The Chilkoot Trail, which begins on tidewater in Alaska and climbs up over mountains in British Columbia, presents a unique backpacking opportunity, as this is a trail rich with history. It was the main trail used in the famous Klondike Gold Rush of the late 1800’s, one of the biggest rushes the world has ever seen. An international crowd of literally tens of thousands, fueled by dreams of riches, used the Chilkoot Trail to chase…
An Alaska train trip is a superb way of getting around the state, especially as a solo traveler trying to avoid a car rental. I in my ignorance didn't even know Alaska had passenger trains until I got an invitation to a remote lodge in Denali National Park. Then I had to go into research mode trying to figure out how to get from Fairbanks to the entrance of Denali National Park. From there I'd…
Plan to visit Camp Denali near the end of the only road in Denali National Park if you're looking for an uncommon wilderness experience that blends the magic of the park, with a stay in a wilderness camp unlike any other. While it's hard and time consuming to get to Camp Denali, it's well worth the effort. It is here that you can marvel at Denali itself while lying in bed; where you can taste…
Before my arrival in Denali National Park I had tried to fathom how on earth it was going to take seven hours to get to my lodging - Camp Denali, located at about the 90 mile marker on the Denali Park Road. It didn't take long once I was actually on the bus to put two and two together. The stunning 92 mile Denali Park Road is primarily a single lane dirt highway save for…
If you have a day in Whitehorse, one of the must do activities is a ride on the White Pass scenic Railway - also called the White Pass - Yukon Route Railroad (WP & YR), a narrow gauge railway that runs from Skagway, Alaska to Carcross, Yukon Territory. It's one of the most scenic train trips I've ever done. The White Pass scenic railway was built in 1898 in just 26 months during the Klondike…
I live just outside Denali National Park, in Alaska, and of all the many things I can say about such an incredible and complicated place, this is one: it's wolf country. I have seen many wolves in the wild since I moved to the area 8 years ago, including, most dramatically, a wolf pair splitting a caribou herd to pick off a calf and a wolf father feeding pups from a carcass with its mouth,…