Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
Our last few days were spent at the most beautiful of the Princess lodges just a mile from the entrance to Denali National Park and Preserve. There we experienced our most exhilarating float trip and a very memorable Alaskan Native presentation. We learned about the Iditarod and got to hold a Husky puppy! What could be better? Maybe a view of Denali?
Click on the first photo in each group and scroll to see the square photos at full size.
To start at the beginning of this trip, visit The Trip of Our Lives 2023.
To start at the beginning of the cruise portion of this trip, visit North to Alaska 2023.
Mt. McKinley Post (cont’d)
Just in case you forgot where we were at the end of my last post, I’m including one picture again – because I simply love this one, and this day isn’t over quite yet!
As you’ll remember, we got up way too early for vacation. I took a Nature Walk and checked out a Treehouse Masters’ fabulous creation. Jim was not a happy camper after a (very) poorly planned float trip down the Talkeetna River, but we had gorgeous views (including this one) on the way to our next Princess Lodge.
Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge
“You haven’t fully experienced Alaska unless you’ve been to Denali National Park. Its boundaries encompass an impressive six million acres – the size of the state of Massachusetts. Home to Denali, North America’s highest peak towers an unbelievable 20,310 feet in the sky. The Park hosts an array of wildlife from moose, caribou, Dall sheep and grizzly bears to gray wolves and red foxes.
The Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge is the closest and most comfortable place to stay when visiting the park. The entrance to Denali National Park is located only a mile from our front door. With an expansive deck overlooking the Nenana River with views into the park, Denali Princess Wilderness Lodge is the ideal spot to relax, visit with friends, and savor the exquisite landscape.” ~ READ MORE
Wilderness Wave Tour
After we went through the Lodge checkin steps on the bus, there wasn’t much time before our last excursion of the day. We quickly changed clothes and hopped on another bus to our Wilderness Wave Tour for eleven miles on the Nenana River.
Although the weather was very nice when we arrived, the clouds were rolling back in. Before we headed upriver, we dropped off a group of more adventurous rafters for the Canyon Wave Whitewater – a more serious trip on a lower section of the river.
We stepped into our dry suits which also covered our feet. We were told our suits would kept us dry (but not warm) so luckily we had plenty of layers underneath. As we progressed down the river the shoes they provided became soaked and very cold, and I longed for the classy rubber boots from our last float trip.
Our guide Marty was great, and right away he asked us just how splashy we wanted to get. We all agreed we wanted to have fun – while staying in the raft! This was the most exciting of all of our rafting excursions! Although we didn’t see any wildlife and the mountains were shrouded in clouds, the river, its banks and canyon walls offered the stunning scenery that we came to see.
Sitting on tubes in those suits got old with two hours on the river – especially in the middle section of the raft with limited legroom. But it was very fun with several class twos and one class three rapids. Since once again I stowed my phone, the photos below are from the Alaska Shore Tours website.
Pizza and a Beer
After our rafting trip, we needed to relax with some food and a beer! Even though it was 9:30 p.m., it was still daylight and it felt like the middle of the afternoon! Finally there were restaurants we could choose from within walking distance of our lodge (and right next to the rafting office), but we decided upon Lynx Creek Pizza & Pub – right at our lodge!
We ordered up a pizza, a Husky IPA and a Midnight Sun (how appropriate). This was a great local bar with excellent food and atmosphere! After dinner (and the beers) it hit us that this has been a really long day! A short walk and we were snug as bugs in our very comfortable bed.
All Around the Lodge
Our next excursion didn’t leave until 2:30 the next afternoon, so we had plenty of time to sleep in a bit, grab a late breakfast and explore the grounds at our lodge. The expansive views of the Nenana River below were taken on the deck of the Grizzly Burger.
We flagged down a gentleman with a Princess logo on his shirt to ask if there was a view of Denali from anywhere on the grounds. Mt. McKinley Lodge made a big deal out its grand views from their deck, with photos of the entire mountain range placed just below the real thing (or where the real thing should have been). He said there were no such views from this lodge, unfortunately.
Denali Natural History Tour
It was a beautiful day to enjoy Denali National Park on our Denali Natural History Tour. Way before we left for this trip we had hoped to upgrade to the Tundra Wilderness Tour, but when the time came we didn’t. We heard chatter from folks who took the extended tour that they saw way more (big) animals than we did, so maybe that’s something we do next time we come!
Denali (the mountain) was still socked in pretty good and our opportunities to see it were slowly dwindling. We decided to stay focused on the things we did see starting with an Alaska Husky out for a walk with his trainer. It was cool to see a porcupine hanging out alongside the road, since I had never seen one “in real life”. Most people on the bus saw a bear back in the trees (except me), but I did see the seagull on a nest in a gravel bar.
OK, I know! You’re probably looking at that moose thinking that there is something wonky going on with his nose and eye. Truth be told, that was the best I could come up with from such a distance, between the trees, with lots of movement. It does look pretty goofy, but I did get a picture of a moose! Now you know one of the reasons why I work on this blog and not for National Geographic!
