Highlights Map
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In the morning we start with a quick walk around the hotel to see the surroundings before we have to check out. Today we have planned to visit Denali National Park before driving on to Fairbanks where we wil spend the next two nights.
We stop a few times along the way to find a couple caches and also birdwatch finding a few Savannah Sparrows and lots of beautiful fireweed.
Denali was really close to our accomodation and soon we enter the park and stop at the Visitor Center. From here most people take the shuttle to enter the interior of the park but due to a slide the road is closed halfway in and before all major attractions in the interior. So we decide to do the hiking trails near the visitor center and then drive in as much as we can visiting and hiking along the way before returning back and driving to Fairbanks.
The visitor center has some exhibits but not as many as we expected with only one big room showcasing the wildlife in the area with the focus being on the big moose.
Near the visitor center we choose to explore the lopp trails close by and hike to the bridges along the Triple Lakes Trail while looking for wildlife, birdlife and special flowers along the way. The trails here are wide and level and quite busy with other hikers especially close to the visitor center.
The flowers in this stretch are quite varied and interesting. There are many variations of white flowers but all of them are distinct and quite beatiful in our mind.
We soon arrive at the first bridge on the trail which is quite a stable and impressive one. But still the train bridge just a bit further away is even more impressive and higher up which likely makes sense given the fast flowing river underneath.
We continue flower-watching along the way, there are lots of Arctic Lupine which give a dash of color to the forest undergrowth. If we watch closer we see also lots of lingonberry and other berry flowers, but we are too early in the year to find any berries.
The second bridge is a hanging bridge, longer and more interesting. Only a few people can pass at once and when we arrive there is a huge group of about twenty people right at the bridge. We wait for a few minutes but the group actually returns back to the visitor center so we have the bridge all to ourselves and we cross it slowly while enjoying the views of the river.
We continue a bit along the river but now the trail continues on for nine miles and we do not have the time so we return and cross the bridge again. And here we see something flying around after a bit of waiting we get a good glimpse, it is a three-toed woodpecker, one of our target birds here. Happily we continue on watching raven on the train bridge playing with each other as we also cross the second bridge.
From here we are returning to the visitor center on a slightly different trail to complete a loop. This is less steep than the trail we descended on but is longer and it seems it might be wheelchair accesible. It is also far less used which makes it quite enjoyable.
As we get close to the top we hear some chirping in the trees and after some looking around we see a very curious Swainson’s Thrush watching us from a spruce. It is quite cute and we watch it for a while until it decides to leave.
It is a short walk back to the visitor center and we arrive at lunch time and hope we can find some food but everything is full so we decide to skip and pick up the car and drive into the Denali NP interior.
As soon as we leave the visitor center the weather starts to go bad and in a few miles it starts to rain. As such the only views along the way are from the car of moody landscapes and rain clouds.
At the end of the road, at least for passenger cars, there is no parking and it also rains so we decide to turn around. This is a good decision as on the way back we notice a reindeer far in the distance and we can take lots of photos as there are literally no cars on the road.
Our next stop is planned to be a short one at Savage Cabin. We are the only car here and the trail is flat and nice through the boreal forest.
The cabin was used by Denali rangers for quite some time and it still looks in good shape, ready to be used. There are lots of spruces here and many of them are bent out of shape by the wind and the snow, the shapes they are contorted into can be quite interesting.
One reason for doing the trail was the hope that we might be able to see a boreal chickadee and as we return to the car, there it sits, soaked in the rain but still quite beautiful to see.
Last stop in Denali is close to the Savage Cabin at Mountain Vista Picnic Area which is also a shuttle stop. It also seems to be a common bear area so it is an interesting mix.
At this point there is a break in the rain so we decide to explore the area and see if we can find any interesting animals or birds. The trails here in fact are quite flat and have some nice views and we enjoy our exploration.
And even the birdwatching is successful as we find our third target bird here, a Blackpoll Warbler, watching us carefully from a mistletoe. There are also lots of orange-crowned warblers which are quite common here and fun to see.
The views are quite beautiful especially with the plains surrounded by snow capped mountains and we take lots of photos as we continue on the loop trail.
Around this area we also see a few American Tree Sparrows, they are quite vivacious and loud so it is easy to find them when they are singing as they tend to do during this period.
And then it is a long drive back to the visitor center and then to the park exit. Right before the exit we see a group of people gathered together and we try to understand what is happening and soon we notice the reason, it is a moose that decided that the biking trail is a much better trail than going willy-nilly through the forest.
Before leaving the area we also stop in Denali Park, the tourist city right at the entrance in the park. There are lots of souvenir shops here and while we browse the rain starts again drenching us as we run to the car, it seems we cannot escape it no matter how much we run.
It is now time to drive to Fairbanks over raging rivers and through mountains and after a scenic and fun drive, where we stopped only for a few times to find geocaches we arrive in Fairbanks.
We have booked an AirBnB downtown and it is a cute one even though the area seems to be a bit sketchy. But there are swallows on the wires and pigeons in the distance so at least there is nature nearby.
Inside the house is very well appointed and we enjoy the beautiful furniture throughout.
It also has a washer and dryer that we plan on using and a big kitchen that we don’t plan on using that much as we decide to go outside and buy some food.
Full we have time to admire all the little touches in the house, especially ravens, which are everywhere as it is the theme of the house. And then we go to sleep as we are tired after the long day and as usual have another full day planned tomorrow.