Denali in fall still has a lot to offer

Summer’s end is nearing, but this is actually one of the best times to visit Denali National Park. The weather is cool, animals are active and the hillsides are ablaze in red as tundra plants turn color.

Tourists are departing, too. The park’s shuttle buses aren’t as full.

Labor Day marks the traditional end of the “season” in Denali but hotels, restaurants and other visitor facilities will remain open for a period. The park itself is open year-around but the park road closes to visitors’ vehicles when winter, and snow set in.

It’s been a good season for Denali even with the park’s east-west road cut by a landslide near Polychrome Pass, at about the halfway mark on the 99-mile road.

As in any year the park road is open to private vehicles as far as Savage River, about 20 miles. Beyond this only park buses are allowed to carry visitors although people with permits to camp at the xxx campground further in are allowed to drive in and out.

In planning our late-season trip we were concerned about the road closure, and fearful that the blockage near the halfway point would crowd visitors into the east end of the road, the part open to vehicles. We found this not to be the case.

The popular hiking trails before Savage River that are accessible and well-maintained and as pleasant as ever. Even driving the east end of the road from the park entrance to the river offers splendid panoramas of mountains and broad valleys, now all painted in red now. The color is the most intense we’ve seen. The park has had a lot of rain this summer and temperatures have been cooler, which may explain this.

Also on the road the north side of Denali can be seen just before Savage River. That is when the weather cooperates, which it often does. When it does Denali’s sharp, snow-covered peak looms behind a row of lower mountains. You can’t miss it.

Denali’s south side is better known and can be seen from the Parks Highway from Willow north in clear weather, but the north side presents a different perspective including both the north and south peaks (the south peak is higher).

We like all of the trails before Savage River and the National Park Service has made great efforts to maintain them in an easily walkable condition. Most trail gradiants are gentle, although there are a few steep but not very difficult areas along the Savage River Overlook, particularly on the west end facing Savage River itself.

We prefer to climb this from the east end, and in fact go only to the ridge that is the high point, and which offers breaktaking views including Denali, weather cooperating. The trail from the east winds up gentle slopes through birch and spruce with points at almost every turn of the trail where the view gets better.

A must-do on our list, particularly for those who want a simple amble across level ground, is a one-mile trail right along Savage River itself. We’re above here timber line here and jagged, giant rock formations above the river seem like stone dragons ready to awaken. The river walk goes to a wooden bridge, newly rebuilt this year. The walk back on the other side of the river is another mile. It goes to the park road bridge across river, with the public parking lot on the other side.

This is where the park ranger station is located where vehicle passes are checked for those driving onward, along with the park buses. The rangers are friendly and can answer questions about the park.

The only challenge with the river trail is that the parking lot in small, by design, and frequently full. Limiting parking limits the number of people on the trail. While it seems a nuisance to have to wait until someone leaves to get a space, the wait is worth it and this is the park service’s way to ensure the trail isn’t overcrowded, which can spoil the experience.

Another favorite, also on the east end, is the Rock Creek trail that starts literally at the park visitor center parking lot and climbs gradually through birch and spruce groves. The trail is about two miles from its start to where it loops back down to the park road and joins another trail for the walk back, appropriated named Roadside Trail.

This is another two-mile walk back to the visitor center parking as, as it name implies, parallel to the road. Walking is easy along level terrain.

One more challenging trail on the east end is Healy Overlook, which climbs gradually through the forest but does get a bit steeper near the top, where there is a stunning view of the Nenana River valley and the small comAmunity of Healy. Like all the park trails on the east side Healy Overlook is well-maintained, and the park served has even installed stone steps in steep areas.

For short, simple walks, there are also walks through the woods near and around the visitor center. These are idea for those with physical impairments who still want to experience the serenity of nature.

Then, there’s the end of the day. You know it’s been a good tourist summer in Denali when the 49th State brewery in Healy, a popular local watering hole, is packed and it’s 9 pm on a weekday. When we there shuttle buses were ferrying people from the line of hotels in nearby “Glitter Gulch,” for people who want a change from hotel fare.

Affordable lodging can be a challenge around Denali during the summer season. Hotel and even cabin prices aren’t cheap, but it’s somewhat understandable given that these people have to make a whole year of revenue in four months.

But one affordable, clean and comfortable hotel we found is the Totem Inn in Healy, which is right on th Parks HIghway and near the 49th State Brewery, but with prices in sharp contrast to “glitter gulch” near the park entrance. This lodge has a restaurant, too, which serves good, simple fare. It’s open year-around too, catering to residents of Healy, many who work at the nearby Usibelli Mine..