We spent four nights at Camp Denali, an extraordinary wilderness lodge located near the end of the park road that has great views of the Alaska range. Lodging is in cozy cabins, with a wood stove, propane lights (neither of which we needed!), a sink basin, a propane hot plate, an outdoor water spigot and nearby private outhouse. Each cabin also has a picture window view of Denali.
Our cabins were furthest from the main lodge area, so we had a ten-minute uphill walk to the dining room and showers. But that was a good thing, as the food was amazing and we needed all the exercise we could get to earn it! The dining hall has family-style seating and the assigned seats were changed for every meal, so we got a chance to know all the other guests during our stay.
Each day, there were three naturalist-guided hikes offered – foray, moderate and strenuous. On our first day, the hikes all explored the area around the lodge – Sue opted for the moderate hike, while Aimee, Dave and I chose the strenuous option that climbed 1,600 feet to the ridge above the lodge. The tundra at the top of the ridge was bursting with wildflowers, so I had fun with my macro lens!
Throughout the season, Camp Denali hosts various guest speakers, who join in the field activities and give evening talks. We had the great fortune to be there when Sally Jewell, former Secretary of the Interior and CEO of REI, was the guest speaker. Getting to hike all three days with Sally and hear her presentations made our stay even more exceptional.
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- The mountain was out for my 1:15 AM trip to the outhouse. And no, it doesn’t get dark in Alaska in late June!
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- Morning view from our porch
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- Outhouse with a view!
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- Cabin with a view
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- View from Nugget Pond just below the dining hall
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- The original log lodge (now a library) and the dining hall
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- Getting ready for the daily hikes
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- Looking back down on Camp Denali
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- Part way up the ridge – yes, it was steep!
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- Looking down on Camp Denali and North Face Lodge from the ridge. You can also see the park road and Moose Creek.
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- Fern-leaf lousewort
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- Northern bluebells
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- Bear flower
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- Dwarf paintbrush
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- Monkshood
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- Whorled lousewort
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- It is often hard to distinguish the mountains from the clouds…
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- Sally Jewell giving her talk about the challenges of public land management
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- Yes, another picture of the mountain! It is impossible not to keep taking them…
PMF Adventures 