Alaska: Visiting Denali National Park in Pursuit of "The High One"

Alaska's Denali National Park is larger than my home state of NH. And without a doubt, its crown jewel is Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley), which translates roughly as "The High One" or "The Great One." Denali is the highest mountain in North America, a staggering 20,310 ft above sea level, making it an absolutely massive spectacle. And yet, only about one third of visitors to Denali National Park actually see the mountain.

I was camping for 4 nights in the front country of the park, so there was reason to hope I would be one of those lucky visitors. While the mountain can be seen from as far away as Anchorage, Alaska, it is not visible from all parts of Denali National Park (even on a clear day). Your first chance to see the mountain begins on the park road (there's only 1 road, and it goes 92 miles into the park and then 92 miles back out) at around mile 10. But it's still pretty far away. This is where it gets tricky - the road is closed to private vehicles beyond mile 15. Your options as a tourist are a) stay at one of the pricey private lodges deep in the park and let them drive you around or b) take a bus. I opted for the more flexible and less expensive transit buses, and was very pleased with my choice. I really liked the flexibility of the transit buses - though they do not promise narration, the drivers will often offer commentary, and they'll stop when wildlife is spotted, and (best of all) you can ask them to pull over and let you off so you can walk around and then flag down another bus when you're ready to keep going.

My first day was grey and cloudy. Not good mountain-spotting weather, but I was fortunate enough to see a number of moose (many mothers and calves, a few bulls but they didn't have their antlers yet) in the front country.

The next day, it was still grey but the clouds were breaking up. I saw a few glimpses of the mountain, but not quite the view I hoping for.

The third day was the most promising yet - cloudy but clearing, some sun peeking through. As we drove towards the back country, the views got better and better.

I got off the bus at Wonder Lake and conditions were perfect. Bright sun, blue skies, minimal mosquitoes. I started walking along the road, dodging porcupines and filling up my camera's memory card. Epic views abounded.

If you go: Summer in Denali involves many many many hours of daylight. An eye mask (especially for campers) might be helpful. Seriously consider the transit buses - they provide excellent value, especially if you want to get off and walk around. Bring food and water with you, as there is almost nowhere in the park (beyond the entrance visitor's center) to buy anything.