Hop on the green bus
Written: Sep 04 '01
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Pros: One of the most well-managed, pristine national parks in the entire system
Cons: need to do your research in advance to get the most out of it
The Bottom Line: This is wild American country at its very best. An unforgettable experience.
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| sgersh's Full Review: Denali National Park and Preserve |
Good morning. My name is Steve and I'll be your bus drive and tour narrator today as we travel the only road into Denali National Park. Incidentally, it's the only road out of the park as well. No, please hold all laughter until the end of the tour.
Now I know many of you are relieved to not be behind the driver's wheel, seeing as most of you drove either 250 miles north from Anchorage, or 120 miles south from Fairbanks, but listen up for a few minutes while I discuss a few rules.
A few rules
First of all, the animals here are wild. This is not a zoo and this is not an animal preserve. Denali National Park is these animals' home and they get first priority here because they live here. Besides, anyone here want to get out and fight with a grizzly bear over who owns this road? You in the back? Fine, I'll pull over when we see one.
Also, note that there are no maintained trails in the entire park. If you want to hike out into the wilderness, I suggest you take a sturdy pair of shoes, a compass, a map and plenty of mosquito repellant. Oh, you didn't know the mosquito was Alaska's state bird?
No, please, hold all chuckles to the end of the tour.
If you want to get out and wander, I'll stop the busy anywhere along the road. You can flag down any returning green bus and if they have room, they'll give you a ride back. If they don't, well there's always the roof.
Hey, I'm a bus driver, not a comedian. Please no groaning until you see the twisty, narrow mountain roads we'll be driving along.
The trip
Now, the 85 mile trip out to Wonder Lake, my favorite park destination, by the way, will take about 11 hours round trip. There will be three comfort breaks, where we'll stop at some roadside pullouts with some developed outhouses, and one break for lunch at the Eielson Visitor Center, where, if luck will have it, you'll get to glimpse the summit of the park's namesake, Mt. McKinley, known as Denali to most Alaskans.
Along the road, we'll likely see bears, both grizzly and black, moose, caribou, dall sheep in the mountains, fox, and, if we're lucky, wolves.
For you bird lovers, most North American migratory waterfowl stop or nest here, so you'll see thousands of different species of all kinds of bird. Of course those birds gotta eat. That's where you enter the food chain.
These birds come here for the mosquitos, big, fat, aggressive ones. Those mosquitos like the protein in your blood. So if you would please make a donation to the ecosystem before you leave, we'd appreciate it.
Of course, you're here during the summer months, where we have almost continuous daylight. The mosquitos are really only a problem two months out of the year. Bet you're glad you came here during June and July, aren't you?
A few final words before we depart
Now, there won't be many other vehicles out on the road with us today. Other green buses, a few tan ones for the overnighters, a couple of private coaches going out to the hotels at the end of the road, and a few private vehicles, owned by people who held personal land here back when they added a few million more acres to the park.
I'll pull the bus over so we can get a look at the meandering rivers, glaciers pouring off the sides of granite mountains, the polychrome formations of volcanic rock across the valley, and whenever I catch sight of a critter. You see, I've been specially trained to simultaneously navigate these one-and-a-half lane roads, narrate non-stop stories about the history, ecology, politics, and natural beauty of the park, all the while looking out for animals off in the distance, so I can block the road with the bus to give you a great vantage point.
Is everyone ready to go? Good! Bet you're glad you made those reservations six to eight months in advance!
Please keep your hands and feet inside the bus at all times. And no throwing spitwads at the driver.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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Epinions.com ID:
sgersh
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Location: Bay Area, California
Reviews written: 120
Trusted by: 66 members
About Me:
Up until now, I did stuff, some of which I talk about on here.
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