Denali

After Kenai Fjords, we headed north to the heart of Alaska, where the tallest mountain in North America lay in wait: Denali. We got to explore this immense wilderness in a way not many others get to, driving our own rental car to the end of the park road. Usually, you can only drive yourself 15 miles in on the park road, before having to get on the park bus. But since we were with my friend who had family ties to the park, we got to stay with them in the backcountry area of Kantishna which was grandfathered in back in the day as part of the park. This allowed us to drive the road ourselves past the gate. This might not seem like a big deal, but it was pretty incredible, especially since the park seemed almost empty, the usual crowds of summer gone since no cruises or tour buses were running due to Covid. This park feels immense, and everywhere you look, wilderness stretches on as far as the eye can see. Denali was hiding behind clouds on our first day driving in, but during our full day staying in Kantishna, she came out and showed herself in all her glory. This mountain truly is so huge, pictures can’t do it justice. We also got to see a moose munching on some grub in a lake, and experienced the alpenglow of warm colors on the Alaskan Range late at night since the sun basically never set. What a magical place!