Historic Savage Cabin
“Originally constructed by the Alaska Road Commission in 1924-1925, the Savage cabin and interpretive trails are now used as part of living history presentations in the summer months. During the winter the cabin become strictly utilitarian by providing shelter for patrols [and their dogs].” ~ Click for more trails
Wow, the Views!
Although I was convinced that Denali was somewhere in the clouds in the shots below, I finally realized that I was looking in the wrong place the whole time. But it’s still a wonderful view!
Primrose Ridge
Good Wildlife Viewing, Wildflowers & Hiking (Mile 16). This informal hiking area begins at the Primrose rest area and heads up a gentle ridge until you reach the bench, which provides panoramic views of the park. Wildflowers are abundant in this area and usually peak between July and August. ~ Click for more trails
At Primrose Ridge we experienced a very memorable Alaskan Native presentation. I wish I could remember the name of our guest speaker because she did an excellent job talking about her life in Alaska and how her ancestors had been blessed with this land and its wildlife for nearly 10,000 years. Life was extremely hard, but rewarding and nothing was taken for granted or wasted – especially any part of an animal that would give its life for their survival.
Would You Look at That!
While our speaker was talking, we had our backs to the clouded-in Great One. As her talk continued she kept looking over to her right. Finally she stopped and told us that we had to take a look! I was still looking at the mountains to the left, but with the help of our speaker (and Jim), I finally started looking in the right place.
The clouds started moving off of the mountain and we had the clearest views of Denali in all of our days here! With quite a few opportunities to see it with no luck, on our very last day here in Denali National Park – it clears off! We are out in the great wide open in the bright sunshine – like it was meant to be! Not the greatest pictures, but we saw it (well, most of it) – and for that I will be forever grateful.
Here is a list of The 19 Best Places to View Denali in Alaska
Fanny Q’s for Dinner
After another fantastic day and still very excited about seeing Denali uncovered, we decided to stay at our Lodge for dinner at Fanny Q’s. This option had a little entertainment with a guy on the piano singing some Billy Joel and other baby-boomer hits. Dinner was great and the old fashioneds were better with an early to bed.
“Named for Fannie Quigley, a famous Alaskan prospector, trapper, and cook, Fannie Q’s Saloon features locally-inspired dishes in a modern saloon setting. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, Fannie Q’s Saloon offers indoor and outdoor seating and live entertainment. Menu offerings will include authentic, home-grown dishes, such as Bison Sliders, Braised Pork Shoulder and a dish Fannie Quigley was known for – Bear-Lard Pie.” ~ READ MORE
DogGoneIt Kennel Tour
Next day we had another early morning since our bags had to be out by 7 a.m. We headed to the lobby by 8 for today’s three-hour DogGoneIt Kennel Tour. Being a life-long dog lover, I could hardly wait for this excursion! And puppies? OMGosh they are the sweetest things!
Caitlin Santos was our driver today. On our way to her home and kennel in Cantwell, she gave us some background about her life in Alaska. Once we arrived, we met her Iditarod musher husband Mike Santos and their dogs! Click on Mike’s link to see how they ended up in Alaska from Massachusetts.
First off, we all got to hold puppies! But Caitlin was sure to take a count so none of them ended up in Wisconsin!
Alaskan Huskies, Not Siberian Huskies
As you can see, none of the huskies below look like the sled dogs from the Disney movies, with their distinctive blue eyes and black and white coats.
“The Alaskan husky is not an officially recognized breed by any kennel club, nor does it have a formal breed standard. Unlike breeds developed for the show ring, the Alaskan husky is instead a product of careful selection for desirable sled dog traits from various other breeds, such as aptitude for pulling, endurance, speed, intelligence, appetite, and tolerance of extreme weather.” ~ READ MORE
Enthusiastic Dogs!
During the summer, the dogs need to stay in shape and the younger dogs need to learn from their elders. Mike hooked up the team behind his ATV – (with the motor running) staying at about 9-10mph so the dogs can get the rhythm at the optimal speed. I couldn’t believe how excited the dogs were when they knew it was time to run! It was like they were saying, “Pick Me!! Pick Me!!”
I didn’t really know a lot about the Iditarod, so it was very interesting to me to know that the dogs love what they do, and are very well taken care of – especially during the race. The driver doesn’t sleep till his dogs have been fed, watered, and massaged – and they all sleep on beds of straw in the frigid winter air, which seems crazy to me, but that’s the life that they love!
During our tour we watched some great videos so we could experience the Iditarod and the excitement of the dogs, and the hard work that goes into each race. Some of the videos are on Mike’s website The Wolf’s Den Kennel. Here are a few photos from the videos.
All Aboard!
Since we finished up our excursion around 11 a.m., we had plenty of time to grab some lunch and relax before boarding the Alaska Railroad for Fairbanks. The end of the land portion of our cruise tour is near. Dammit.
Next up: Our Alaskan Farewell in Fairbanks
Happy trails,
Barb
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