In late July of 2002
I traveled to Alaska, for the first time, to visit Denali, the
Kenai peninsula and in South Central Alaska, Wrangell-St. Elias National Park. Alaska
gallery photos were shot with a Nikon N80 and Fuji Provia 100 slide film,
slides were scanned with a Minolta scanner. Prince William Sound and Kenai
Fjords galleries were added in 2007
and where shot with a Nikon DSLR D200 and Nikon 80-400 VR lens.
DENALI: Unless you consider yourself very lucky don't even think about visiting Denali in less then four days. Two reasons, first, to see the park you have to BE there. The dramatic light changes are magnificent. Did you click the map to see my photo of Denali at Midnight? These colors you can not see at noon. Wildlife sightings can not be ordered, they occur by chance with an excellent likelihood of spotting various wildlife if you are there for a while. You must walk the tundra, climb a ridge in this mostly trail less terrain to experience Denali. I met some tourists outside the park who told me they saw Denali on the park's nine hour bus tour, really, they thought they saw the park. Second, and a more significant reason for a four day stay is summertime weather. Cloudy and rainy weather is more likely then not. In such weather little is visible, knowing there is an enormous and beautiful mountain in front of you and not being able to see it, at all, is an exercise in frustration you will regret. However, in a four day stay a clear day is very likely. You will be glad you where there with clear sky to see the views, look at my photos, I hope they convince you. Talking to local residents who live near Denali year round about weather, led me to think that I will plan my next trip during the first weeks of September. (Park bus operates until mid September if weather permits. Can't get around without the bus service.)
Camping at Wonder Lake camp ground is wonderful IF the weather is good, otherwise it is a wet, mosquito infested affaire without seeing Denali or it's foothills. I camped there for a few days with in all types of the summer weather. Accordingly, in my next trip, I will camp at the Teklanika campground, you can drive your car to that camping area, a big advantage if you like all the conveniences possible with car camping. Although you can take anything you want on the bus and load up on gear, you still have to carry it to the camp ground which at Wonder Lake can be a haul. Camping at Teklanika give you more options. If the weather does not cooperate some areas and activities in the park are less weather dependent. The bus will take you anywhere you want in the park and when the sky clear you hop on the bus in early morning, ride out to Wonder Lake area, takes a while to get there, but remember it stays light in the summer, and you can see Denali and the Alaska range from Wonder Lake, magnificent!
KENAI: The Kenai Peninsula is fantastic everywhere. Great hiking trails in magnificent places. I loved camping on the shore of Resurrection Bay in the town of Seward and on the spit in Homer. When in Seward you MUST try the Macadamia encrusted Alaska Halibut at Ray's, it's to die for.
WRANGELL - ST. ELIAS: A pain to get there over a 60 mile on not so good dirt road going 20 mph, but worth it. Gateway to this true wilderness are the "towns" of McCarthy and Kennecott. These two places are living museums of early Alaska. Going into the park's wilderness, i.e. backpacking, requires guide like expertise. It involves being flown in by a bush plane to your selected drop off to start you backpack and an agreed upon pick up day and spot, that is if the weather allows for flying, otherwise you wait. The glaciers in Wrangell-St. Elias are unique world wonders. See them best by taking a sight seeing flight, well worth the bucks!
Prince William Sound: This beautiful fjorded sound can be visited from the town of Whittier, the town was a navy post and is now an important harbour and a departure point for visiting the sound.
