Bucket List Adventure to Denali, Alaska

 

When your dream comes TRUE..I saw ALL of DENALI, Alaska!

Read about my journey from Anchorage to Talkeetna here… and see below for my amazing bucket list adventure in Denali with four moose, Denali BackCountry Adventure Experience and my stay at Denali Cabins with Pursuit Alaska!

We woke up at Talkeetna Alaskan Lodge to an exceptional clear view of Denali! Only 20% of people see it without clouds! Driving from Talkeetna, we could see the peak the entire way! AMAZING! There are photos below, comparing our view from two different days when we saw all the peaks and when we saw none.

WHERE to STAY and EAT in DENALI?

I loved the 46 peaceful cozy cedar Denali Cabins –8 miles from the entrance of Denali National Park. We went for an incredible hike, we saw four moose and we loved the Denali BackCountry Adventure Experience by Pusuit! The Denali Cabins have two hot tubs, a sauna and two restaurants, Prey and Mount Hunter. We had very warm weather which was perfect for hiking and exploring.

WHAT TO DO in DENALI?

HIKE: Horseshoe Lake Trail: start at Mile 1 of the Denali Park Road, where the Alaska Railroad crosses the Park Road. We did the loop around the lake and a spur out to the beaver dam! This is a stunning scenic trail and we saw a giant swan on the lake. It was about 10 minutes by car from Denali Cabins to the trail head.

Hula-Hooping with EPIC VIEWS on the way to DENALI! and YES I hula-hoop everywhere!

We saw FOUR MOOSE! Remember for the safely of the WILD ANIMAL and yourself—DO NOT APPROACH. Stay in your car if you see them on the road– click for more tips from The National Park Service and Denali Park Service.

What is the Denali BackCountry Adventure Experience?

The Denali BackCountry Adventure Experience takes you on the #2 of the Top 10 drivers’ drives by National Geographic. We traveled by bus over 65 miles on the rugged gravel Denali Highway. It is an incredible scenic drive, and we saw two moose and a caribou. We had lunch at the historic Alpine Creek Lodge and I did all the activities: gold-panning, guided hike and sled dog kennel tour!

THE SCENIC BUS RIDE

THE SLED DOGS by the Rock On Racing family team: Matt, Casey, AddieAnn, Thale Randall & the Rock Stars (aka the dogs).

ALPINE CREEK LODGE: Hiking and Gold Panning

Why did the MOOSE cross the road?

Thank you so much to Pursuit Alaska and Pursuit Collection! I absolutely loved my adventures in Denali!

Leaving Denali, Alaska

Denali view Point Monday June 6, 2022
Denali View point–Weds June 8, 2022

Lisa Ellen Niver

Lisa Niver is an award-winning travel expert who has explored 102 countries on six continents. This University of Pennsylvania graduate sailed across the seas for seven years with Princess Cruises, Royal Caribbean, and Renaissance Cruises and spent three years backpacking across Asia. Discover her articles in publications from AARP: The Magazine and AAA Explorer to WIRED and Wharton Magazine, as well as her site WeSaidGoTravel. On her award nominated global podcast, Make Your Own Map, Niver has interviewed Deepak Chopra, Olympic medalists, and numerous bestselling authors, and as a journalist has been invited to both the Oscars and the United Nations. For her print and digital stories as well as her television segments, she has been awarded three Southern California Journalism Awards and two National Arts and Entertainment Journalism Awards and been a finalist twenty-two times. Named a #3 travel influencer for 2023, Niver talks travel on broadcast television at KTLA TV Los Angeles, her YouTube channel with over 2 million views, and in her memoir, Brave-ish, One Breakup, Six Continents and Feeling Fearless After Fifty.

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