ALASKA – Visit of the Denali Park

by | 26 Sep 2016 | On the Panamerican road, United States | 0 comments

Date de dernière mise à jour : le 29 July 2018

In the morning at the arctic circle, the view from the van is just unreal: a sky without a cloud, a small fog on the plains and a fresh wind. It is just amazing.

Réveil sur le cercle arctique

Réveil sur le cercle arctique

We drive back to Fairbanks for a good shower and some laundry (that might easily take half a day).

In the evening, we are invited to Michelle and Mark’s home. They are a couple of travelers met on facebook and they invited us for a beer.

We have a great time. They invited some friends and we spend the evening talking about overlanding, taking all the good advices they could give to us.

Finally, we accept the invitation to spend our first night in a real bed since we got Tikal back!

The night is already perfect. But as several good surprises may come together, guess who comes to illuminate the night?

 

La vue du jardin de Michelle et Mark

La vue du jardin de Michelle et Mark

 

La vue du jardin de Michelle et Mark

La vue du jardin de Michelle et Mark

It is after a good night, and after having thanked our great hosts, we stop at the Creamer’s Field in Fairbanks, where thousands of birds take a break during their migration travel.

Le creamer's field

Le creamer’s field

Un pic

Un pic

Des bernaches

Des bernaches

Des grues

Des grues

Then we leave Fairbanks direction the south.

The south of Alaska.

Not really the sand yet but a visit of the Denali park.

We will enjoy the park for 3 days. (but you can spend easily spend a week there).

Day 1

After an illuminated night (yes again…), we go to the visitor center and break our pig-bank buying the pass for the national parks and a bus tour in the Denali park for the next day.

Le ciel du denali

Le ciel du denali

Un ciel sans nuage

Un ciel sans nuage

L'arrivée sur notre lieu de bivouac

L’arrivée sur notre lieu de bivouac

The entry of the park for private vehicles is limited to the first 50 km and the rest shall be visited by bus (or by feet but it takes more time).

We spend the afternoon discovering the landscapes by our own.

 

Entrée du parc

Entrée du parc

Premiers kilomètres du parc

Premiers kilomètres du parc

Vue du dernier pont accessible en voiture privée

Vue du dernier pont accessible en voiture privée

Première ballade

Première ballade

Première rencontre

Première rencontre

Au loin un caribou

Au loin un caribou

Caribou de dos

Caribou de dos

Caribou de profil

Caribou de profil

Caribou de face... impressionnant !

Caribou de face… impressionnant !

Day 2

We wake up at 5h50 (it hurts) as the bus leaves at 7h15 from the visitor center. The night has been cold and we are told that the temperature fell to -7°celsius this night… We get into the bus for a 12 hours drive in the park. And actually it worses it. But what might be even nicer is to spend a few days in the park, camping and sleeping outside (we can drop off the bus for a walk at any time). But regarding the recent temperature, it seems that we are not prepared enough for such adventure…

On embarque dans le bus

On embarque dans le bus

Direction wonder lake

Direction Wonder Lake

The wildlife is much diversified and after the squirrels, the caribous, the sheeps, the mooses, we meet our first grizzly, a few meters from the bus. Then a second and another one a bit further…

Un écureuil en plein boulot

Un écureuil en plein boulot

Un clan de caribous

Un clan de caribous

Une peluche sur le bord de la route

Une peluche sur le bord de la route

Oh le nounours

Oh le nounours

Petit sourire

Petit sourire

Oh les petites dents du nounours

Oh les petites dents du nounours

Sur ses gardes

Sur ses gardes

Re un grizzli

Re un grizzli

Un grizzli dans la plaine

Un grizzli dans la plaine

Mt Denali appears (it recovered his original name and is not called Mt McKinley anymore). More than 6.000 m high… The view is great.

Le Mont Denali apparaît

Le Mont Denali apparaît

31-mont-denali

Pique-nique with view

Pique-nique with view

36

34

35

33-la-vue

In the evening we decide to take a break after such physical activity (12h seated in a bus) and go for a beer in a bar next to the park with a well-known bus in the courtyard : the Magic Bus. Yes, you know it:

Le bus magique

Le bus magique

Petite visite

Petite visite

This is a copy of the original bus that hosted Christopher McCandless (Alexander Supertramp) in his adventure in Alaska. The real one is situated into the wild, and the trek leading to it is kind of “complicated”… Anyway we both agree that the copy will be enough!

Day 3

we lose ourselves in trek trails. We become stuck between rivers that we cannot cross. We enjoy so large landscapes (without any unwanted grizzly encounter).

Randonnée près de la rivière

Randonnée près de la rivière

Pas d'animaux mais quelques traces

Pas d’animaux mais quelques traces

Ah si, là une bpete ! mais bien cachée !

Ah si, là une bête ! mais bien cachée !

Coucou

Coucou

A la recherche des loups...

A la recherche des loups…

Then back, on the road.

Next step: Anchorage.

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