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Hiking Alaska's Denali Wilderness
By Pamela Turner
August 1, 2002 |
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Denali, "the High One" in the local Athabascan language, is the centerpiece of Denali National Park--and of all Alaska. Although it's hard to imagine crowding in a national park larger than Massachusetts, Denali attracts 380,000 visitors a year--almost all during the summer. With a single 90-mile-long road, the park has the potential to become one long RV conga line.
Thankfully, private vehicles have been banned from almost all of the park. Most visitors stay in the cluster of hotels, motels and campgrounds near Denali's entrance and see the park via the shuttle bus service. While there are several campgrounds within the park, arranging a full complement of camping gear can be daunting and time-consuming if you've flown in from the lower forty-eight. What do you do if you want a quality experience deep inside Denali?
Into the Backcountry
The answer is to stay in one of Denali's backcountry lodges. The four lodges are clustered a few miles from each other near Wonder Lake, in the very center of Denali. While expensive--their season is short and everything must be hauled or flown in over long distances--the lodges offer their guests a unique, quality experience. The lodges include in their prices all meals, land transportation in and out of the park, guided hikes, mountain bikes, fishing gear and evening lectures.
Kantishna Roadhouse
Kantishna has been receiving visitors for a century, although the original "guests" came to pan for gold. A beautifully restored 1905 cabin sits across from the modern log lodge. Of the four backcountry lodges, Kantishna is the best choice, especially for families. Kantishna has spacious grounds, roomy log cabins, and a shallow creek to play in. Guests can pan for gold, see sled dogs in action, horseback ride (for an additional fee) and take a daily wagon ride down to Wonder Lake.
Camp Denali
Camp Denali, the oldest of the backcountry lodges, was opened in 1952 by two pioneering women pilots. Situated high on a ridge overlooking Wonder Lake, it is the only lodge with a view of Mt. Denali (although the peak is often hidden by clouds). Camp Denali is the most quiet and private of the four lodges. Visitors stay in individual log cabins scattered along the ridge. The cabins are deliberately rustic, with no electricity or running water. Each cabin does have a wood stove, propane lantern and hot plate, and an outhouse. There is a communal bath/shower house with modern plumbing.
Camp Denali and its sister lodge, Northface, have special permission from the Park Service to drive their guests to other areas of the park for day hikes. Mountain bikers can bring bikes along, then get off and ride back to the lodge. For avid hikers who plan to stay long enough to exhaust the possibilities around Wonder Lake, this is a real plus. Camp Denali and Northface Lodge guests may also canoe on Wonder Lake.
Northface Lodge
Camp Denali and Northface Lodge are owned by the same family and offer identical activities, but the ambiance of the lodges is quite different. Located on a low ridge close to Wonder Lake, Northface is quite comfortable, but its motel-like arrangement seems out of place in the Denali backcountry.
Denali Backcountry Lodge
This lodge has a beautiful setting on Moose Creek-aptly named, because visitors are sometimes treated to the sight of moose sauntering through the water a dozen yards from the porch. There's a screened creek-side gazebo that may be the best place in Denali for reading on a lazy afternoon. The rooms are small cedar cabins grouped close together at one end of the property.
For More Information
Kantishna Roadhouse, www.kantishnaroadhouse.com. To book an 11-day package including a cruise in Prince William Sound, contact Wildland Adventures at www.wildland.com.
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