Posted by Kevin McNeal on January 29, 2008 at 8:51 PM
I am just wondering if anybody has any advice for camping at Wonder Lake. I am thinking of booking it in late August and the first week of Sept for a total of 10 days to maximize my possibilities of seeing the mountain and catching the color og blueberries, lowbrush cranberries, and dwarf willows. I assume I fly into Anchorage and then do I take a shuttle to Wonder Lake. I f I am staying for 10 days can I come in and out of the park - should I stay at a motel just outside the park to minimize the amount of camping gear ? Any suggestions would be great. Thanks Kevin
Posted by Jim DeWitt on January 29, 2008 at 9:11 PM
Kevin -
I live in Fairbanks, 120 miles from the Park. Some thoughts --
- Late August is a little too late. The Park Road may well be closed by snow past Teklanika by then. Autumn colors usually peak in mid-August. On the other hand, you chances of seeing Denali (McKinley never saw Denali) are better in September. August is commonly the rainy month.
- Wonder Lake is a long, 7.5 hour plus bus ride from the hotels at the Park entrance. There are three lodges at the Wonder Lake end of the road - North Face Lodge, Camp Denali and Kantishna Lodge. All are spendy. North Face Lodge is closest to Wonder Lake. There is a truly wonderful cabin operated by Camp Denali on Wonder Lake called The Hawk's Nest. Expensive and hard to book into, but a stupendous view.
- Regardless of when you go, you can spend ten days at Wonder Lake and never see the summit of Denali.
- If you camp, be prepared for cold, snow and wind. And bears, although they are usually scarfing blueberries.
- There is an inexpensive shuttle service from Fairbanks or Anchorage to the Park. 5.0 hours from Anchorage; 2.5 hours from Fairbanks.
- If there is a "bear incident" or something, the National Park Service can close a campground and screw up your plans, Always have an alternate.
I'm traveling out of state right now. If you want more details, email me.
Posted by Ron Niebrugge on January 29, 2008 at 9:22 PM
You definitely want to camp at Wonder Lake - it is an all day bus ride to get there. You can always ride the bus back out front for showers etc. As Jim mentioned, there are some back-country lodges near Wonder Lake, but they are expensive.
The Wonder Lake area is beautiful, and there are some huge moose nearby. Often, if the mountain is going to appear, it is late and night, or early in the morning - by camping at Wonder Lake, you will be in position to witness this magnificent sight!
As far as timing goes, I gotta disagree with Jim. Late August is a great time, I prefer early September myself - I have had great luck with hitting peak fall colors right round Labor Day weekend. Keep in mind the timing does vary year to year.
The road could be closed by snow at anytime in the summer - I got hit by a big snowstorm one year at the end of July. But in August and early September, they will quickly plow any snow off the road and have it open in no time. You don't have to worry about the road being closed past Teklanika until mid September. As long as the buses are scheduled to run, they will keep the road open.
Should be a fun trip!
Posted by Carl Battreall on January 30, 2008 at 12:57 AM
Just a suggestion, but have you considered not going to Wonder Lake? Alaska has so many beautiful spots, that aren't crowded and photographed to death. Many places need more exposure because they are threatened and need public support. Ten days is a long time to spend in a spot that, honestly, has limited photographic possibilities.
If you're looking for colors, earlier is probably better. And Carl is right, you don't necessarily have to go to Denali to get them. Lots of other reasons to be there in the fall, but if fall colors are your main thrust, lots of doors open. One area that comes to mind is the Dalton "Highway" between Cantwell and Paxson. I make that parenthetic because it's not paved and sometimes in tough shape. In the vicinity of Brushykana Creek and one other whose name escapes me at the moment, I've sat in the middle of hundreds of acres of red blueberry bushes turning virtually purple with berries. Never mind the bear scatt and enjoy all the yellow willows that punctuate the area.
Oh yeah, and bring very high grade chocolate bars. I recommend the formula of 3 mouthfuls of blueberries for each bite of chocolate. Last time I was there I gorged myself on berries for half an hour without moving from my original seat. If bears are getting ready for winter, why shouldn't we?
And one final word of advice: If you're there before the first frost or two, plan on muskeeeetows. Moskeytoes? Muskey toes? Mosquitoes. However you spell it, those little guys can be really nasty just before the first good freeze.
Posted by Ron Niebrugge on January 30, 2008 at 5:02 PM
Well I'm a real contrarian in this thread, but I guess differing viewpoints can be valuable in planning and forming an opinion.
While I agree that the Denali Highway is incredibly beautiful - I have fond memories as a kid hiking around the hills and taking photos around Paxon (many years ago). That said, the last time I was there in the fall, I vowed I would never return during that time of year. The area has become incredibly popular with hunters. Every river and lake was full of boats, and anything that was close to a trail was crawling with atvs and the like. If you are looking for peace and quite, I wouldn't recommend the Denali Highway in the fall. Now any other time of year the place rocks.
Mosquitoes can be terrible at Wonder Lake - outside of the arctic, I have been to few places with more. But usually by the end of July they are all but gone, and in August and September, I have never found them to be a problem.
I do agree with Carl, 10 days could be a long time at Wonder Lake. If I was doing Denali, I would consider splitting time at Tek - I think I mentioned this in my email. If I was going to add an additional location, I would consider either Wrangell St Elias National Park or Kenai Fjords National Park.
As far as the timing goes, all I can add is that my photos like this one: http://www.wildnatureimages.com/red_denali_L.htm were all captured in early September.
