Denali (by air) and Portage Valley

Marcy Speck
Aug 11
2 min read

Updated: Aug 19

On Monday (8/10) We did a tour by air out of Talkeetna to Denali. We flew with K2 Aviation and and thought they were great. We were so fortunate to have great clear weather both days we were in that area. We were told by our pilot and others that we were very fortunate as only about a third of folks that come to see Denali actually get to see it not shrouded in clouds.

Fun Facts: Mt Denali is the largest peak in North America at 20,310 ft. Denali is actually taller than Mount Everest, when measured from base to peak since it rises 18,000 feet out of the low plateau that it sits on.

It's very visible and dramatic from many miles away....

...and more dramatic up close.

(Click on the individual photos to see larger versions)

The Ruth Glacier that looks like a runway is ice that is 3,600 feet deep. In the last photo is the Sheldon Chalet which is the only private building in Denali National Park. You have to zoom way in to the dark rock area to see it. You can stay there for only $32,000 a night.

Dan and I were in awe the whole tour. Easily one of the coolest things we've ever done. we have lots more pictures and videos but our internet is a little spotty as we get further north so we'll have to share them in the future.

From Talkeetna we drove south through Anchorage and stopped for a couple of nights at Williwaw campground near Portage Lake. It was a very nice campground that we found looking on the map while driving through the area..

The campground is on the Trail of Blue Ice that connects multiple campgrounds and recreation areas. It's a cool multi-use trail with boardwalks and bridges through some very pretty areas.

The most interesting part of our bike ride came next. Dan was riding in front and came around a corner and a huge bull moose was on the trail in front of him eating foliage. Unknown to us, there was also a guy on a bike on the other side of the moose stopped and looking at him. The moose was startled and he charged towards the other guy. He jumped off his bike into the bushes. He was fine but a little shaken up.