Post-Cruise: Denali

After spending a night in Anchorage, we picked up a rental SUV and drove from Anchorage to Denali using The Milepost to watch for stops. We stopped at the park to visit the sled dogs, tour the visitor center and get our shuttle tickets. We continued up to Healy, where our hotel, the Denali Lakeview Inn, was located. We went back to the park that night and drove as far as you can take a car (mile 15). The next morning, we took an early morning shuttle at 6:45 am into the park. We got some Starbucks coffee for the drive and started watching for wildlife. Our shuttle turned around at Wonder Lake (mile 85). We saw lots of wildlife - moose, caribou, bears, even a lynx! We could see Mt. McKinley through the haze from wildfires in Alaska. We spent another night at the Denali Lakeview Inn before heading back to Anchorage.