Deeper into Dinali

Deeper into Denali, a journey to the Toklat River.

Unlike last week when we took our car into the park as far as we were permitted to go, this time we (along with Shirley and Jim from the Cantwell RV Park) took the Green Bus for a 6.5-hour round trip, 50+ miles one way deeper into the park to the Toklat River.  When we reached the point where we had previously traveled on a paved road, we were now treated to gravel and dirt on a winding road that eventually became a single lane that climbed along and over mountains, providing sometimes dizzying vistas over the edge of the road and into the valleys below.  Unfortunately, the camera cannot capture either the thrill of the ride or the awesome views along the way.  Thanks to Ben, our driver, from Lancaster, PA, we survived the trip intact.

Unfortunately, due mostly to the warm temperature, while the views were spectacular, there were not too many animals to be observed; however, as you will see in these photos, we did spot a number of caribou.  There was also a Grizzly that could be seen from too great a distance for the camera and likewise a Dahl sheep that appeared as a small white dot on a mountain. Some of the photos are captioned and, as usual, you can click on the "slideshow" button to see full views of the photographs.

We did not travel as far as Wonder Lake so this is not our photo, but I thought it was worth sharing - from Alaska NPS.