Denali National Park, Alaska

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The crown jewel in the National Park system, Denali National Park is remote and beautiful, remote and unique, remote yet accessible. It hardly needs saying that the 9,375 square mile park (slightly larger than the state of New Hampshire or the island of Cyprus) is dominated by 20,320 foot Mt Denali, the Athabaskan name for Mt McKinley. The park is also justifiably known as a prime wildlife destination and it is the wildlife that draws many photographers to Denali. Since human impact is so low and tightly controlled the observer gets to see wildlife behavior largely unaffected by man’s interference, unlike many other national parks (notably Yellowstone).

The park is home to numerous grizzly bears (easy to find), several wolf packs (very difficult to see), moose (supposedly common, but not in my experience), caribou in large numbers (depending on the season), plus plenty of smaller mammals such as beaver, pica, and marmot. The last two are known locally as “tundraburgers” for they are a staple of bear and wolf alike. There are also golden eagles and more gulls than you’d expect to find this far inland.

Besides the rugged high country along the backbone of the Alaska Range, you will find sub-artic tundra. Much of the park is relatively low in elevation and is well-drained by numerous glacial streams, typically wide, shallow, and braided, though summer storms can rapidly turn them into roiling torrents. There are many wildflowers during the brief summer.

Due to the extensive preparation, lengthy travel time, and the amount of gear that you are likely to need for even a one-week stay, for North Americans getting to Denali seems more like international travel than a state-side trip.

Plan carefully if the purpose of your trip is to see Mt Denali. For much of the summer Denali remains enshrouded by heavy clouds. On my first trip up there the mountain “came out” on my last night in the park and staff at the lodge where I was staying told me that was the first time in three weeks that they’d seen the peak. By mid-morning the next day it had again disappeared. Fall is the best time to see the peak; by September the weather is changing and the peak is visible most of the time.

For the photographer, working conditions in the park are very different than in most other locations. From the park entrance and single road runs 90 miles into the park. With few exceptions, all park visitors must use the shuttle buses that start at the visitor’s center and depart on regular intervals for various points along the road. The ins and outs of using these shuttles are too complex to review in detail here; visit the National Park Service site for more information on times, regulations, and the like. If you are on a tight schedule or really want or need to be at certain locations in the park at certain times (if you are like me your shooting trips are almost always on a tight schedule!) it’s best to reserve a spot on the shuttles, but be advised that the reserved slots often fill soon after registration opens in January. There are always a few seat held open for walk-ins; tickets for these seats go on sale three days before scheduled departures, which may leave you being so close yet so far. No, unless you have unlimited time to hang around, best make your plans early.

The good news is that you are not obligated to remain on the shuttle and once into the park you may ask to be let off at any point along the road so you can walk the road or wander off road. Bus drivers will honor your request unless there are bears in the vicinity. Once off the bus, to get back, just flag down any other bus and they will stop to pick you up, providing there is room aboard the bus. My working plan for each day I’ve spent in the park has been to book the first shuttle months and going as far into the park as possible (usually Eilson Visitors Center). By scheduling my day from that point on I have always managed to work afoot for a major part of the day and still find space on one of the last shuttles leaving the park in the evening. Of course, if it is pouring rain (as it frequently does during the summer) I have sometimes just worked from the shuttle, which stops any time there is anything worth seeing. One often sees a stopped shuttle bus, telephoto lenses poking from every window like some modern man-of-war.

Another option, which I can highly recommend, is to book two or three nights at one of the back-country lodges 90 miles into the park. Wonder Lake and Reflection Pond are within walking distance (I didn’t say easy walking) and time spent in this area is well worth the expensive accommodations. Each of the backcountry lodges offer transportation in the immediate vicinity. Flight-seeing is also available in the Kantishna area (as it is at the park entrance). I find another benefit of the backcountry lodges is the more immediate intimacy with other guests, many of who have traveled there from far corners of the world.

Camping within the park is certainly an option, though here too, access is tightly regulated and you will have to book backcountry stays months in advance through the National Park Headquarters. There are several campgrounds (including a popular one near Wonder Lake) but I would not want to be faced with the choice of schlepping all my valuable camera gear plus 150 rolls of film with me all day every day and leaving whatever is not needed that particular day in an unguarded tent in a public area. Best to leave camping trips as camping trips with bare minimum photography gear.

