Trip to Alaska – Part 3 of 3

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 Denali National Park

After a great week spent in Anchorage, we travelled to Denali by coach, a 230 miles journey. Along the highway we could see the changes in the nature around us. The arrival to the park was grandiose. You do not realize how large it is until you see it. Denali mountain is the highest in North America, reaching 20.000 feet and the park has 5 million acres. No car is allowed, and you travel by park buses. We used them and were delighted that rangers boarded the bus with us and gave interesting explanations about the different facts of the park.


Animals are roaming free in Denali. We were lucky to observe a Mama grizzly bear followed by her two cubs keeping close to her. A handsome elk looked at us, proud of his stature. Many other small creatures were running around, squirrels, marmots, foxes…

However, we were not able to see Denali Mountain top, hidden from us by fog and clouds…

As a group, we were taken for small hikes with a ranger to discover small paths and observe nature. You can find beautiful little flowers, hidden among lichen and moss… but you must bend over to see the details of their beauty.




We slept in comfortable cabins, each having two bedrooms and a bath… what better do you want?

In Denali, we were brought to a wonderful show with the Alaskan Huskies dogs, pulling a sled along a round track. Many tourists attended this event. Each of the rangers took a dog out of his doghouse, brought him to the line and attached him at his designed place. The leader’s dogs were chosen for their performance and placed at the front of the line. Each dog lives in his own doghouse and chained to it. The food is brought to him. He never goes inside of a house, much too warm for his body. They are totally used to the cold weather.

The dogs like exercise and pulling a sled is a treat for them. They all were barking very loud and jumping up and down, showing their excitement for the coming ride. They obey their trainers and are very gentle with them. They know most of them since they were puppies.

I did not go to Fairbanks with the University of Alaska Fairbanks and a welcoming community. It offers all kinds of winter sports and recreation. You also can observe the aurora borealis, attracting tourists as well as locals. Some Japanese come for their honeymoon to enjoy these awesome northern lights.

To return to Anchorage, I took the Alaska railroad (finished in 1922) and found “the opportunity of a lifetime”: a seat at the observation deck with unlimited view of my surroundings. For a strange reason, nobody thought of climbing the few stairs…

It had been a marvelous trip, encountering faraway places, which belong to the United States. Only strong individuals can cope with the rough climate of Alaska, but fortunately progress brings opportunities for a life a little easier to these citizens of the North.

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