A quarter-mile gravel road leads north downhill into an intimate valley with a serene lake and an unofficial boat ramp. Amid campsites, you find brush thick with blueberries in season. It’s one of scores of unmarked pullouts and access roads along the highway that lure you into secret places. You may be driving a well-appointed RV, or tooling along in an expensive car. But traveling the Denali feels a bit like you’re actually pioneering, free to explore at will and lay claim to a (temporary) homesite of your own.
