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Trip Report - Denali to Kenai Penninsula- Part II

Trip Report - Denali to Kenai Penninsula- Part II

Old Sep 7th, 2006, 08:31 PM
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Trip Report - Denali to Kenai Penninsula- Part II

At the rate I'm going I'll never finish this. I had added to my previous post and everything I added after the Chugach Mountain comment is gone. Someone must be telling me I'm too wordy. Anyway, I'll try and condense the report for all our sakes.

We continued on the Glenn Highway, stopping for lunch at the Brown Bear Rhodehouse (broasted 1/2 chicken - leg, thigh, wing, breast and fries - $18.95). The building was less than inviting from the outside, but rustic and full of bear pictures. Lunch was great! We continued to Glennallen and then on to North Pole, where we stopped to send letters from Santa to our loved ones (Santa Claus House) and pick up some Christmas souveniers. Proceeded through Fairbanks and headed south on the Parks Highway where we were rewarded with our first view of Denali. We arrived in Healy at 11:30 where we stopped for something to eat at one of the gas stations (not worth mentioning) and went on to our hotel.

Arrived at the Denali Cabins (booked through the Denali Backcountry Lodge offices) at mile 229 of the Parks Highway. Lodgings were rustic cabins (with indoor plumbing), although there was about a one foot opening around the ceiling of the bathroom - not one of my favorite features as it provided no privacy! Rooms were clean and comfortable and quite welcoming after our 14 1/2 hour drive. The office was closed when we arrived (at 11:45 p.m.), however our room keys and directions to the room, were in an envelope taped to the office door.

Breakfast was included with our package and was quite good. Fresh waffles (you make 'em), eggs, bacon, toast, etc. After filling our bellies, we gathered our luggage, checked out of our rooms and decided to head to 'Glitter Gulch' for some shopping before catching the bus for our ride into Denali National Park for our stay at the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna.

The day started out quite cloudy, but that didn't dampen our spirits. We've been to the Park before, so we knew we were in for a treat. Our driver, Peter, was fabulous. Very knowledgeable and entertaining. We spotted most of the big 5, missing out only on the wolves. We saw moose, caribou, dall sheep, and grizzlies. We even caught a glimpse of things to come - Denali herself tried to appear, although wasn't completely successful. We arrived at the Denali Backcountry Lodge in time to clean up a bit and report to the dining room for dinner. I can't remember the entire meal, but I do remember the chicken was delicious.

The second day of this stay was spent taking an unexpected flightseeing tour of Denali on Kantishna Air ($170/person for a one hour flight). We got up close and personal with this monster - it was quite exciting. We found out after the trip that there may have been a Tour Saver coupon (2 for 1) for this outfit, but we didn't have any thought of taking a flightseeing trip while in Denali, so we weren't prepared. Tip to future travelers - it would probably be worth checking into getting the Tour Saver book - I think we could have saved somewhere in the neighborhood of $400 this trip if we had planned ahead and had the coupons!

The rest of the day was spent at lunch (lamb stew, vegetable soup, cold cut sandwiches), at Wonder Lake trying my hand at fly fishing (I wasn't good), dinner (salmon, which I have never liked, but did enjoy at this meal), naturalist talk on my favorite topic - moose and then an evening drive down to Wonder Lake.

My wish before we left for our trip was to see a bull moose in Wonder Lake at dusk with Denali in the background. As we pulled up to Wonder Lake in the van, our driver spotted a bull moose on the side of the hill. We waited, and sure enough, that guy walked right into the Lake where he stayed for the next hour (we ended up leaving after that as it became to dark to see). I probably took close to 100 pictures of that thing in the lake - I probably have a couple of good shots that I'll treasure! What a fabulous sight!

The next morning it was up at 4:45 a.m. for breakfast and our trip out of the Park. Much to our amazement, we walked out to a cold, clear morning. As we arrived at Wonder Lake on our way out of the Park, it looked like a postcard - Denali in all her glory (with the exception of a small cloud she was creating at the very peak)reflecting in Wonder Lake with steam rising in the background. Amazing. Again, 25 pictures of the mountain - they all look the same - you'd think I'd get it by now, but I can't help snapping those shots.

We stopped at the reflecting pool, got some shots of a grizzly cub (3 year old) and a caribou that had just shed the velvet from his antlers, leaving them bright red! All in all, this was a great experience.

The Denali Backcountry Lodge was expensive ($350/night/person including transporation into and out of the Park, Park fees, meals, lodging, naturalist talks, etc.). I'm not sure I would do it again, but I think it was worth the expense once, if you really love to spend time outdoors and are trying to get more of the Denali experience. They also had biking, fishing - including licenses when needed, hiking - lots of activities. No phones, no television. Indoor plumbing, nice accomodations.

I'll continue this tomorrow night - if anyone is interested. Lots more to tell - stay tuned (if you can stand to)!
alaskafan21 is offline  
Old Sep 7th, 2006, 08:46 PM
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High praise for the trip report.. I am so glad you enjoyed yourself and the animal viewing..(it is moose hunting season, so all the local males are all flanneled up and bonding).. also, your dining descriptions are well done indeed!

Will enjoy your next installment, J.
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Old Sep 7th, 2006, 08:57 PM
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Im interested! sounds like you had a great trip and got lucky too!
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Old Sep 8th, 2006, 11:53 AM
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Oh, dear! You didn't take the Denali Hwy - you had to go all the way around! What a drive - you all must have been exhausted when you got to Healy!

You got to see your bull moose in Wonder Lake! Well, you earned it! And to see Denail reflected in the lake, what luck!!

Excellent job! Anxiously awaiting the rest.
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Old Sep 8th, 2006, 12:08 PM
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yeah, a few might think bull moose equals a good freezer for the winter!

There was a guy in our area who landed a bull with an enormous rack, I want to say something like 56 inches across~
don't worry, there are plenty for the visitors pictures too.. how do I know?
Most of them wander through my backyard and taste my lilacs this time of year J.
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Old Sep 10th, 2006, 07:35 AM
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Hi,
Great trip to Denali! Looking forward to read and learn more about this great terrritory. We're planning to visit this wonderful wilderness next year. Keep on giving more great suggestions, ideas, and personal views.

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Old Sep 21st, 2006, 07:17 AM
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This is Cindy from Denali. I emailed you the photo of you flyfishing at Wonder Lake. Did you receive it? The rest of our trip was great. For a small town, Talkeetna, had some of the best food in Alaska, especially the Roadhouse.
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