After multiple COVID years of visiting national parks that are a bit too crowded (though we know how to make our way around on off hours, on off seasons, on less popular trails and waterways), Denali was a breath of fresh air, pun intended. Despite being peak season, and our campground being fully booked, the park never felt crowded. It was vast and beautiful during all the different types of weather conditions we experienced over our 5 day visit. This was the only part of the trip we booked in advance because getting a campsite in Denali National Park is a competitive endeavor. So we had chosen a week that would work whether Fynn was 1 month early or "on time". The rest of the trip was organized around the Denali week which did result in us driving to and from the Kenai Peninsula twice instead of once, but definitely the chance to camp in the park was worth it.
The Savage River Campground was lovely. It was at mile 13 of the National Park Road. Denali is unique in that you can only drive in 15 miles without either having a spot in the Tek campsite deeper in the park or by going on one of the park buses. And here is where I declare how disappointed I am with the un-child friendly nature of Denali National Park. In order to take any of the park buses- either the narrated tour buses or the non narrated hiker shuttles, one must bring your own carseats. Therefore, when you get off the bus to hike you have to take the car seats with you for the return trip. As if there aren't enough logistics involved with hiking in the backcountry with littles the park service expects parents to carry their children's car seats. Completely absurd. I think it's more likely that this is a thoughtless oversight and it hasn't occurred to the powers that be that families would want to hike, but still it's really uncool. So pragmatically speaking the Savage River Campground is in just about as far as you can go without semi-heroic measures as a family with car seats (or the Tek campground).
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| Bug nets gettin' use |
Despite the big oversight on the part of the National Park Service, there is plenty to do without going past the mile 15 park checkpoint. Our first day at Savage was the only day we had any trouble with bugs and we were glad we had the bug nets. After a long rainy driving day where we took all driving breaks in the car (spending 6 hours straight in the cab of a truck without outside breaks is quite painful), we were all eager to get outside and were not deterred by the bus. Our bug equipment worked perfectly. The kids loved exploring the woods behind our campground identifying scat and tracks (mostly moose).
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| A XL bug net shirt fits perfectly over a baby carrier! |
The next day was dreary and we slept in a bit. Zooey and I had a white water rafting excursion that afternoon on the Nenana River. We were excited to get on the water, remembering what an amazing time we had on our 5 day
Idaho whitewater wilderness trip last summer . We quickly learned, however, that there were big differences between the experiences. We had a good time and certaintly it's a fun activity if you have extra time, haven't gone whitewater rafting, or just need some variety to your activities. But it paled so dramatically in comparison to the Idaho experience that it's hard for me to wholeheartedly recommend. The scenery was nice to see but he waves were relatively tame though still fun. The guide did have some interesting tidbits to share. We learned that Denali had not been visible for 3 weeks due first to smoke from the many raging forest fires, and then in the past few days due to rain and fog. He told us that in recent weeks the smoke was so bad that they couldn't even see the river banks some days. So that put the fog in perspective for sure. Can't see Denali in either but better fog than smoke. Only 30% of visitors to Denali National Park actually see Denali. You are actually about 100 miles from Denali in the drivable area of the park- you are much closer to the mountain in other towns like Talkeetna.
The next morning we again slept in. We were going on 9 days in a row of rain and fog and it was wearing on us. This might be a good time to mention the various types of "overcast" that can occur in Alaska. Much like the story of Eskimos having 100 different words for snow, there *should* be 100 different words for different kinds of clouds- or at least 5 or 10. While to the human eye, overcast looks like overcast, there is huge variability in the density of the clouds. We could tell this based on how much energy was getting to our solar panels. Overcast days in the Midwest, we'd still get enough power to keep the camper fridge and heat going without any major conservation. However, on some of the overcast days during this 9 day stretch in Alaska we got no solar power. None. Virtually no (solar capturable) sun energy was making it through the dense dense cloud cover. It was unpleasant. Two days during this stretch we actually abandoned our plans to stay in a state park and instead grabbed a last minute Friday and Saturday slot at an RV park in Wasilla with hook ups so that we could recharge for the Denali stretch. The only excursion we couldn't do due to repeat weather related cancellations was the Denali mountain flight seeing trip with K2. We were supposed to fly around the park and then land on a glacier we could play on. Oddly the kids were not disappointed - perhaps they were overstimulated by this point and needed a break- so maybe it all worked out for the best.
