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Denali Cycling the park road

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Old Sep 16th, 2008, 01:18 PM
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Denali Cycling the park road

Cycling the park road is recommended as great way to see Denali National Park.

I am looking for further information & tips (book with local cycling tips). Which part of the road should I choose for cycling? Is a overnight trip better than day trips. Can I bike the sabble pass (or is the pass closed for bikes)? Do I have to expect problems with bike transportation in the camper busses (space is limited to two bikes per bus tour)?

I appriciate your recommendations.
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Old Sep 16th, 2008, 03:57 PM
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I've ridden a mountain bike on day rides quite a bit in Denali with camera gear, mostly between Eielson or Highway Pass to near Kantishna (say mile markers 58 or 66 to 86) but once from Polychrome Pass to Kantishna (mile marker 45 - 86 ... too much for one day with heavy gear) so would offer the following info based on that (I wasn't camping).

Which part of the road should I choose for cycling?

The deeper into the park you go the better since there is less bus traffic. Doing the entire road is great if you have time but if not I'd concentrate on the last half, say from Sable Pass to Wonder Lake.

There's a nice scenic stretch between Primrose Ridge and Teklenika that's wonderful in the fall too, best accessed on a bike by camping at Sanctuary River.

Is a overnight trip better than day trips.

Sure thing. You can do this a couple of ways -- either carry all your gear in a pull-cart (people seem to use the ones built for biking with infants) and have wilderness camping permits for areas neatly spaced along the road so you can pull off and camp (you have to be out of sight of the roads to use a 'wilderness' permit), or use the camper busses to xfer your gear between the three campgrounds past the entrance, ie, Savage River (on the paved road), Sanctuary River (not too far in) or Wonder Lake (near the end of the road) ... doing this you would ride out and back each day from the campground or hitch a ride on the camper bus and bike back to the campground.

Option # 2 is easier because there are several mountain passes that are tough to bike up without overheating, while Option # 1 would be more challenging if you have experience bike-camping. Either would be a lot more fun than just doing the standard shuttle bus tours that 99.99% of the park visitors do.

Can I bike the sabble pass (or is the pass closed for bikes)?

The road across Sable Pass is open to bikers and hikers (and of course motor vehicles) -- but Sable is a designated special protection area for wildlife and you cannot hike off the road near the pass (so no camping either). I think the closed area is about 10 miles, ie, about five miles either side of the top of the pass. So not really a problem.

Do I have to expect problems with bike transportation in the camper busses (space is limited to two bikes per bus tour)?

Possibly, but probably not ... we were just at Denali (a great week, with beautiful colors, great wildlife sightings and even two lynx) and I only saw one couple biking between Wonder Lake and Eielson and another guy struggling uphill with panniers loaded with camping gear. So probably not too many problems snagging a camper bus with room for your bike. There are a few camper busses so even if one has the bike racks full the next one will likely have room.

The busses I've taken simply allowed me to tie the bike up in the back or on the roof with bungee cords and then hop off when I got to where I planned on biking from, but I wasn't using the shuttle or camping busses. But I would assume the camper bus could let you do something similar even if the bike rack was full (or maybe not, some of the drivers are sticklers for the rules, some aren't).

I appriciate your recommendations

You might check the following links too:
http://www.denalioutdoorcenter.com/biking.html (Denali bike rentals)
http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/cycling.htm (NPS site)
http://www.cyclingaroundtheworld.nl/...ska_denali.htm

Be prepared for rain and bugs, and know what to do if you see a grizzly bear on or near the road. Great trip, hope you find a way to pull it off.

Bill

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Old Sep 16th, 2008, 03:58 PM
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I've ridden a mountain bike on day rides quite a bit in Denali with camera gear, mostly between Eielson or Highway Pass to near Kantishna (say mile markers 58 or 66 to 86) but once from Polychrome Pass to Kantishna (mile marker 45 - 86 ... too much for one day with heavy gear) so would offer the following info based on that (I wasn't camping).

Which part of the road should I choose for cycling?

The deeper into the park you go the better since there is less bus traffic. Doing the entire road is great if you have time but if not I'd concentrate on the last half, say from Sable Pass to Wonder Lake.

There's a nice scenic stretch between Primrose Ridge and Teklenika that's wonderful in the fall too, best accessed on a bike by camping at Sanctuary River.

Is a overnight trip better than day trips.

