Anchorage to Cantwell Along the Parks Highway

Outside Cantwell, Alaska: our first time staying in a yurt.

One thing that I was (somehow) surprised by is that the drive to Denali is in itself nearly as magical as the park itself, and also that to simply rush from Anchorage to Denali National Park would be to miss some great opportunities. We especially loved our stops in Palmer and Hatcher Pass, as well as our night in the Nancy Lake Recreation Area.

Palmer Reindeer Farm

This was such a highlight for us. It was so much fun to feed the reindeer, we learned a lot (reindeer and caribou are the same animal with domesticity as the difference), it was cheap, and the photos and videos yielded gems that we returned to for a laugh throughout the trip.

Hatcher Pass

Beautiful, easily accessible, we loved not only our stop here (worth it for the shots of these adorable red cabins alone), but the drive from Hatcher Pass to Denali on Willow Fishhook Road. We had labored over the decision whether to take this winding road rather than the longer paved route along the highway, and were glad with our choice. The road followed the glimmering creek through a valley, and the Hatcher Pass crowd had thinned enough to pull over frequently to take photos.

Talkeetna

For us, Talkeetna was just okay. It’s an undeniably cute city (I spent a good ten minutes taking pictures of the practically-out-of-a-movie-set general store). It’s small and compact, and walking around the souvenir shops on a sunny day was perfectly lovely. We had a nice lunch at Wildflower Cafe. But it’s crowded with tourists, and unless you’re taking one of the flightseeing trips that leave from here, I would skip it.

From here to Denali National Park, make sure to stop along Parks Road at Mile 13 to get your first view of Mt. Denali. We were so glad we did- it was the clearest, best view we had of the mountain in our three days in the park

Nancy Lake Recreation Area

A highlight of our trip is that we were able to visit Drew’s friend Eric, who's been living in Anchorage for years, working for a nonprofit with his wife and raising their son, Sawyer, to be a lover of the outdoors, just as they are. We loved that while getting a tour of their home, there was an entire bedroom full of gear: clothes, sleeping bags, guide books, like a compact, colorful REI, just waiting for the next adventure. We had such a great time staying with them in one of these public use cabins, which are affordable and can be rented online. Large, clean, and with amazing views, we understood why it was necessary to reserve a weekend here months in advance

Cantwell

We spent a night in a yurt in Cantwell that was located on a beautiful property and offered a gorgeous sunset view of Mt. Denali. It was such a pretty night that we jumped in the car in our pajamas just to drive around enjoying the plentiful photo opportunities in the area.