Headed for Denali National PArk in Alaska in June. Help

[CajunCamper]

This June my my wife, my son and I will be flying to Anchorage for an event. after the event we will have about 4 days to camp in Denali National Park. Because we are flying obviously we will not be taking the pop up so we will be tent camping while in the park.

Has anyone ever camped in Denali National Park and can you give us a little heads up on your experiences there.

We are considering camping at Riley Creek Campground which is the largest campground there in the park. It's near the entrance to the park and even though it's not the most remote, I am told that in that campground your chances of a Grizzly Bear encounter in your campsite is less likely there than anywhere else. We are all a bit concerned with sleeping in a tent in Grizz country, my wife however is more than a bit concerned at this point.

We have camped in Yellowstone and never saw a bear our whole time in the park, but I understand Denali is a whole different world, that everyone sees Grizzlies there and some a lot closer than they expected or wanted.

Being from Louisiana, I have no problems camping, kayaking and fishing near and in alligator infested waters because I'm used to that, but Grizzly Bears I'm not used to.

That being said, the thought of traveling all that way to Alaska and not camping would be a wasted opportunity to me and my son and even to my wife. We will follow all the rules and recommendations of the park rangers and the experts to have a safe trip.

Also if you've been, tell me what is on your list of "must do and must see" there at Denali. Also a list of "Don't leave home without it" would be helpful as well. Also if you have a list of "don't waste your time on seeing or doing this" that would also be most appreciated.

Fortunately for us, we have a dear friend that lives near us that is from Alaska and her parents still live in Anchorage, so they are going to supply us with all of our camping gear when we get there so we don't have to fly it up there with us.

If you have photos you can share, that would be great, if you have stories you would like to share, that would be awesome. If you've never been, but have found some helpful websites or articles about camping in Denali, I'd love to hear about that as well.

We may never get another opportunity to visit Alaska so we want to be well prepared to take advantage of this trip and focus on the things we really want to see and not waste time visiting and doing things that could be passed on.

Thanks for any help you can provide, I will be happy to return the favor if I can on places you need info on.

CajunCamper

[flyfisherman]

You'll not have any problems recognizing the Alaskan brown bear ...




My stay was down around Juneau where we stayed (in a cabin) and fished on Douglas Island and then went over to Admiralty Island and did same. Admiralty is supposed to have the highest concentration of browns anywhere on the North American continent (and I believe them!) ~

From what I learned about bears from the locals during my two week stay in Alaska is first off the proverbial warning of how over protective a mama bear can become over her cubs ... that's pretty well known. Then about food stuffs and garbage around campsites, hanging foods high, usually from a rope strung between two trees and away from the site; and burning the garbage from a second fire away from the campsite, not the main fire place close to camp.
Then from there: (1) bears, especially brown/grizz, don't like surprises so make lots of noise when on a trail. (2) bears, again browns, do not like you fishing in their favorite spots! This where they are known to do their false charges, to get you out of there. But my question is ... how do you know a false charge? Here they tell me black bear are more dangerous as the blacks do not make false charges ... they are really coming after ya! (3) Never, with any bear, ever run, rather back off, retreat slowly but surely. They said with a suspicious looking black to raise your arms and yell, throw sticks and rocks. However, not to do that with the brown/grizz as he'll take that personally ... then it won't be a false charge!

But let me say this, I was surprised at the number of crusty old fly fisherman, sort of the ole die hards of the sport, who were camping.



Fly

[flyfisherman]

Please let me add ...

The place is of unspeakable beauty. I took this shot from Stephens Passage of a glacier while we were fishing for salmon.





And this river, so full of salmon that it looked like you could walk across to the other side on top of the fish ~

[wavery]

I have traveled to 57 countries and hiked and camped on every continent except South America (although I sailed up the entire NE Coast of Brazil). The most majestic site that I have ever seen was standing at the foot of Mount McKinley (at sea level) and looking 20,000' to the top of that amazing mountain. There are no pictures that can even begin to portray what you will experience.

I don't believe that there is another spot on earth that you can see this high a mountain in it's full glory. Mount Everest is not nearly as dramatic because you can't even see the summit until you are at nearly 10,000". Most people, like myself, have only viewed it from an airplane where it just looks like any other mountain. You will actually be able to see Mount McKinley from Anchorage, 200 miles away.

I'm looking forward to hearing your feelings when you first stand there and stair at the majesty of that amazing mountain. I would encourage you to keep a journal of your thoughts.

We rented a class-C motorhome from a private party (pretty cheaply) and had an amazing time. We did see a few Grizzly Bears, however, far in the distance.

When Carolyn and I retire in 2013, we plan on towing our PU to Alaska. She has never been there and I can't wait to take here there.

Be sure to bring mosquito netting and repellent. Also a pair of 10x binoculars. Everything in Alaska is SOOOOO big that it's hard to fully realize what you are looking at without a decent pair of medium power binoculars.