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| Rain days allow for Fynn snuggles! |
So on Day 10 after 9 admittedly demoralizing days of fog and rain, we woke around 9 am and what did we see on the borders around our black out curtains?? Sun!! Sun!!! Sun!! We were so excited. The energy in the camper was electric. How fast can we get out of here? How fast can we grab snacks and go? Let's go see Denali!! Now!! We hopped out quick and stepped on the picnic table at our campsite to get our first glance
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| Denali. Unmissable when out! |
Then we grabbed fruit and bars, threw Fynnie into his carrier and walked to the Mountain Vista Hike to get a better look. Despite being 100 miles away it was still very exciting to see the snow covered Denali. It glowed! Then we decided we better get some hiking in while the wether was good so we headed to the Savage River Trail. This is a really great high yield 2 mile loop hike that goes along the Savage River. It is just perfect for families. The sites are fantastic despite it being a relatively flat walk. There are plenty of rocks for the kids to hop on and variety on the trial to keep young kids engaged. There's an optional scramble at the half way point which we all engaged in (including me while carrying a 2 mo old yikes!). It was one of the most lovely hikes we've taken as a family- I don't remember needing any bribery at all, haha. I definitely HIGHLY RECOMMEND the Savage River Trail. I imagine the Savage Alpine Hike is also fantastic- 4 miles, steeper, and we would have loved to do that if we had a little more time.
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| Zooey had to help me- steeper than it looks! |
The last Denali day, we let Zooey run the show, choosing which hikes she thought would be best for our crew. I taught her my usual technique which is to chose multiple options and then see how the crew is doing energy wise so we can then go with the flow choosing amongst the options depending on the day. She did an awesome job choosing a 3 mile hike called the Horseshoe Lake Trail that was a good length for everyone including Ollie and appealed to her and O because part of the hike actually walks along railroad tracks. It was a really nice walk. On the way back there was an optional "long cut" that Z was up for but O wasn't so Z/F and I split off doing additional mileage through aspen forests which was beautiful and so fun. Z was in great spirits the entire Denali time- she really loved the park and the hikes. It really validated all the outside time, and national park travel that we've done throughout her life. When Z has the right mindset (which is most of the time) she is a very very strong hiker and gets into a great happy free headspace. It's just a joy to be with her. Ollie also enjoys hiking much of the time but won't admit it. We still have to pull him a long a bit and he requires rides on shoulders- honestly I think due to occasional low morale rather than actual physical abilities. But admittedly, we are probably pushing him a little harder than we pushed Z at that, just because we try to find things that work for the both of them, so maybe our expectations are a bit high.
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| All the kids are snacking:) |
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| We are experts at tailgate meals |
In addition to great hiking, Denali National Park has a wonderful visitors' center and we went there a few times examining the displays, watching the educational movies, plotting our next hike. And, the Savage River Campground ranger talks were outstanding! It was unbelievable how good these ranger talks were. We were all completely engaged for the 45 minute talks, and one of them was about red tailed squirrels! Not the sexiest of topics! But the ranger did an amazing job of engaging all of us and making the talk super interactive. The topic of grizzly bears had more curb appeal and was also super super interesting. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND ranger talks in Denali based on our experience.
Lastly, Z/O/F and I spent some free play time at the Savage River right by our campground. One could spend a half day just at the river- so pretty, plenty of rocks and sticks to play with.
Overall, Denali National Park is certainly a must do. 4 nights was a good amount of time though of course one can always do more. I'd caution against staying less than 4 nights especially if you are spending a day doing a bus tour- there really is so much to do you don't want to be rushed. Also, the longer you stay, the better your odds of actually seeing Denali. Though, cool as it was, especially becuase we had the high of a dramatically lovely day after dramatically ugly weather, the trip would totally be worth it even if the mountain didn't show her face.
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