Denali Bluffs Hotel Denali National Park and Preserve

... you say. Yes, but very nice ones.<br><br>Val met another lady at the archives who wants to introduce her to Jack Coghill. Mr. Coghill was one of the signers of the original Alaska state constitution, a state senator, and there is a bridge named for him &#8211; the Jack Coghill Bridge to the Interior! In addition to all of that his father was a contractor for entertainment at Savage Camp in the 30's. Val is excited ...

Last trip out into the park&#8230;<br><br>Val has wanted to go to Wonder Lake for two summers, and Dave does not want to ride the bus. As the season comes to a close, Val has decided to take the bus to Wonder Lake by herself. It turns out to be a good choice. Val says there is not a lot of narrative to go with the story of her day; the pictures tell the story.<br><br>They saw everything on the park road except...A BEAGLE!<br><br>Your rare breed,<br><br>Remington Beagle<br>

... fall the leaves of the plant turn bright red, and the leaves pointed upward in abundance from the base of the plant look very much like tongues of fire.<br><br>When the plants go to seed the long narrow capsule which formerly produced a flower at the end opens and releases a fine fluffy substance with tiny seeds inside. This fluff is carried by the wind thus abundant fireweed for future ...

... were too many to count. We also were very fortunate with the weather, as we had partly cloudy skies with no rain, and when we reached the farthest point into the park on the road, at which point we were physically closest to Mt. McKinley, the sun was out and we could clearly see the mountain. This is really quite the big deal, as it turns out that less than 30 percent of people who visit Denali ever even catch a glimpse of the mountain, as it is so often obscured in ...

Monday, August 3 - Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska<br><br>Eight hours of our day were spent onboard a shuttle bus tour of Denali National Park. The weather was fabulous and the sky was clear, so we were optimistic that we would be able to see the "big mountain."<br><br>Denali National Park and Preserve is nearly 6 million acres and over 9,419 square miles in size, making it the largest ...

... The Eielson Visitor Center is only a year old.  It is a Leed Certified Building, meaning that it is built from sustainable materials, uses very little energy (besides solar power, they have a turbine in a nearby river for hydro-electric power), and a host of other environmental criteria.  <br><br>On the return trip, we ate lunch, saw more wildlife (some of the same ones), and dozed off.  By 2:30, we were back at the transportation center and ready to go home.

... is a must if you want to see the animals. <br><br> When we got to the Eielson Visitor Center, we paid the extra money and the dispatcher put us on the next bus to Wonder Lake. This driver really knew her birds and would point them out&#8212;saw Scooter (black with orange bill). Mt. McKinley views are really dramatic at Wonder Lake and it is definitely worth going this far. <br><br> When we ...

After lunch in Talkeetna, our beautiful drive continued. We approached the Alaska Range, and stopped at several pullouts to enjoy the scenery. Sunny skies turned cloudy, but the drizzle did not dampen the beautiful fall color. Eventually we arrived in Healy to our cabin. Healy is located 15 minutes north of the entrance to Denali National Park. I'm glad we stayed away from the entrance; that area ...

... put out to attract tourists! One woman was explaining "no it is there, I was here yesterday and we had a beautiful view" Rick just waved his hand over the top of his head, Earnie nodded and we walked away just smiling. The pictures around the wall of this huge mountain that were taken on a clear day certainly show it dominates the landscape, but it wasn't a day the mountain was showing itself. According to our bus driver when it is a clear day in the summer and the ...

After our cruise of the Inside Passage, we spent a few nights in Denali National Park. It was a 10 hour train ride to get there but boy was it beautiful. We went horseback riding, took a helicopter tour around McKinley, and enjoyed the "midnight sun."<br>