May 29-30 Dan 13-14 Denali National Park

We spent three nights and two days in Denali just soaking up the wilderness and vastness of the area.  On Thursday and Friday, we took bus rides to Tolkat River which is 53 miles into the park.  The bus is the only way to go beyond 12 miles into the park.  The park road runs for 92 miles, but was only open to Tolkat River.  It will open up the rest of the way in the next week.  Views and wildlife were amazing. My words can't do it justice.  It was exciting to see caribou, moose, Dall sheep and Grizzly bear in their natural environment.  A special treat was a mother grizzly bear and two 5 month old cubs which were munching on roots about 6 feet from the road.  We even got a glimpse of about 2/3 of Mt McKinley.  Even though the weather didn't cooperate, we did see some mystical terrain.  On Friday, we went to the visitors center and saw a Park Service sled dog demonstration.  These sled dogs are working dogs and provide the only ground transportation into the park in the winter.  They are remarkable.  We finished our day on Friday about 10PM after getting back from out trip into the park.