Tuesday, July 30
The Journey from North Pole to Nenana
Today, we headed toward Denali National Park, about 121 miles away. It was overcast, with the high temperature only expected to be 60, about 10 degrees lower than normal.
We cruised southwest on the Parks Highway (Alaska Route 3) through the gorgeous Tanana River Valley, surrounded by rolling hills and thick boreal forests. As we got closer to the quaint little town of Nenana, about 62 miles from Fairbanks, the landscape started to change a bit, with a mix of low hills, wetlands, and green forested areas around us.
Nenana
Nenana sits at the confluence of the Nenana and Tanana Rivers, offering a glimpse into Alaska’s rich cultural and natural heritage.
This small town is best known for the Nenana Ice Classic, a beloved Alaskan tradition that began in 1917 with an $800 bet on when the river ice would break up. Today, it has evolved into an annual lottery where participants guess the exact time the ice gives way in spring. A distinctive striped tripod is placed on the frozen river to mark the event, and tickets can be purchased throughout Alaska.
We visited the 3 Rivers Trading Post and Visitor Center, a charming stop featuring locally crafted souvenirs, snacks, drinks, and even snow cones. The friendly new owners had recently saved the center from closure.
The visitor center highlights Nenana’s unique history, with exhibits like an Ice Classic tripod on display and the retired tugboat Taku Chief situated nearby. A statue commemorating an Alaska Territorial Guard soldier from World War II stands as a tribute to the region’s past.
As we explored the town, we noticed abandoned vacation homes and impressive wood carvings scattered throughout. Heading south, we followed the Nenana River through lush forests and open meadows, with the terrain becoming increasingly rugged as we neared Denali National Park and the majestic Alaska Range.
The Journey from Nenana to Denali RV Park
We continued on the George Parks Highway (AK-3) for another 50 miles. The highway followed the Nenana River, with low-lying riverbanks framed by spruce, birch, and aspen boreal forests. The terrain here is mostly flat to gently rolling, interspersed with meadows and marshy areas.
The landscape began to shift as we approached Healy, with rolling hills gradually rising into rugged terrain. The Alaska Range comes into view, its towering peaks creating a dramatic backdrop. Past Healy, the terrain becomes increasingly dynamic, marked by steep ridges, rocky outcrops, and subalpine forests of spruce and aspen. The Nenana River continues to carve its way through the valley, creating striking canyons and scenic riverbanks.
Denali RV Park and Motel
It was 56 degrees for the high temperature, and we got some light rain around 4 pm.
Our campsite for the next few days was Denali RV Park and Motel, conveniently located just off the highway, approximately 2 miles beyond Healy and 6 miles from the entrance to Denali National Park. The park was quite large, featuring 89 RV spots.
Alaska Cabin Nite
Our caravan had reservations for the Alaska Cabin Nite that evening. Unfortunately, the bus arrived several hours late because it went to the wrong campground, causing us to arrive late for the event. The venue rushed us through dinner and delayed the show to accommodate our late arrival.
The event took place in an authentic, log-paneled roadhouse. We enjoyed an all-you-can-eat family-style meal featuring field greens, wild-caught Alaskan salmon, BBQ pork ribs, baked beans, garlic mashed potatoes, summer corn, buttermilk biscuits, and Fannie’s famous mixed berry cobbler. The salmon bake was much better than what we had in Fairbanks.
The servers also acted as our entertainers, performing an energetic show about Fanny Quigley, a Gold Rush pioneer. The evening was filled with singing, dancing, and audience interaction, making it a fun experience.
Wednesday, July 31
Parks Highway
We ventured along the Parks Highway south of the campground in the morning. With no rain in the forecast and a high temperature of 61 degrees, it was an ideal day for exploration.
The highway meandered alongside the Nenana River, offering several pull-offs where we could stroll along the riverbank. On the opposite side, the Alaskan railroad tracks stretched out, with several bridges punctuating the rugged landscape.
The Nenana River Gorge was particularly impressive, characterized by its steep, rocky walls and the river’s powerful flow.
