Denali dreamin'

Three years ago on a long Fourth of July weekend, I was feeling patriotic and decided to head to Denali National Park. I am sure it was just luck, but driving through the Riley Creek Campground at 9 p.m. without camping reservations, we scored a prime camping spot. We didn't even have to pay. The campground host said the site had been reserved and paid for but the campers were a no-show. It was also 80 degrees.

The next morning, after the most restful and warmest camping experience ever in Alaska, I was ready for an adventure. Not the kind on a park bus, but exploring a region nearby I had never been to before. We headed south to Cantwell to drive the Denali Highway.

When the Denali Highway opened in 1957, it was the only road link to the National Park until 1972, when the Parks Highway was completed.

It extends 134 miles east to Paxson at Mile 185 Richardson Hwy.

From Cantwell the first three miles are paved and the rest is gravel until 21 miles before Paxson. That is 110 miles of sometimes slow-driving gravel.

Slow is the only way to drive the Denali Highway. This is true Alaska wilderness where you will see caribou, moose, black and grizzly bear, Dall sheep and wolves.

Birders can find more than 100 species including Smith's longspur, arctic warblers and trumpeter swans. The scenery is spectacular.

Dozens of roadside pull-outs and primitive campsites are along the way which allows you to stop frequently to take photos or stretch your legs on a short hike into the tundra on many of the unmarked trails. This is the type of drive in which you can't be in a hurry to get somewhere, and you must bring a pair of binoculars.

The gravel portion of the road took us almost five hours to drive.

Some drivers slow to a two-day pace.

The Denali Highway is open mid-May through Oct. 1 only.

Car and recreational vehicle rental agencies discourage or prohibit driving their vehicles on the unpaved portion. The sparse and slow traffic make it an ideal mountain biking trek. Bikers often ride the road in two days, camping halfway. Although the highway has the second highest pass in the state (elevation 4,086 feet), most of the terrain is flat or rolling hills.

You don't need to be an expert cyclist for this ride, and it sure beats the traffic of the Seward Highway along Turnagain Arm.

If you live in the Valley you could drive this circle route connecting to the Richardson and then Glenn highways in a days drive. But I would suggest taking two days and taking it at a slow pace which is the intention of this journey into our remote boundaries of our borough.