Denali National Park

The Denali Natural History Tour offers you a quick taste of some of the six million acres in Denali National Park. Private vehicles can navigate the first 14 miles into Denali, and this guided bus tour will continue just past that point to mile 19. It may be enough of a glimpse to convince you how pristine and special this place really is.

The scenery alone is worth the trip, and you may also be lucky enough to see some wildlife, although you won't enter true bear country. You'll leave from the Visitor Access Center and climb Government Hill. Look off to your left and you'll see an expansive view that includes part of the Yanert Valley.

It isn't until you pass the headquarters area at Mile 3, that you will begin to enter the wilderness. During the winter months, the road is closed at this point. Only non-motorized travelers such as mushers and skiers can go further.

This is taiga forest, prime moose habitat, and moose may be seen anywhere on this stretch of road. There are some huge bull moose in the park. Watch for a flash of sun glinting off antlers, especially in the fall during rutting season. Moose like to nibble on the fresh willow leaves along the road early in the season. As the leaves emerge at higher elevations during the season, the moose follow those tasty treats up the hill. Later in the fall, they are more likely to return to the park road again.

Fox are commonly spotted on this section of road, trotting along with a jaw filled with dead ground squirrel. Watch for caribou above treeline. Don't be surprised, though, if your visual hunt for wildlife is for naught. It's not unusual to see no animals on this section of road, depending on the time of day and season.

The first view of Mount McKinley, about 75 miles away, comes into view at Mile 9. You'll only see the tip, but it towers over the other mountains in the range. About three miles later, both peaks of Mount McKinley are visible.

This tour is unique because it stops at historic Savage Cabin, adjacent to Savage River Campground. The cabin is located about 200 yards from the park road along a wide gravel path. There, an employee dressed in period costume enacts a 15 - 20 minute presentation on the pioneer days of Denali National Park.

A few miles further down the road, a park employee will greet you at the check station at Savage River Bridge. This is as far as you are allowed to drive your own vehicle. Check the ridges for Dall sheep. In 2003, a fox lived under the bridge and delighted tourists with a litter of kits, which skittered around the riverbed and sometimes the road. A resident porcupine continues to annoy the National Park Service by chewing on the check station. Those aren't seagulls at Savage River, but mew gulls.

Your turnaround point is just past Primrose Ridge, a popular area for day hiking and summer wildflowers. Look back and the park road looks like a long ribbon reaching for the horizon. Off in the distance you can see majestic snow - capped peaks of the Alaska Range, more than 100 miles away.