Sure thing. You can do this a couple of ways -- either carry all your gear in a pull-cart (people seem to use the ones built for biking with infants) and have wilderness camping permits for areas neatly spaced along the road so you can pull off and camp (you have to be out of sight of the roads to use a 'wilderness' permit), or use the camper busses to xfer your gear between the three campgrounds past the entrance, ie, Savage River (on the paved road), Sanctuary River (not too far in) or Wonder Lake (near the end of the road) ... doing this you would ride out and back each day from the campground or hitch a ride on the camper bus and bike back to the campground.

Option # 2 is easier because there are several mountain passes that are tough to bike up without overheating, while Option # 1 would be more challenging if you have experience bike-camping. Either would be a lot more fun than just doing the standard shuttle bus tours that 99.99% of the park visitors do.

Can I bike the sabble pass (or is the pass closed for bikes)?

The road across Sable Pass is open to bikers and hikers (and of course motor vehicles) -- but Sable is a designated special protection area for wildlife and you cannot hike off the road near the pass (so no camping either). I think the closed area is about 10 miles, ie, about five miles either side of the top of the pass. So not really a problem.

Do I have to expect problems with bike transportation in the camper busses (space is limited to two bikes per bus tour)?

Possibly, but probably not ... we were just at Denali (a great week, with beautiful colors, great wildlife sightings and even two lynx) and I only saw one couple biking between Wonder Lake and Eielson and another guy struggling uphill with panniers loaded with camping gear. So probably not too many problems snagging a camper bus with room for your bike. There are a few camper busses so even if one has the bike racks full the next one will likely have room.

The busses I've taken simply allowed me to tie the bike up in the back or on the roof with bungee cords and then hop off when I got to where I planned on biking from, but I wasn't using the shuttle or camping busses. But I would assume the camper bus could let you do something similar even if the bike rack was full (or maybe not, some of the drivers are sticklers for the rules, some aren't).

I appriciate your recommendations

You might check the following links too:
http://www.denalioutdoorcenter.com/biking.html (Denali bike rentals)
http://www.nps.gov/dena/planyourvisit/cycling.htm (NPS site)
http://www.cyclingaroundtheworld.nl/...ska_denali.htm

Be prepared for rain and bugs, and know what to do if you see a grizzly bear on or near the road. Great trip, hope you find a way to pull it off.

Bill

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Old Sep 16th, 2008, 04:39 PM
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Wow, Bill, what a thorough and helpful response. You are the kind of poster that makes this site so valuable.
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Old Sep 16th, 2008, 04:44 PM
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Bill_H, hope things are going well. Good meeting you and Carolyn at Denali. Actually, I wonder if that couple you saw biking was Mrs. MileKing and me. We had the Northface bus take two bikes to Eielson on Sunday and rode back from there. I had my camera, a 500mm Tamron lenses, a small tripod, and lunch in a backpack, and had no problems. Mrs. MileKing would have liked fewer uphills on the way back, but all in all it was very enjoyable.

I can certainly recommend the Eielson to Wonder Lake part of the road for cycling. It is primarily level or downhill, with a few uphills, and far less traffic than the rest of the park road. The only dangerous part of the road was the segment leaving from Eielson which has a number of curves and is rather narrow.
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Old Sep 17th, 2008, 07:28 AM
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If you are on sections with lots of bus traffic, be ready to eat a lot of dust. By the time we got off the bus we were covered in dust. The buses come by pretty often. It might have rained recently and there won't be any dust but you might be prepared with a handkerchief or dust mask.
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Old Sep 17th, 2008, 08:09 AM
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Bill-

any tips on best way to see lynx in Denali, where/what time of day/etc?

Nancy
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Old Sep 17th, 2008, 10:27 AM
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Hi MileKing, yes, it was good to meet you and the Mrs at Denali!

I wonder if that couple you saw biking was Mrs. MileKing and me.

I'll bet it was you ... I remember thinking "those people look awfully fresh to be staying at the campground" The timing was right too ...

The only dangerous part of the road was the segment leaving from Eielson which has a number of curves and is rather narrow.

I have a photo of a grizzly bear walking on the road in this stretch taken 8/31 at 10:30 AM. That was always my main worry while biking, that I'd come coasting around a blind corner and run into a grizz, especially one with cubs.

Bill - any tips on best way to see lynx in Denali, where/what time of day/etc?

This year featured an explosion in the snowshoe hare population, part of an 8 - 11 year cycle. We saw hundreds of hares, while normally we'd see 3 or 4 in a week. The lynx population explodes as a result of all this easy-to-catch food, so this year and next are likely the best years to see a lynx.

Early and late are best times ... I've been lucky, in six previous trips we saw two lynx briefly while many people never see them at all.

