A bull moose runs through the fall colors in Denali National Park.
This bull still had velvet hanging from the tips of his antlers.
The rock and fall colors near the Savage River parking area.
The sign at the beginning of the moose rutting zone.
Fall colors on a hill side near the Savage River. Note the hikers in the bottom right hand corner of the photo.
Swans on a pond in front of Denali. This photo was taken from Broad Pass.
Bright fall colors near the entrance of Denali National Park.
Mountains in the mist near the Savage River.
The colorful taiga along the road.
Crimson taiga.
Our intrepid group (me, Laura, Liz, Emily, and Mary Jeanne) in front of the sign near the entrance of Denali National Park.We had been making plans for our Labor Day Weekend trip to Denali National Park for most of the summer. When Friday arrived we hurried home from work and loaded into the car and were on our way. We stopped in Wasilla for the night and drove on to Denali on Saturday morning where we moved into our cabin for the weekend at Grizzly Bear Cabins just outside the park. We took an afternoon jaunt to the visitors center and out to Savage River where we enjoyed the scenery which was just about as colorful as it gets. We also saw several bull moose along our way but they were way off in the distance.
That evening we ate a gourmet dinner at a restaurant called 229 Parks. As we were being served the power went out and we finished dining in the restaurant's emergency lighting. We had a good conversation with the owners father and then made our way back to our cabin where we sat in the dark until it was time for sleep. The power came back on around 2:30 AM.
The next morning I got up early and took a drive out to the Savage River. Along the way I saw and took pictures of several bull moose. Later that morning our entire group took a drive out to Savage River where we hiked downstream to a bridge which crossed the stream and followed the trail back to the parking lot. On the way back we stopped at a new picnic/hiking area where we ate lunch and walked the trail. Then it was on to the dog sled demonstration where we enjoyed a presentation by Denali's sled dog Rangers.
After the demonstration we went to for dinner at McKinley Chalet before taking a final drive back to the Savage River. Along the way we saw five bulls. Two of them were small but the others were very large and had cows with them. It was great to watch as the bulls shredded the willows to impress the cows which mostly remained unimpressed. There were other park visitors watching the animals as well and some of them were clearly professional photographers with huge camera lenses. It was a memorable evening and we stayed until dark at which time we drove back to the cabin.
The next morning we arose early to a bluebird day and began our drive back to Nikiski. In Cantwell we stopped for fuel and admired Denali which was out in its full glory. Driving on we stopped near a pond in Broad Pass where we took photos. It was spectacular. Nine hours later we arrived at home, tired but happy with the memories of...the bull moose of Denali.
