Denali National Park — Park Wanderlust

My father had a life long dream to visit Alaska. To celebrate his 60th birthday, my family packed up and headed north. We opted for a self guided road trip through the state to see all the highlights we could - which, of course, included Denali National Park. It was August when we visited, and as you can see from the photos, we had a pretty clear day at the park which allowed us stunning glimpses of Denali.

We decided to hop on the shuttle bus from the main visitor center and journey the 66 miles out towards Eielson visitor center. While there are a couple of options for the buses, we opted for the narrated bus which allowed us to gain more knowledge on the park while we kept our eyes pealed for wildlife. A variety of wildlife came out to play that day, so we were very lucky. We saw bears, foxes, ptarmigan, and dall sheep. The most impressive site of the day, aside from the mountain range, was a herd of caribou running across the landscape and crossing the road directly in front of the bus we were on.

My sister and father hopped out of the bus at Eielson visitor center and climbed the Eielson Alpine Trail which starts across the road from the center. This hike has a steep climb to it so the rest of us stayed back at the visitor center and took in the exhibits and views from there before hopping back on the bus out of the park. This adventure included a full day of exploration with something new and exciting to see around each corner.