[motoboss2002]

This will be an awsome trip for sure. I camped in Denali in July, about 10 years ago. (me, mom, dad, 12 year old niece). My approach was a little different. From our home base San Francisco, we flew into Anchorage and rented a C class RV and started driving N. If I remember correctly we were at the Teklanika (spelling?) campground. I think that is a little further along the gravel road than where you guys will be.  
You will get the usual 'be bear aware' little lecture and leaflet with tips. It really boils down to common sense (less of a concern in an RV though).  I do not recall bears being a problem, but park rangers do patrol the campgrounds and warn campers if needed. (FYI, I have camped with the PUP in Yosemite many times, and on two occasions our campground did get bear visits. On one occasion a neighbor's gazebo got trashed because they left a cooler out. Trust me, there is a reason for bear boxes. It should not frighten you too much. My wife and I tent camped in bear country all over N California and S Oregon and we are still alive.)

One thing to remember, even in July Denali gets chilly at night. So be prepared. Also be prepared for unexpected rain showers, bring good quality insect repellant and don't forget a good pair of binoculars.
Not sure if this is still the case, but back then, once you were at your campground, you were not allowed to move your vehicle. Park service runs busses all the way to Wonder lake (long pants and sleeves, and even mosquito face netting are a must there that time of the year -those critters are really big and potent). So you can either walk and wander or ride he bus. It may sound that riding a bus for 2 hours is boring, but it is actually a nice little adventure. Everyone is on the lookout for wildlife and the drivers are quite knowledgeable.

Time permitting, I suggest that you also spend some time S of Anchorage, along the Kenai peninsula, explore and hop on a 1 day cruise.

Alaska is truly the last frontier. Don't rush, take it all in and stand in awe of God's gift to us.

-Christian.

[BirdMan]

Don't store you bacon in your pillow case.  If you are worried about bears, throw a slab of bacon under another tent on the other side of the camping area.

Knowing and distinguishing between all the seasons might help you to pack . . .Winter, Still Winter, Almost Winter, and Construction.

Keep in mind that the trunk of your car doubles as a deep freeze most of the year.

You will know when you meet a native when they find -60c a might chilly.

You know you are in Alaska when you have to put your sun visor down at 3:00 a.m.  THIS IS NO JOKE!!!! IF YOU CAN'T SLEEP IN DAYLIGHT BRING EYE PILLOWS/BLINDS.  While staying & fishing in Homer, AK in June one year I was on the beach at midnight reading my fishing guide.

When camping you just may find the seat in your outhouse is lined with Styrofoam so your butt won't freeze to it when you have to sit down for an amount of time.

Lastly, in Fairbanks it is considered an offense to feed alcoholic beverages to a moose.  

Sounds like a great trip and how nice of your friends parents to loan you all the camping equipment.

[austinado16]

I grew up in Anchorage (age 1-11) and then returned in the summers.  But never made it to Denali.  Even drove up with a GF in the summer of '87, and still didn't make the time to see the mountain.

I wish you guys also had some time to spend in the Valdez, Seward, Homer area.  There's some great ocean fishing there, and you'd probably enjoy reeling in 5' long halibut or 20lb salmon.

The mosquito advice is sage......they are ravenous.  Literally, like piranha's.  You might consider that "buzz-off" line of clothing and hats (//www.sierratradingpost.com) and yeah, face netting just incase it's really bad.

It rains alot in AK in the summer....depending on the kind of summer they're having so consider that.  And when it rains, it'll rain every day, all day, for a week or more.  That far north and inland, they can also have days in the 70's and 80's...which up there is hot.

The daylight "thing" is just crazy.  When my GF and I drove up, once we hit British Columbia, we drove straight through.  Drove the entire night without headlights.

I wouldn't worry too much about the Grizzlies.  If it were that unsafe, they wouldn't allow camping.  Just stick to the normal precautions about food and anything with a smell or taste.  Consider wearing a bear bell if you guys go out hiking.

Just prepare for really bad weather, cold and an onslaught of mosquitos, and if you fare better than that, you'll be happy.

And any chance you get for real home made smoke salmon or squaw candy.....take it!!!  You'll find no better in the world!!

[BirdMan]

Here are a couple pictures I found that I took on a trip to Alaska in 2003.  In the second picture I was fishing and the captain of our boat said he had not seen a more sunny day so far that year.  As someone mentioned, pictures don't even come close to describe the beauty and vastness of Alaska.  Glaciers everywhere, mountains that start at sea level and go up to +10,000' everywhere you look.  Everything is big up there; the mountains, the fish, the rivers, the glaciers, the moose, the weather, the sky, the clouds, the trees, ...  Before I went on this trip I invested in a really good heavy-duty rain coat with a hood and liner.  There are many quality mfg's but I purchased a Northface raincoat/wind-breaker with are removable liner.  I have used this coat on two different trips to Alaska and am pretty sure I used it everyday, if not for rain then for the ever changing temperature conditions.