Outside the Denali National Park entrance, we found a cluster of hotels, tour vendors, restaurants, and gift shops. We briefly walked around the Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge patio and then along the Parks Highway Multi-Use Trail, which followed the river and extended into the park. One of the highlights was seeing a large green slide designed to help rafts get down the steep bank into the river. We also drove a short distance into the park to take selfies at the entrance signs.
Grand Denali Lodge
We drove up the steep, winding road to The Grand Denali Lodge, sitting high on Sugarloaf Mountain. The dirt road had a bunch of hairpin turns and some funny road signs that made us chuckle. When we finally got there, the lodge patio had stunning views of the area. A few big ravens were hanging out, and they looked pretty intimidating and seemed to be keeping an eye on us!
Cantwell and Denali
The caravan was set for a bus tour of Denali National Park that afternoon, with instructions to meet at the campground entrance by 1 p.m. While waiting, we received news that the tour had been delayed until 3 p.m. Seizing the opportunity, we decided to drive down to Cantwell, where someone in our group had enjoyed a great view of Denali earlier that morning. It turned out that others had the same idea, so we all made the roughly 35-minute drive to Cantwell. Unfortunately, by the time we arrived, clouds had obscured the peaks of Denali. We returned to the campground by 3 p.m. to board the bus for our tour.
Guided Bus Tour of Denali
The 92-mile Denali Park Road is the only road in the national park. The road begins at the entrance near AK-3 (George Parks Highway) and ends in Katishna. Due to the Pretty Rocks landslide, the road is closed to all traffic at Mile 43. Private vehicles can only drive up to Savage River at Mile 15. Beyond that point, access is restricted to park buses and authorized vehicles to minimize environmental impact and enhance wildlife viewing experiences.
The road extends westward and parallels the Alaska Range through low valleys and high mountain passes. The road to Savage River is paved, but the rest is gravel.
Our bus driver provided narration as we drove through the park and stopped whenever a wild animal was spotted. He had a camera that allowed him to zoom in on the animals and project them onto video monitors on the bus, which was helpful for those in seats that could not see the animals.
We started by seeing a fox. We also found dall sheep, ptarmigans, squirrels, caribou, and even a grizzly bear during the tour.
Thursday, Aug 1
Rafting the Nenana River
The weather forecast was a high of 58 degrees with intermittent light rain.
We booked a 10:15 am Canyon Wave Raft Tour through New Wave Adventures through Viator. During the 3.5-hour rafting tour, we floated through 11 miles of awesome rapids on the Nenana River through the Nenana Gorge, running rapids with names like Razorback, Train Wreck, and Coffee Grinder. Most rapids are Class 3, with a couple of Class 4 rapids.
The rafting company provided a neoprene full-body suit, helmet, gloves, raft, paddle, and guide. Putting on the suit required some instruction, so we did not tear it. They shuttled us to our rafts near the large green slide we saw the day before. They gave us a safety briefing, described the trip and hazards, gave us one last chance to quit, and then loaded us on the rafts. Lisa sat in the middle, three tourists on each side with paddles, and the guide was in the rear with oars.
The guide had us power paddle, usually three quick synchronized strokes, whenever he needed to maneuver the raft quickly. Sometimes, I think, he had us paddle to ensure we got a face full of water. The suits were terrific at keeping us dry and warm, though. Plenty of breaks from paddling allowed us to relax and enjoy the views.
Denali National Park
After lunch, we drove up to the Denali National Park Visitor Center.
Denali National Park and Preserve, formerly Mount McKinley National Park, was established in 1917 and centered on Denali, the highest mountain in North America. The park and contiguous preserve encompass two million acres, larger than the state of New Hampshire. Denali’s landscape is a mix of forest at the lowest elevations, including deciduous taiga and tundra at middle elevations, and glaciers, snow, and bare rock at the highest elevations. The longest glacier is the Kahiltna Glacier.
We looked through their displays and then stood in line for a shuttle to the Denali Sled Dog Kennel.