The longest lens you have will not be too much, for wildlife is often some distance away and the more reach you have the happier you will be. This said, anything longer than 400mm is almost impossible to use from the shuttle bus (though I certainly tried to use the 600/4 and have gotten a few good shots) due to movement by other passengers. Wildlife, particularly caribou, are often on the road. The accompanying image of a marmot sitting on a mound at the side of the road was done at 400mm from a bus (the Kantishna Shuttle rather than the Park Service shuttle). If your interest is in landscapes or macro work you will also find plenty to keep wide angle and macro lenses busy. If you are interested in getting off the bus and roaming through the bush, be sure to carry Bear Bells and thoroughly research how to behave in the presence of bears.

Summer and fall weather at Denali is varied, to say the least. Summer high temperatures are comfortable, though it is not likely you will be doing much sun-bathing. The most important things to remember about summer: long light, rain, and mosquitoes. During July & August there is usable light for twenty hours a day. The image of alpenglow on Denali was shot at 11:15 pm on an August 1. Regarding the rain, keep in mind that there are on average 12 rain days each summer month, and even if it is not raining, it is likely overcast. The mosquitoes are justifiably famous, especially early in the summer and you will need heavy-duty repellant, especially if venturing into the backcountry. Besides keeping yourself dry and warm, take care of your equipment in a water-proof pack or a standard pack within a large plastic bag. I always wear rain-pants unless the sun is shining brightly (but conditions can change rapidly, so the rain pants are always with me even if I am not wearing them). The same goes for a Gore-Tex parka and rain hat. I do a lot of macro photography, so am frequently on the ground. I carry a camping-type ground cloth with me. Even when it is not raining, it has rained recently enough that much of the ground is thoroughly saturated and I can guarantee you that even Gore-Tex parka and pants will become soaked through if you are lying or kneeling on saturated ground. A Laird Rain-Hood is a necessity for summer work up here and I carry all film in zip-lock plastic bags. Lens tissue or chamois cloth are required for wiping moisture off your lenses and I recommend packets or small containers of silica gel to keep in your equipment pack or case. Conditions become much clearer in the fall months. August and September are cooler and drier. Mosquitoes are greatly reduced in numbers.

The best times to visit are dictated by what you are wishing to accomplish combined with the vagaries of climate and weather. Winter work is difficult at best (I have not tried to go in the winter, so can’t really speak to this season at Denali). The mid-summer months offer wonderfully long working days but rain, tourists, and mosquitoes can make life miserable. Late summer into mid-fall are generally considered the best times to visit Denali. Nights are getting chilly and snow can fly at almost any time, but the colors are richly saturated and most of the sight-seeing tourists have departed for post-Labor Day school and jobs. The spring shoulder season can be profitable, but there is more chance of finding the road still closed by snow.

You can fly into Anchorage or Fairbanks and rent a car; I have done the former and while it’s a half day trip on the road, driving Alaskan highways has to be part of the experience. One can fly on scheduled service into the park or take the train from either Anchorage or Fairbanks. There is lodging right outside the park, though I have stayed ten miles north in Healey where rates are more competitive and the atmosphere is less resort-like. I can recommend the White Moose lodge, and yes, there is a white moose that frequents the area. There are numerous small restaurants and grocery stores where you can eat a full meal or stock up on sandwiches and snacks to take on the shuttle with you. There is plenty of down time on the shuttle to allow you to chow down. I usually pick up my sandwiches the night before and rush to make the first shuttle. In the early morning there is little to see in the first few miles so I will have my breakfast sandwich right after I board the shuttle (if I haven’t eaten it while waiting for the shuttle – I try to be there very early in order to secure the best seating on the open-seating shuttle – I prefer to ride in the front passenger seat or at the very rear, which often affords one the opportunity to work from both sides of the bus if it is not full. There is very limited snack food available at the Eilson Visitor Center, but that is a long way into the park. The last time I visited there was still a full-service restaurant at the park entrance, but that was to be torn down and I do not know what has taken its place. The Park Service has been trying to move all concessions to outside the park entrance.

Finally, there is an abundance of resources on the Web. Another good site for information: http://www.denali.national-park.com/. While there are lots of photo trips offered, with some homework on your part you can easily plan your own trip that will take you where you want to be when you want to be there.

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