Denali Day 1

These guys come in all different colors and they were everywhere here in the park.

Male and female grouse:

She’s not impressed:

but that didn’t stop him from putting on a show:

Somewhere back there is Denali!

Caribou!

a mama and baby

Short bathroom break about 30 miles in:

Teklanika River:

Parking lot hare:

Then it was back on the bus for a few more miles of exploration:

We busted into our snackboxes:

and took in the views:

There are 3 Dall sheep on that rock face in the middle of this picture:

Can you find them?

Here’s one!

They were really quite far away, but as I was trying to get a decent shot, I noticed movement up and to the right, and spotted this pack of bears cruising through!

SO COOL!

Back in 2021, a landslide took out part of the road. They’re working on a bridge that should be open in the next year or so, but until then, we had to turn around about 40 miles in:

But they let us out for a short stretch, where I found this raven:

and raven nest:

Then we were back on the road again:

On our way out, most of the wildlife sightings were on our side of the bus, but that was mainly because Matt and I are pretty decent spotters.

Once we knew what to look for, we were usually the first ones to call out critters.

Caribou!

There are 3 in this picture:

Not great shots, but still cool to see!

One final moose as we left the park:

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Our tour ended up being about 6 hours- much longer than I expected, but I would absolutely do it again! Such a great way to see a good chunk of the park, plus, we saw all the critters we hoped to find!

We grabbed a late lunch/early dinner at the same restaurant- I played it safe with a giant pretzel, but Matt enjoyed another bowl of mac’n’cheese, and we grabbed another can of that delicious root beer:

Then it was time to meet the shuttle for our next activity!

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Evening Nature Walk

I’d much rather just hike on my own, but I wasn’t sure of the logistics of getting around here, so we booked a group nature walk. It’s a bit hard to see, but our lodge is north of where the map cuts off; we’ll hiking down by the “You Are Here” arrow- Oxbow Loop Trail:

It’s so beautiful here!

(and a bit chilly- when I checked, temperatures were forecasted to be around 40-50, but it’s been more like solidly in the 40s, but with mornings that start in the 30s, hence all the layers (on me))

Small switchbacks to the trail:

This is more like a leisurely, albeit beautiful, walk in the woods:

With occasional views of the Nenana River:

Some where up there is the Nenana Glacier, where this river originates:

Red squirrel hotel:

Squirrels are territorial, so this is the home of just one squirrel.

Our guide Josie was a fount of knowledge and pointed out so much local fauna, like this lichen that dries up when there’s a lack of water:

When it does get wet, its symbiotic cyanobacteria turns deep green:

Our hike was slated to start at 645pm and last about 3 hours, and I didn’t really think much of it at the time, but partway through it hit us- the sun doesn’t really set this time of year, so even though this hike goes into the night, it’s still as light as day:

Then, as we were driving back, I spotted this moose on the side of the road!

Great way to end our hike!

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The blackout curtains here are much better than our first hotel, but I’m curious to see how dark it actually gets so this is from our walk back to our room, a little after 9pm:

1030pm from our room’s window:

130am:

I could absolutely go for a walk right now and not need a torch.  It feels like the sun has just set and it’s sitting just below the horizon.  So strange!