This is the second of our three Alaska blogs and this one covers Denali National Park! See Anchorage Area and The Valley for part one. On our second day in Alaska, our host-friend, Nyssa, dropped us off at the quaint Wasilla train depot. We were early enough that the station wasn’t even open yet. We paced back and forth, trying to get some movement in before our 6-hour train ride until a worker showed up and was able to check us in. Right on time, we heard the deafening horn as the Alaska Railway (Denali Star) train rounded the corner to pick us up. We waited for the “All Aboard” call and felt extra special being the only ones to board at this location. And just as quickly as it arrived, the train was off! Check out Alaska Train for all of the destination options, as this train goes as far north as Fairbanks and as far south as Seward. Taking the train is not cheap transportation, but we thought it was worth it overall! The scenery is gorgeous, and we didn’t need a car to get around Denali National Park. We opted for the Adventure Class option which included an assigned seat with window viewing, option to head up to a domed window viewing area, and access to the dining car where you need to pay for food. You can spend about $150 more for the Goldstar service which provides an assigned seat under a domed window and food and drinks are included. We were happy to save money and still have a grand experience! During the latter half of our trip, we accepted the invitation to the dining car where we enjoyed reindeer sausage pasta and seafood chowder with stellar views!
The Wasilla Train Depot
Alaska Railroad
This is what Adventure Class looks like.
And Adventure Class has the option to come up to the dome!
We passed several tiny towns, including this one where you can see the entire town right here.
Mountains forever!
This was our lunch view!
While we ate tasty reindeer sausage and seafood chowder in the dining car.
And then we were greeted with even more beautiful views!
The Wasilla Train Depot
Alaska Railroad
This is what Adventure Class looks like.
And Adventure Class has the option to come up to the dome!
We passed several tiny towns, including this one where you can see the entire town right here.
Mountains forever!
This was our lunch view!
While we ate tasty reindeer sausage and seafood chowder in the dining car.
And then we were greeted with even more beautiful views!
Riley Creek Campground
About six hours after we boarded the train, we arrived at the Denali Depot. From here, we were able to catch a bus to Riley Creek Campground where we had reserved a campsite ahead of time here. It was evening by now, but because the sunset wasn’t until 10:30 pm, we still had plenty of hiking time!
Riley Creek Campground
Mount Healy Overlook Trail
So off we went on the Mount Healy Overlook Trail which is a 4.3 mile out and back trail with 1,666 ft elevation gain. This was a great hike to get a better appreciation of the developed area of Denali National Park. If it’s clear, you’ll get a great view of Denali, but it was overcast this evening.
Mount Healy Overlook
Where you can see the developed area of Denali National Park.
Picture inception 🙂
Mount Healy Overlook
Where you can see the developed area of Denali National Park.
Picture inception 🙂
Horseshoe Lake Trail
For our next hike, we opted for a totally different vibe. We picked the Horseshoe Lake Trail which is a 2.1-mile loop with only 393 ft of elevation change. We had this trail completely to ourselves at 9:30 pm and it was so still! It also never really got dark out we decided. The water was smooth as glass and we ran into a few beavers hanging out by their dams.
Horseshoe Lake Trail
An impressive beaver dam!
More beaver huts on this calm lake.
Horseshoe Lake Trail
An impressive beaver dam!
More beaver huts on this calm lake.
Thank Goodness for JetBoil
After taking advantage of all the daylight, we headed back to our campground where we used our jetboil to make mac and cheese and beef stew from freeze-dried packets. We also utilized the power sources at the Riley Creek Mercantile to charge our phones and watches. We then climbed into our tent and slept in what seemed like dusk the entire night.
Jonesville Trail
Morning came fast- as we rose at 5 am to make a quick breakfast before hiking over to the departure point for our Denali Backcountry Adventure Bus Tour! We took the Jonesville Trail from Riley Creek Campground over to the Denali Bluff Hotel, but in our early morning stupor we missed a turn, so we ended up taking the longer route and our hike turned into a jog to make the bus!
Denali Backcountry Adventure Bus Tour
Our bus arrived shortly after they said it would at 6:15 am and we boarded the glorified school bus. Off we went into the backcountry of Denali! At the 12-mile mark into this park, there’s a ranger station and they need a permit to get past this point. This meant there was much less traffic on the road from here on out. Within minutes of our bus tour getting past the station we spotted wildlife! Throughout the day we were able to see grizzlies, caribou, moose, and dall sheep! It was fun to see these animals from the bus because we could see them pretty close up without being nervous about our safety. The bus driver did a very nice job of splitting up the drive, making stops every 1.5-2 hours for restroom breaks or viewpoints. Unfortunately, it was quite overcast and rainy all day, so once again we never saw Denali in all its glory. That being said, the bus tour was still worth it! We made it all the way to the Kantishna Backcountry Lodge where we had an included lunch buffet and were able to pick an outdoor activity. We chose panning for gold! Unfortunately we didn’t find any nuggets big enough to sell, but we had fun trying it out! The bus ride was a bit more direct on the way back, but we still stopped for some wildlife and restroom breaks. You can make reservations for this awesome trip here.
Denali Backcountry Adventure Bus Tour
A grizzly bear!
And some caribou!
This is what we would have seen if it wasn’t so cloudy…only 30% of people who visit the park get to see it though!
We ate lunch at the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna.
Where we also learned how to pan for gold!
Denali Backcountry Adventure Bus Tour
A grizzly bear!
And some caribou!
This is what we would have seen if it wasn’t so cloudy…only 30% of people who visit the park get to see it though!
We ate lunch at the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna.
Where we also learned how to pan for gold!
The Salmon Bake
After our 13-hour bus tour, we decided to walk into downtown Denali and try out the frequently recommended Salmon Bake. When you enter this restaurant, you immediately feel like you’re standing in a chalet from the 1980s. It has a fun vibe with an extensive menu and crooked floorboards. We opted for unique items like the yak-a-dilla and elk burger. Their signature drink is the McKinley Margarita because Mount Denali was called Mount McKinley until 2015.
Denali Salmon Bake where we had yakadilla, an elk burger, and the McKinley Marg!
Denali Salmon Bake where we had yakadilla, an elk burger, and the McKinley Marg!
Visitor Center & Mudslide
Our last morning in Denali National Park we woke up to more rain. And it never stopped raining for the rest of our time in the park, so we didn’t do much that day except for eating at the Morino Grill and perusing the exhibits at the Visitor Center including their two educational videos. Our train back down to Wasilla ended up getting cancelled due to a massive mudslide which closed the tracks, so we ended up taking a bus back to our home base.
Overall, our short trip to Denali National Park was spectacular. The wildlife was amazing, the train ride was beautiful, and only 30% of the visitors are lucky enough to buy the sticker that says, “I saw the mountain,” so we didn’t feel too bad missing out. Especially because, as mentioned in our previous blog, we were able to see Mount Denali, “the great one,” from our hike over 100 miles away the very next day! Stay tuned for one more Alaska blog coming soon!