We wrapped up the trip with a day at Denali National Park and Reserve. The word “Denali” means “the high one” in the native Athabaskan language and refers to Mount McKinley.
Denali is different from other parks in that it is only accessible by bus. There is one road that this bus follows, and one can get dropped off anywhere along that road.
Unlike the other days, it was rainy, cloudy, and cold…
^can you spot the wildlife???
Caribou
Dall Sheep
We got off at Toklat, and hiked along the Toklat River…
Toklat River Valley with Divide Mountain on the left. On the way back, the rain stopped and it started to clear up.
The next day, smoke and haze from the Funny River fire arrived…
ANC was especially hazy, but it also had some pretty slick planespotting opportunities as it is a major air cargo hub.
If you notice, the Alaska Airlines jet doesn’t have windows in the front of the emergency exit. This is a B737-400C, and is used for used for salmon shipments (and other stuff).
^relevant airlines…
A Cathay Pacific Cargo B747-8F sitting next to the EVA B747-400F
A Conoco-Philips B737-76N(WL). Ewww…
It was a hazy flight back to SEA.