Posted by Carl Donohue on January 30, 2008 at 7:07 PM
Hey Kevin
I agree with Ron, that's THE time to be in Denali. The bugs are pretty much completely gone, the colors are at peak right around then (usually), and in 10 days, you should probably see the mtn. Whether it's during some sweet light is a guess, but there's a good chance. I don't think 10 days is a long time at W. Lake. You can catch the bus to other places in the park and do some hiking/exploring/etc and really cover some area. Tek's great, but if you want the "mtn over a pond" shot, you ain't gunna get it from Tek. :)
I'd also avoid the Denali hwy.
My suggestion:
Fly to Anch. Catch a shuttle to the Park entrance, stay the night in either Riley Ck campground or the Savage River campground, spend the afternoon looking for moose along the paved section of the road, or a short hike up to Mt. Margaret above the Savage River.
Ride the first bus in the morning to W. Lake, set up camp, catch a shuttle out to the Moose Ck area (the drivers know where it the trailhead is) and go for a walk.
Spend 10 nights camped at W. Lake, and enjoy the park.
Conversely, you could split the time at Tek, and W. Lake, but I don't think there's a real need to.
Depends largely on how comfortable you are camping - it can be cold, wet, and nasty. Tek's no better. You can always shuttle out to entrance for a night or so if you need a shower and recuperate. :)
Discussion
6 repliesI live in Fairbanks, 120 miles from the Park. Some thoughts --
- Late August is a little too late. The Park Road may well be closed by snow past Teklanika by then. Autumn colors usually peak in mid-August. On the other hand, you chances of seeing Denali (McKinley never saw Denali) are better in September. August is commonly the rainy month.
- Wonder Lake is a long, 7.5 hour plus bus ride from the hotels at the Park entrance. There are three lodges at the Wonder Lake end of the road - North Face Lodge, Camp Denali and Kantishna Lodge. All are spendy. North Face Lodge is closest to Wonder Lake. There is a truly wonderful cabin operated by Camp Denali on Wonder Lake called The Hawk's Nest. Expensive and hard to book into, but a stupendous view.
- Regardless of when you go, you can spend ten days at Wonder Lake and never see the summit of Denali.
- If you camp, be prepared for cold, snow and wind. And bears, although they are usually scarfing blueberries.
- There is an inexpensive shuttle service from Fairbanks or Anchorage to the Park. 5.0 hours from Anchorage; 2.5 hours from Fairbanks.
- If there is a "bear incident" or something, the National Park Service can close a campground and screw up your plans, Always have an alternate.
I'm traveling out of state right now. If you want more details, email me.
The Wonder Lake area is beautiful, and there are some huge moose nearby. Often, if the mountain is going to appear, it is late and night, or early in the morning - by camping at Wonder Lake, you will be in position to witness this magnificent sight!
As far as timing goes, I gotta disagree with Jim. Late August is a great time, I prefer early September myself - I have had great luck with hitting peak fall colors right round Labor Day weekend. Keep in mind the timing does vary year to year.
The road could be closed by snow at anytime in the summer - I got hit by a big snowstorm one year at the end of July. But in August and early September, they will quickly plow any snow off the road and have it open in no time. You don't have to worry about the road being closed past Teklanika until mid September. As long as the buses are scheduled to run, they will keep the road open.
Should be a fun trip!
Oh yeah, and bring very high grade chocolate bars. I recommend the formula of 3 mouthfuls of blueberries for each bite of chocolate. Last time I was there I gorged myself on berries for half an hour without moving from my original seat. If bears are getting ready for winter, why shouldn't we?
And one final word of advice: If you're there before the first frost or two, plan on muskeeeetows. Moskeytoes? Muskey toes? Mosquitoes. However you spell it, those little guys can be really nasty just before the first good freeze.
While I agree that the Denali Highway is incredibly beautiful - I have fond memories as a kid hiking around the hills and taking photos around Paxon (many years ago). That said, the last time I was there in the fall, I vowed I would never return during that time of year. The area has become incredibly popular with hunters. Every river and lake was full of boats, and anything that was close to a trail was crawling with atvs and the like. If you are looking for peace and quite, I wouldn't recommend the Denali Highway in the fall. Now any other time of year the place rocks.
Mosquitoes can be terrible at Wonder Lake - outside of the arctic, I have been to few places with more. But usually by the end of July they are all but gone, and in August and September, I have never found them to be a problem.
I do agree with Carl, 10 days could be a long time at Wonder Lake. If I was doing Denali, I would consider splitting time at Tek - I think I mentioned this in my email. If I was going to add an additional location, I would consider either Wrangell St Elias National Park or Kenai Fjords National Park.
As far as the timing goes, all I can add is that my photos like this one: http://www.wildnatureimages.com/red_denali_L.htm were all captured in early September.
I agree with Ron, that's THE time to be in Denali. The bugs are pretty much completely gone, the colors are at peak right around then (usually), and in 10 days, you should probably see the mtn. Whether it's during some sweet light is a guess, but there's a good chance. I don't think 10 days is a long time at W. Lake. You can catch the bus to other places in the park and do some hiking/exploring/etc and really cover some area. Tek's great, but if you want the "mtn over a pond" shot, you ain't gunna get it from Tek. :)
I'd also avoid the Denali hwy.
My suggestion:
Fly to Anch. Catch a shuttle to the Park entrance, stay the night in either Riley Ck campground or the Savage River campground, spend the afternoon looking for moose along the paved section of the road, or a short hike up to Mt. Margaret above the Savage River.
Ride the first bus in the morning to W. Lake, set up camp, catch a shuttle out to the Moose Ck area (the drivers know where it the trailhead is) and go for a walk.
Spend 10 nights camped at W. Lake, and enjoy the park.
Conversely, you could split the time at Tek, and W. Lake, but I don't think there's a real need to.
Depends largely on how comfortable you are camping - it can be cold, wet, and nasty. Tek's no better. You can always shuttle out to entrance for a night or so if you need a shower and recuperate. :)
Cheers
Carl