May 26, 22022 – Denali Tundra Wilderness Tour, Denali National Park, Alaska
2022 Yukon & Double Denali Alaska land/cruise
The Tundra Wilderness Tour is an included excursion for everyone in our group. We are picked up from the main entrance to the resort this morning for our 3.5 hour road trip into Denali National Park. This was originally an all-day excursion, however we now turn around at mile 43 near where the road crosses the Toklat River. Access to facilities and services in Denali remain altered due to the Pretty Rocks Landslide and the associated closure of the Park Road at Mile 43. Nonetheless, we have a successful excursion, seeing a good selection of wildlife along the shortened route, and the scenery is spectacular. Due to cloudy weather, Denali the mountain escapes us today.
Our guide tells us the slide area is sinking several inches each day due to permafrost thawing, so the Parks Service cannot keep up with hauling in all that gravel daily to keep the road open. Building a new road using a different route is not an option, since it would take years to build and it is likely to suffer from the same sinking problem. This is being caused by climate warming – average temperatures in Denali have risen 7ºF since 1950, and are rapidly increasing over the last few years.
Wildlife sightings
- Savage River
- Spruce Grouse
- Ptarmigan
- Caribou
- Sanctuary River
- Caribou
- Teklanika River
- Grizzly bear
- Igloo Mountain
- Dall sheep
- Ground Squirrels
Resources
