Alaska – Denali National Park (2-3 June 2007)



The next day was Denali Park day, a National Park which is as big as New Hampshire or Vermont - something I might have been able to envisage had I not driven through those states in torrential rain and darkness.

Unfortunately to see anything past mile 17 of the park, you have to take the tour bus along with a coachload of animal-crazy Americans. I felt I had no option but to join in this tourist venture, although I started to regret it by about mile 2 - this is what they looked like when there were a couple of rabbits outside the bus...


But on the plus side, we did see some grizzly bears (albeit at a distance), some curly horned sheep or goats (not sure which) and some ground squirrels.

By the last day in Alaska, adventurousness had kicked in (or possibly just a desperate urge to get away from tour guides and animal-crazed Americans) and we decided to drive to mile 17 of Denali National Park and go hiking in search of black bears. Having only seen a grizzly at a distance, I was getting withdrawal symptoms.


The bears were evasive, but we did get to see some stags, and then a glacier...


... before having a close encounter with a moose...


But not to disappoint, on the way to the airport, a couple of hundred miles south of Denali, I tested the brakes on the rental car to make way for this cute little gem...


Hmmm... I think I've seen that photo somewhere before.