Denali National Park

Alaska 2005 Trip

Denali National Park

The day I drove to Denali from Talkeetna was cold and rainy and for much of the trip all you see is trees, but as you get closer to Denali, the trees thin out and you're surrounded by mountains.

I took the shuttle bus into the park, which I had also done two years ago. I saw a lot more bears this time and they were a lot closer, so that was pretty cool. A lot of people recommend making bus reservations way in advance, which I did. But when I arrived in the area the day before, there were still seats available on all the buses for the next day. But on the other hand, it only costs a few bucks to change/cancel a reservation.

I stayed at the Denali Mountain Morning Hostel and Lodge, which is about 15 miles south of the park entrance. It is a very nice hostel; the owners built much of it themselves. I was in one of the cabins by the creek. The main building has a kitchen, lounge and bathrooms. The hostel has a shuttle to the park and they have a small store selling food and where you can buy/rent stuff you might need as you explore the park. It is a pretty "crunchy granola" place, but in a good way - they use recycled products, sell organic goods, etc. but no one is obnoxious or "holier than thou" about it. The computer wasn't working when I was there, but there are a couple of places around that have Internet service, including Panorama Pizza Pub across the street.

Pictures taken at Denali National Park and the surrounding area.

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