Images of Denali National Park from the Park Road – Central Alaska, taken in July 2015.

Denali National Park is primarily a wilderness park with its most prominent feature being the massive Mount McKinley.

The only road into the park is the Park Road, a 92 mile road of which only the first 16 miles are paved. No private transportation is allowed along this road, it is traversed only by the Park Service buses that provide tours on a daily basis.

Weather is always a concern in this park and Mount McKinley is often shrouded by cloud cover. In fact upon boarding the bus our driver informed us that he had not seen the mountain in the last six days and that on the previous day the fog was so thick throughout the park that even navigating the Park Road was challenging. The forecast was for better weather and as we drove into the park the clouds were lifting. As the skies cleared we rounded a corner and there it was the top of McKinley as clear as can be and in all its glory. An amazing site that got even better as we made our way along the Park Road. True to form however the clouds began to gather and by the time we reached the end of the road the mountain was gone and not visible for the rest of the day.

Along with the stunning views of Mount McKinley and the Alaskan Range the bus trip allowed all aboard the opportunity to see an array of wildlife from the Arctic Ground Squirrel to the Grizzly Bear. We had been lucky enough to have it all on one incredible day trip!