Denali Park and Healy Alaska

Map of Alaska

Denali area

Map of Denali Park Road and surrounding area

Kantishna RoadhouseEnd of the road 92 miles

Healy area

Views of the“The Big One”

Denali peaks View with road on right

More views of Denali

Glacial River bedThe river basins of Denali are part of a rich ecosystem that is home to some notable large mammals. Grizzly bears make use of the larger rivers like Stony River and the Nenana to catch trout; and large moose, caribou, Dall sheep and wolves all use the rivers for water. Other wildlife found near the rivers includes wolverines, red foxes, black bears, marmots, snowshoe hares, peregrine falcons, trumpeter swans, golden eagles and harlequin ducks.

Savage River at mile 12 on Denali Park Road

Wildlife in Denali

Young grizzly approaching

Grizzly going byWildlife in Denali is acclimated to vehicle traffic. They see the tour buses as part of the natural environment and are not shy about walking directly in front of a bus or car. This young grizzly passed by very close to the truck and we were able to get a close up shot.

Grizzly Bears are one of the biggest land mammals in North America. It was estimated in the 1800's that as many as 50,000 grizzly bears ranged between the Great Plains and the Pacific Ocean in the lower 48 states. Today the grizzly bear is found in about 2 % of its previous range in the lower 48 states where around 1,300 grizzly bears remain in the wild. Alaska however has a large population of grizzlies numbering over 30,000 animals.

Young grizzly leaving

Caribou are abundant in Denali

Smaller animals in Denali

The beaver The fox

The Ptarmigan

End of the road at Kantishna Roadhouse

Denali’s past:original Kantishna RoadhouseIn the late 1800s Fannie Quigley and her husband Joe opened the roadhouse to gold prospectors as a hotel/eatery/mail stop and general communication center for the miners in that area. Joe suffered an injury that took him to Seattle for treatment. While there he fell in love with the nurse that treated him and never returned. Fannie ended up staying and running the roadhouse for the rest of her days. She was famous for her rhubarb pie, home brewed beer and could shoot, skin, and prep a moose on her own.

Healy

At home on the Stampede Road

A Typical home here has no indoor plumbing and is heated with an oil tank. Views of the Alaska range

Another view from the Stampede area

Moose in AlaskaAlaska moose mate every year during autumn and winter, and usually produce one or two offspring at a time. At around 10-11 months, yearling Alaska Moose leave their mothers and fend for themselves.The Alaska Moose ranges throughout Alaska to most of the western Yukon, Canada. Due to its large range, humans frequently come into contact with the moose. Mothers are very protective of their young calves. Most of the time moose do not confront people unless they are provoked or feel their young are threatened. If you notice its hairs raised, head down and ears back-and it’s licking its lips- that’s a cue to make tracks in the opposite direction.Most injuries from moose occur because of vehicle collisions.

Mom and babies near the house

Notice the worried look on the sled dog’s face

Official summer gearin Alaska Though most of us might worry about encounters with large animals like Bear, or Moose, the peskiest critter in Alaska has to be the mosquito. In summer months the Alaska's mosquito population is the stuff of legend. There are 35 species of mosquito in Alaska. All but a few of these will feed on humans. Mosquitoes are by far the most prevalent bugs, which is why they remain lord of the flies. Every year, they congregate in hordes that are thickest from the Yukon River north to the Arctic Ocean and torment the Caribou and humans relentlessly. If you want to enjoy the outdoors you need to prepare with netting and bug spray.

For further reading:Recommendations from an Alaskan

• Searching for Fannie Quiqley by Jane G. Haigh• In the Company of Moose by Victor Van

Ballenberghe• Two Old Women by Velma Wallis• Discovering Denali: A Complete Reference

Guide to Denali National Park and Mount McKinley by Dow Scoggins