A Crazy Adventure in the Backcountry of Denali

For the average American, a backpacking trip to Denali National Park is a once-in-a-lifetime experience that is planned for many weeks ahead.  Lucky for me, we live only two hours from the park and can do a trip in a weekend.  And even more lucky, I have a husband who loves to do trips like this AND is encouraging to me when the hike gets to be tougher than expected!

I will share pictures and tid-bits first, and then more details about where we hiked below, for those of you who live in Alaska and are actually interested :).

Denali and Wonder Lake in the foreground.
We were so lucky that Denali (Mt. McKinley) decided to come out on Saturday, our second day in the park. Because she is 20,322 feet in elevation, she makes her own weather up at top, and many days are too cloudy to see the peaks (see picture below).

Eielson Visitor Center, mile 66 Parks Road.
Friday afternoon: Denali is in the center of the photo above the clouds. We couldn't see her all day, except for
a little peak of the top for a couple of minutes in the late afternoon. The picture below is taken from approximately the same place on Saturday, but you can see the mountain!

Eielson Visitor Center viewpoint of Denali.

See?! I told you she was there. You didn't believe me on the previous picture, did you?

The Beginning of our hike...

...before we trudged across lots of grasses, willows, fought mosquitos 

and climbed the steep hill in the distance. It doesn't look bad at all. But it was! It was a great

calf workout for sure.

The top of the ridge we hiked up. It took us about 1 hour 45 minutes to hike it.
Basically the longest 2-3 miles of my life! I think it was worth it once we got
to the top. During the crazy adventure of finding our own path, losing my balance,
and pushing willow branches out of my way, I didn't know if it would be worth it!
I am glad it was :)

Another view of Wonder Lake during our climb up.

Dinner Time!
It's funny how much better you feel after hiking when
you have food in your tummy.
Thank you Mountain House freeze dried meals!

This View Startled Me!
We had to keep our Bear Barrel 100 yards away from our campsite so that the bears don't
associate food with humans. On Saturday morning I walked up the hill from our camp to start
boiling water for oatmeal and the tip of Denali was out! It looks so tiny in this picture, but it
was huge--much different than the night before where you couldn't even tell she was there.

Morning View of Denali
After breakfast we just had to hike the rest of the way up the hill to see the full view of Denali,
and get a couple pictures.

We really tried to get a good picture of the two of us and the Mountain, but it didn't really happen...
this was the best one, and my face is covered by his shadow.

And here his head is covering the Mountain. But I promise it really is huge! Just like those
mosquitoes in the sky. They are not birds!

Eielson Visitor Center, Alpine Trail.
During our 30 minute stop at the Visitor Center on our bus ride back to the front of the park,
we did a quick hike up the Alpine trail (0.8 mile one-way, 1000ft elevation gain). We only had
about 20-25 minutes, so we had to be quick! The trail was a welcomed change, and tons easier than our hiking that morning. We jogged lots of the way up, which was a bit difficult, considering the huge elevation gain in such a short period. But the views were worth it!

Alpine Trail
This is a better picture, since you can see Denali!

Alpine Trail.
Another attempt at taking our own picture. :-)
The only thing I don't love about backpacking is the lack of showers/running water
and having to wear mosquito repellent. I really don't like that stuff!
But I really do love the fresh air, the magnificent views, having no cell phone reception
or internet, and being with the love of my life and best friend, without any distractions.
It's all the experience, right??

Friday Afternoon.
At Eielson Visitor Center on the cloudy and cool afternoon of Friday during our bus ride out to
section 36.

Denali & Wonder Lake.
The view never gets old.

What I learned from this trip:

1.) Mosquito hats are a must for backcountry excursions.

2.) Bring baby wipes for the morning to freshen up and wash up the face and hands

3.) I need to practice more Girl's Camp songs before our next backpacking trip. Singing songs while hiking makes the trip go from hard to enjoyable!

4.) Remember to take pictures and enjoy the moment :-)

Where we went:

Getting a backcountry permit in the Park is quite simple. Upon arriving at the Wilderness Access Center, they ask you which backcountry section you want. There are over 40 sections, and each one has a limited number of guests who are allowed to camp there per night, in order to maintain the "wilderness feel." Although Marshall had done some research about which places he wanted, it all changed when we got to the office because most of them were full. But since there are 6 million acres of wild land, there is not one "best place" to backpack.  We ended up choosing unit 36, which was just east of Wonder Lake. 

We hoped on the 11am camper bus (a pass is $33.50 per adult) and took a 6 hour trip, with stops in between, past Wonder Lake and the Ranger Station to where we wanted to start hiking. The time was 5:27PM when we were dropped off.

The picture below shows where we hiked. The red line is our approximate path (Sorry it is hard to see). It also shows where Eielson Visitor Center is (on the right, bottom half of the map)

 Where we went:

We hiked about 3 miles up the hill, due north east. We camped on the hill top, away from the view of the road. On Saturday we climbed down the back side of the hill and hiked west along an old mining road, to mile 89 on the Parks Road where we caught the 8:45 camper bus.

 Denali National Park Travel Landmarks.
This map shows where the Park Road is in comparison to the Parks Highway, which is what you
travel on from Fairbanks to Anchorage. Personal vehicles are only allowed to travel on the Parks Road for 15 miles. Only Park buses are allowed to go further, which helps to protect the natural beauty of the Park.