Trip report: Sept 3rd to Sept 10th @ Denali

First I want to thanks everyone who helped me to plan my trip....

Minus all the travel time, I get to spend 5 days camping in Denali, I will try to write down all the things that I feel is either fun or important, please spare my broken english...

Camping:

We got a lucky break for a dry week, we had two days of sunny sky and three days of overcast. The temperature is not too cold even for a person like me who came from California. There is one night at Riley Creek that the temperature fell below 32 degree F, but it%26#39;s managable with a decent sleeping bag and sleeping pad. Shower at Riley Creek is expensive ($4 per shower), lucky that they doesn%26#39;t require quarters. All running water are freezing cold but they are clean enough that I just drank from the tap. Bathroom at Riley Creek and Wonder Lake are both super clean. If you get a chance to meet the camp host at Wonder Lake, Harry and Phyllis, they are really nice people to chat with.

The bus ride:

We took three round trips (1 to Toklet, 1 to Fish Creek, 1 to Wonder Lake). The bus ride was comfortable even for a 5 hr trip, the drivers were knowledgeable and helpful in finding wildlife except I notice the drivers on the camper bus (we had two different drivers and they acted similar) doesn%26#39;t talk much, it seems like they assume if you are camping, you know the area already. Be sure to take some clean wipe with you as none of the bathroom along the rest stop has running water to wash your hands. Oh, I prefer the left hand side of the bus which IMO has the better view.

Wildlife:

Almost all of the wildlife viewing for us is on the bus. We saw mostly moose and caribou before Santuary River, Dall%26#39;s sheeps mostly before Toklet river, and after Toklet it%26#39;s mostly bears and wolves. We have close encounter (like the animals are within 30 ft of the bus) with all the one that I mentioned except wolves which are far enough that my 10x zoom point and shoot barely see anything. Also, we saw beavers, arctic ground squirrels, red fox, and ptarmigan as well.

Mosquitoes:

We are way past the mosquitoes season, but at Wonder Lake (the actual lake, not the campsite) there are still billions of bugs around, lucky that most of them are not mosquitoes. We tried to hike around the lake and were chased back by bugs. By the time I got to camp, I have already ate 2 bugs and breathed 3 bugs into my nose. Head net is definitily a must if I ever go back to Wonder Lake again.

Hiking:

Denali is famous for the trailless hiking, and it%26#39;s not as bad as I originally thought. I was hiking along Toklet river toward Scott Peak on a day hike and I was able to log 19 miles on that day hiking on river bank (plenty of rocks) and moist tundra. River crossing is a bit tough if you don%26#39;t have a water proof hiking boot and trekking poles, with these two gears I was able to cross most of the Mckinley river but has to turn back cause other people in my group can%26#39;t follow up with me.

Trip report: Sept 3rd to Sept 10th @ Denali

701: Really enjoyed reading your trip report - glad it worked out for you . . .I am sure the Fall colors were amazing and yes, the bugs have persisted way late into the season this year . . . I had a mosquito bite me a week ago and I was stunned, as they are usually long gone by now. Sounds like you had a great experience! Thanks again for letting us know how it went. :)

Trip report: Sept 3rd to Sept 10th @ Denali

701, Your English is not broken and is better than mine as I catch myself all the time posting without proof reading.

I truly enjoyed your report. Thank you for posting. We%26#39;ll be returning to Denali next year about this time so I am glad you mentioned mosquitoes in Wonder Lake. We stopped at the lake in August but did not have any problems with any bugs. There were just few and not very aggressive. I recall clouds of mosquitoes in Wonder Lake in June.

I agree about views on the left side of the bus but we had lots of wildlife on the right side going into the park. I guess you never know.

I%26#39;m eagerly awaiting your report from other areas you visited in Alaska.

For the bugs problem, I think it%26#39;s managable at the camp site, but it get really bad once you try to walk along side the lake, I believe the berry brushes is what causing all the bugs around that area. May be because we are the only people hiking along side the lake, so we are the only target :)

It still seems lots of visitors in early Sept (we almost couldnt get on one of the return bus because it%26#39;s almost full), I can%26#39;t imagine how crowded it can get in summer season.

For the bugs problem, I think it%26#39;s managable at the camp site, but it get really bad once you try to walk along side the lake, I believe the berry brushes is what causing all the bugs around that area. May be because we are the only people hiking along side the lake, so we are the only target :)

It still seems lots of visitors in early Sept (we almost couldnt get on one of the return bus because it%26#39;s almost full), I can%26#39;t imagine how crowded it can get in summer season.

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