DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA, SEPTEMBER 4-8, 2022

A cow and bull moose meander through the brush in Denali National Park.

DENALI NATIONAL PARK, ALASKA, SEPTEMBER 4-8, 2022

PARTICIPANTS:

Wally Hufford

Elizabeth Hufford

Laura Hufford

LOGISTICS:

We drove from Nikiski to Eagle River, Alaska where we spent the night.  The next morning we went to Fred Meyer in Wasilla to stock up on groceries for the trip.  Then we drove to the Hunter Public Use Cabin at the K'esugi Ken Campground in Denali State Park.  Laura joined us there.  Around noon the next day we began our drive to Grizzly Bear Cabins which is not far from the entrance to Denali National Park.  That was our basecamp for the remainder of the trip.  We stayed there three nights.  Just as a delineation, we stayed at Denali State Park the first night and Denali National Park the remaining nights.  They are two separate entities and a good number of miles away from each other.

There was much to see at Denali National Park!

Day 1:  (9/4/22)

After a quick stop for supplies at the Fred Meyer Store in Wasilla we hit the open road for K'esugi Ken Campground in Denali State Park.  Mrs.  Huffy was in charge of selecting the music for the drive, so we listened to Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, by Elton John as we careened down the highway.  We had reserved a public use cabin (the Hunter) and intended to stay there for the night.  Laura would be joining us later for this portion of the trip.  

Mrs. Huffy driving down the Parks Highway in tune with Elton John.

Upon arrival we stowed our gear in the cabin and checked out the area while waiting for Laura to arrive.  Once Laura got there we headed for the Upper Troublesome Creek Trailhead and took off down the trail.  It was great to be walking through the woods as they turned colors from summer green to fall yellow.  

The trail parallels Upper Troublesome Creek and eventually the two meet up where it is easy to access the water's edge.  We spent some time there experimenting with our iPhone cameras trying to blur the moving water in our images.  After walking a little further we turned around retracing our steps back to the car.  By the time we got back to the trailhead we had hiked a little over four miles.

Once back at the cabin the cribbage games ensued.  We didn't play enough games for an actual tournament, but everyone got in on the action.  I skunked Laura...if I remember correctly.

Exterior view of the Hunter Cabin in Denali State Park.

Interior view of the Hunter Cabin in Denali State Park.

Mrs. Huffy and Laura at the Upper Troublesome Creek trailhead sign.

Attempt to blur the water movement with the camera on my iPhone.

A spirited game of cribbage.

DAY 2:  (9/5/22)

We started the day with a relaxed morning enjoying the warmth of the wood stove as it kept the cabin warm as toast.  Breakfast was eaten slowly while we drank coffee and worked as a team to complete several crossword puzzles.  When the sun had burned off some of the clouds we went for a short hike around the campground hiking loops.  Then we loaded our gear in the cars, swept the cabin floor, and said our goodbyes as Laura had to return to Anchorage.

Laura sips coffee and works on a crossword puzzle in the Hunter cabin early in the morning.

Liz and I turned north toward Denali National Park.  We passed many Labor Day travelers and lots of caribou hunters along the way.  Arriving at Grizzly Bear Cabins we checked in and took an early afternoon drive out to Savage River.  The fall colors were mind blowing.  Everywhere you looked there was orange, yellow, red, and purple just as vibrant as could be.  

A spectacle of color in every direction!

Tundra, mountains, clouds, and sky.

Layers of color.

Colorful sweeping vistas.

We returned to the cabin for a dinner of cinnamon rolls and salad which was followed by another drive out to the Savage River for evening moose patrol.  It didn't take long to find what we were looking for.

Signage along the Denali Park Road.

Just off the edge of the road there were four cows and a very large bull moose.  The bull was following one of the cows in particular.  As the bull swaggered along it made all sorts of moose noises, curled its lips, and thrashed some trees with its antlers.  Of course,  the spectacle created a huge moose jam on the road as people with cell phones, fancy cameras, binoculars, and spotting scopes all positioned themselves for a good view of the evening's drama.  They soon got it because the cow and bull crossed the road right in front of everyone.  The cow looked up and down the road seemingly wondering what all the ruckus was about.  The bull was oblivious to all of it.  He was singularly focused on the cow.

Cow and bull moose.

Antlers and lip curling.

An evening moose jam along the Denali Park Road.

DAY 3: (9/6/22)

The next morning we hopped on the 10:00 AM bus bound for the East Fork.  The busses only go as far as the East Fork this year due to erosion at Pretty Rocks.  That's where a section of the road has disappeared down the hill making it impassable.  Construction crews are working on repairing the situation, but that will take several years.  

We hopped on a bus bound for the East Fork River.

Getting on the bus is always a delight because you hear different languages being spoken and lots of excitement for what is to come.  Everyone is is filled with the anticipation of seeing wild animals and the spectacular scenery that Denali National Park is famous for.  We saw all those things.  In spades.

Arriving at the East Fork we walked across the bridge and down some stairs to the riverbed.  As we hiked along we stopped every few steps to take in the magnificent panorama of mountains.  It was also easy to appreciate the weather as the sun warmed the air.  It was spectacular.  I could've stayed there all day.

Hiking along the East Fork in the sunshine.

Mrs. Huffy and the scenery along the East Fork.

But, we did have to go back.  So we caught a return bus to the entrance of the park.  We took our seats and quickly settled in for traveling in reverse the trip we had taken earlier in the day.  It was just as wonderful as we spotted a grizzly on the Teklanika River bed and a nice caribou strolling across the landscape near Primrose Ridge.

A grizzly bear on the Teklanika River bed.

A bull caribou cruising through the fall colors near Primrose Ridge.

In the evening we once again drove to the Savage River on another evening moose patrol.  In short order we found a lone bull at the edge of the road eating and minding his own business.  This, of course, attracted a large number of cars and people.  Soon a small crowd was standing on the edge of the pavement.  And, the moose seemed as interested in the people as the people were in it.  I think if that moose had an iPhone it would have taken a whole bunch of photos of the crowd.   It eventually crossed the road to the amazement of many and disappeared into the landscape.  The people and vehicles disappeared just as quickly.

A lone bull moose in the brush.

Looking toward the road and all the commotion of people and vehicles.

This was the second bull we saw cross the road.

DAY 4:  (9/7/22)

The weather was tolerable so we couldn't really think of a good reason to head home.  After checking with the office we found the Cheechako was available for another night and without thinking even twice we took it. 

Since it was still early in the day we decided to check out the Three Bears store in Healy.  After making the drive we ended up buying some trash bags and filling our tank at one of the Healy gas stations.

In the afternoon we took another drive out to the Mountain Vista area to walk down a gravel bed to the Savage River and back around to the parking area.  That really made us tired, so we returned to the Cheechako for a short nap.  Then it was out for dinner at The Prospector restaurant followed by the final evening drive to the Savage River on moose patrol.  We saw lots of scenery, but, alas, no moose.  Still, it was hard to complain because we had had such great moose encounters the previous two nights.  

The next morning we woke up and got on the road for the drive home in the rain.  Suddenly a period had been put on the end of summer.  All of the things we had planned had happened and the color of the foliage told us it was time to move on to the next season.  It's time for fall and the inherent chill in the air.  That will be well and good, but, I have a suspicion that at the end of next summer we'll be back on moose patrol in Denali National Park.

Mrs. Huffy on the porch of the Cheechako Cabin.  It was a great basecamp.