of the Alaska Range.  It was always called Denali by Alaskans even before the official name change.

The park road was being paved and widened but funds ran out, so it is gravel and narrow past the Visitor Center.  The farthest RVs are allowed is Mile 29, Teklanika Campground.  You need a road pass (must post it in the windshield) and are allowed one drive in and one out with no tow vehicle; I had to leave my Jeep at the Visitor Center and proceed to the campground; you have to stay a minimum of three days.  It is a dry/no facilities campground (the most expensive boondocking I’ve ever paid for, but totally worth it).  There are shuttles to take you closer to the mountain, and I have a ticket to Kantishna, as close as is allowed.  I’m a little early in the season (what’s new?), so I’m waiting a few days until the road is open.  I made my first trip to Eielson Visitor Center (6 hours round trip).  It was a nice introduction to the park.  We saw 4 of the “big 6,” plus a couple Golden Eagles and other assorted birds …  We were also among the lucky to see the full mountain on the road up, however, when we arrived at Eielson a thunderstorm started and the mountain was partially blocked by clouds.  Hopefully, the next trip will be clearer.  Apparently, it had been clear for the previous 5 days!

Quilt in the Eielson Visitor Center - yes, a quilt not a picture

I have learned a lot on the ranger walks and talks, about mushing and sled dogs and about the adaptability of plants and animals in the park.  Such as, the grizzly bears here are smaller than those elsewhere because they live on plants and rodents here as there is no salmon for them to eat; 70% of bear cubs are killed, mostly by male bears, to force the female bears to mate again.  Is that not sad? 

I saw a moose with a calf, some caribou and a bear on the way in.  The ranger said there was a wolf den close to the campground, but I haven’t seen one as yet.

Denali Highway (AK8)

I took two days to drive the 133 miles from Paxson to Cantwell.  It has only been open for a couple of days. This is BLM land so I was able to camp anywhere I chose and took advantage of that.  Parts of the road were decent enough to get up to 30mph, but most of it was 10-15mph potholes, ruts, and washboard.  The first 30 miles are paved; the rest is gravel/dirt.

 

 

Every brochure I read said the max speed limit on the Denali Hwy was 35mph ... and then I passed these signs

 

The Alaska Range – Several peaks in view have elevations greater than 12,000 feet.  This range extends in a great arc from Cook Inlet through the Mount Denali massif and on to the Canada border, a distance of 650 miles.

The Gulkana Glacier, seen from this point, was formed from the buildup of snowfields high in the Alaska Range.  Glacial erosion contributed to the rugged, jagged appearance of the Alaska Range and created the long U-shaped valley seen from the road.

 

The first night I stopped at Milepost 37, near Maclaren Summit (4,086 feet), the second highest summit in Alaska.

 MP 42 – Maclaren Glacier (about 16 miles)

MP 49 – Waterfowl Lakes

The only part of the Caribou I seem to capture on film

MP 79.5 – Susitna River – The Susitna River is a major drainage system in the Denali region.  The river flows south from the Susitna Glacier and the Alaska Range, eventually turning west through the Talkeetna Mountain and then south to Cook Inlet.

 

The second night I spent at a section of the road with excellent views of Denali, North America’s highest peak.  It was a great place to stop; even the tour buses stopped here for pictures.

This is a picture of the 3am “sunset”

By coming early I had hoped to see a lot more wildlife but that hasn’t been the case so far.  I did see a moose with her baby, a couple of black bear cubs playing in the road, a fox and a lynx (not at the same time), tons of Artic ground squirrels and rabbits, and birds, but that’s about it.

Leaving Valdez

Since the end of the pipeline is actually within city limits and the company, therefore, pays property taxes, Valdez is the wealthiest city in Alaska.  Their average low temperature in the winter is 26 degrees (not bad!), but they receive 30-40 feet of snow, which in recent years has turned into more rain than snowfall.  As a result of full coffers, the roads are constantly cleared, even Thompson Pass, and the Sound is kept free for ships to enter/exit port, so Valdez doesn't "suffer" winter as most of the rest of Alaska.  They are supposed to have 4,000 full-time residents, but the captain on the boat, who has lived here for 20 years, doesn't see how that is possible.

Valdez has been the prettiest place I have seen so far, and one of the nicest.  I am very glad I stopped.

My next adventure is the 133-mile gravel Denali Highway and a week in Denali National Park!

(I won't have internet for awhile, so my next post will probably be a long "catch up" blog.)

Prince William Sound

I took an 8-hour cruise to Meares Glacier.  We didn't see much wildlife this early in the year, but the views were spectacular ...

In Alaska there are 30,000 square miles of glacier ice, covering five percent of the state.  Glacier ice is blue because the physical properties of the water molecule absorb all of the colors in the spectrum except the blue, which is transmitted.  The Meares Glacier is over 200 years old.

Meares Glacier

View as we headed from shore through Port Valdez

The pipeline from Prudhoe Bay to Valdez is 800 miles in length (and I have now traveled the entire length).  The first tanker left Valdez August of 1977, carrying Alaska crude to an American refinery.  An average of 20 tankers dock in Valdez per month.  Since the 1989 oil spill, the Sound is almost back to normal, including the quality of the water.  The precautions now set in place to prevent anything like that happening again are very extensive.


Steller Sea Lion - Large males average 1,200 lbs, females up to 650 lbs.  They eat during the night, sunning and resting on rocks during the day.  Bull Head is mostly a bachelor colony.  They are noted for their boisterous bellowing (versus the "barking" sound California sea lions make).


Humpback Whale - These whales are baleen feeders, consuming nearly a ton of food a day, mostly plankton and emails with pups are seen up on the icebergs near glaciers.  They dive up to 600 feet to retrieve their food.

We saw three Eagles - this one sitting on an ice chunk.  The other two were in the trees

 
Sea Otter - The largest members of the weasel family in North America, males weighing up to 100 lbs.  When not eating, consuming nearly 25% of their weight daily, they float on their backs, grooming, and resting.  They also use their stomachs as their "dinner tray" and carry their pups there as well.
 









Harbor Seal - Females with pups are seen up on the icebergs near glaciers.  They dive up to 600 ft to retrieve their food.