This year we had a nice view of one by the road at dark o'clock but the other one was an incredible sighting as we watched it for about an hour while it stalked two ducks in a small kettle pond about mile 78 or so. I was able to photograph it leaping on a duck in the water and have two shots of the lynx in mid-air jumping after the duck. The lynx landed ON the duck and pushed it underwater but the duck was able to squirm free and patter off with the lynx jumping after it. Pretty amazing sequence. I'll post some pics later.

Back to the original Q about biking, I found another link (while looking for info on the lynx), these two ladies did the entire road in one day over the summer solstice, when it doesn't get dark. They rode the shuttle to Wonder Lake (watching a larger bear try to kill a smaller bear near mile 60 ... probably "Hannibal the Cannibal"), then rode their bikes back all the way to the entrance. Those Alaska women are tough!

Here's the link, they also mention seeing hundreds of hares but didn't get lucky enough to see a lynx.

http://newsminer.com/news/2008/jul/0...trip-lifetime/

Bill
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Old Sep 17th, 2008, 01:50 PM
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Many thanks for all the helpfull advices and links.

I have some problems to interpretate the information on the park internet page. If I wish to travel the park road and camp from my bicycle, I must still obtain a backcountry permit and camp at least 1/2 mile (1.3 km) from the road with my campsite out of site from the road.

Can I choose the location of my camp depending on the progress of the bike tour (flexible location) or do I have to obtain a back country permit for a specific location (fixed location) before I start with the tour?


I have read about special bike books for Alaska (Alaska bicycle touring guide).

Are there more specific books available for bicycle tours within the Denali NP?
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Old Sep 17th, 2008, 03:53 PM
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Can I choose the location of my camp depending on the progress of the bike tour (flexible location) or do I have to obtain a back country permit for a specific location (fixed location) before I start with the tour?

Fixed location. You can reserve space at the standard campgrounds months in advance but must get the backcountry permit(s) a day or so in advance, in part because they shut down many areas due to wildlife, like all summer for wolves denning or temporarily if there was a wolf or bear kill in a certain area.

So you decide how far you want to ride each day and then try to snag the backcountry permit for your chosen area. If you end up missing your spot and have to ride further than expected you can always take the camper shuttle.

Most people doing this stay at the improved camps at Sanctuary River (mile 23) and Wonder Lake (mile 86) and try for a backcountry permit in the area between. Note that there is a campsite at Teklanika (mile 29) but it is closed to tent camping because there are so many bears, and there is a small campground at Igloo Creek
(mile 34) but this one has been closed the past few years because wolves den close by.

If I were doing this I'd plan it like one of these two trips, based on how much time, and I'd try to carry as little as possible, say 30 lbs or a bit more, using panniers and a rack on the back rather than the pull-wagon, which tends to bind on curves and sway to the side going downhill when you brake.

Quickie trip:
Day 1 - Sanctuary River campground @ mile 23 (cross one pass)
Day 2 - Polychrome @ mile 47 (cross Sable and Polychrome passes), using backcountry unit 31
Day 3 - Wonder Lake @ mile 86 (cross Highway, Thorofare passes)

Nice and slow trip -
Day 1 - Savage River campground @ mile 13

Day 2 - Sanctuary River campground @ mile 23, crossing Primrose Ridge

Day 3 - same campground but ride the camper bus to Polychrome Pass (mm 47) and ride back leisurely, scouting out camping spots for the next day ... cross Sable Pass

Day 4 - camp at mile ~ 47 near Polychrome pass, unit 31

Day 5 - camp somewhere between Highway Pass and Stony Hill (58 -62) ... beautiful open tundra here, with small drainages to stash the bike and water in some of the creeks. Backcountry units 11 or 33

Day 6 - ride to Wonder Lake, camp at least two nights here, maybe three. One day ride to Kantishna, 2nd day hitch a shuttle ride to Highway Pass or even Polychrome pass and ride back to WL

Here's the link showing the backcountry units ...
http://www.nps.gov/archive/dena/home...ountry/map.htm

I must still obtain a backcountry permit and camp at least 1/2 mile (1.3 km) from the road with my campsite out of site from the road.

The guy I talked to who did this simply carried the bike off the road a ways to either a depression or behind a drainage and stashed the bike under a tarp, then cooked near the bike and left the food (in a BRFC) and stove there. He carried his tent and bag/pad further into the bush and camped overnight. The main requirement is that you are out of sight of anyone on the road.

Are there more specific books available for bicycle tours within the Denali NP?

Maybe a book on cycle-camping in Alaska would have a chapter on Denali, but since there's just one relatively short road I doubt there's a book just about this.

Bill
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