The first sled dogs were used at the national park in 1922 to prevent poaching. Today, the park is the only national park with sled dogs. The dogs assist scientists and park staff by providing reliable transportation in extreme winter conditions, monitoring conditions, establishing routes for winter recreation, and transporting heavy supplies for maintenance projects in wilderness areas where motorized tools are not allowed.
When we arrived at the kennels, a park ranger came on the bus, gave us an overview of the kennels, and taught us how to conduct ourselves around the dogs. We were then released to walk around the kennels for about 15 minutes and pet any dog near the fence or ropes. We also toured the sled shed that had old sledding equipment. We were then directed to a seating area where we were given a very short lecture and a brief demonstration of the dogs pulling a wheeled sled.
We took the shuttle back to the visitor center and returned to the campground.
Friday, Aug 2
The Journey from Denali to Talkeetna
The weather was colder, with a high of 53 with light rain the entire day.
We followed AK-3 most of the way. We initially followed the Nenana River Valley with its rolling hills, dense forests of spruce, birch, and aspen trees, and the winding Nenana River. At mile 51, we drove through Broad Pass, one of the highest points on the Parks Highway at about 2,400 feet. As we descend from Broad Pass, the terrain transitioned to the Talkeetna Mountains, with rugged peaks and dense forests.
Further south, we entered the Susitna River Valley, a wide and fertile area with lush vegetation, wetlands, and meandering rivers. Shortly after crossing the Susitna River, we turned off AK-3 toward Talkeetna and drove the last 15 miles through dense forest.
Talkeetna
Talkeetna has a wonderful, quirky, artsy vibe to it now, and it’s definitely a tourist destination, but it also has its local character that was fun to check out. The village currently has a population of about 1000 people, but that’s spread out over quite a bit of area.
Talkeetna River Park
Just beyond the West end of Main Street and close to downtown, this large river-centered park offers a panoramic view of the Alaska Range (on clear days) with the river flowing below.
Three rivers—the Talkeetna, Susitna, and Chulitna—form the Big Susitna River. These three rivers are fed from glaciers high in the Talkeetna Mountains and Alaska Range. Glacier melt keeps the rivers silty and murky all summer. In the fall, the rivers run clearer and colder; typically, by November, they are full of ice.
The people in the region have used the rivers for several thousand years to navigate the land without having to bushwhack through alders, trees, and muskeg. All five species of salmon swim these rivers, leading to the name “Talkeetna,” the literal translation from the Dene-Athabascan language being “food is stored river.” Food storage pits were used extensively in the area.
The park also happens to be a perfect viewing spot for the tallest mountain in North America, Denali (20,310 ft), as well as two other large mountains, Mt Foraker (17,402 ft) and Mt Hunter (14,573 ft). Unfortunately, the cloudy day kept us from seeing the mountains.
Talkeetna Historic District
The town started in 1916 when the Alaska Railroad chose the area as the district headquarters.
The district includes several historic buildings, such as the Fairview Inn, the town’s first schoolhouse (now the Talkeetna Museum), and the Talkeetna Roadhouse. These buildings reflect the village’s past, from its days as a regional construction headquarters for the Alaska Railroad to its role as a home for miners.
Don Sheldon, the legendary glacier pilot, built this airplane hangar in the 1950s for his business, Talkeetna Air Service. Decades later, his wife donated the Hangar to Denali Arts Council to be used as a community arts center.
Talkeetna Brewing Company
Though it was chilly, we stopped to have a beer at the Talkeetna Brewing Company. We got a nice table near the outdoor firepit that kept us warm.
The Journey from Talkeetna to Denali
It was misty on the way back to the campground. Still, we stopped at several Denali viewpoints in Denali State Park. The state park consists of 300,000 acres adjacent to the eastern boundary of Denali National Park along the Parks Highway. Even though the overcast guaranteed we would not see Denali, the viewpoints provided nice views.
One of the stops was at Denali State Park Veterans Memorial Park. The park was overgrown, and the visitor center was closed even though it was about 3:30 p.m. Some informational boards outside the visitor center were interesting. I later learned that there were some monuments and statues in the park, but we did not find them because of the overgrowth.
Moose
Just outside the entrance of Denali National Park, we found a cow moose and her calf alongside the road.