Chance of Denali Park road closure for 2020 season

[Gardyloo]

Evidently erosion and sloughing of a section of the main Denali Park road has now reached the point where the road may be closed for all or part of the 2020 season. The area in question, around Mile 43 of the road, would hamper or eliminate access to the Eielson Visitor Center as well as the Kantishna and Wonder Lake areas, all of which are key visitor destinations within the park. https://www.ktuu.com/content/news/The-Denali…

 

Apparently the NPS people will be doing more assessments this month and next, but for the time being it might behoove 2020 summer visitors to have a "Plan B" in your pocket if you're planning to visit Denali.

[Glaciers]

If the road does close at that point I wonder where the turn around point would be. Possibly the East Fork of the Toklat by the artists cabin? Not many areas to turn around.

[Northern Aurora]

Last month both the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner and the Anchorage Daily News published articles about the situation.  The problem area is called "Pretty Rocks" and the road is sloughing down a hillside.   The park geologist Denny Capps was interviewed.  Apparently prior to running the shuttle buses he and an engineer drive the road early each morning to evaluate the situation.  In the newspaper articles Capps discussed the possible remedies, and none are cheap.

 

[Jimbo]

That sure sounds like an issue for alot of us visiting this summer.

[strickerj]

I'll definitely be following...I knew I'd be going too early for everything to be open (June 1 through 5) but I was at least hoping to get to Eielson Visitor Center on a clear day to see Denali.

[Gadget 1004]

Thank you for the information.  Four of us have purchased Kantishna Wilderness Trail bus ticket for June 7, 2020 for the 92 mile trip to the lodge.  I hope we can make the trip or our money will be refunded.  

[mapleleaves]

This topic has been on tripadvisor since before xmas.  About 7 pages of responses, including maps and detailed info about the problem.  

The road has been slipping for yrs, but there was substantial damage this past Sept.  Until Spring 2020 road clearing starts they won't be able to see if there's been even more damage over the winter.  So we probably won't get any further word until late March/April when they've looked at the road and determined how much work is needed to make it safe.

 ( BTW, half of Riley Campground is closed this summer )

 

https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic-g143022-i1271-k13096505-Denali_NP_road_issues-Denali_National_Park_and_Preserve_Alaska.html

[strickerj]

I just came across this more detailed description of the issue on NPS's website: https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/nature/pretty-rocks.htm. It shows the alternatives to the current routing along with the next steps for right now.

[puppymama1]

We have our Tundra Wilderness Tour booked for June 8... I am hoping the road will be fixed in time.... I have wanted to go to Denali for a long time... 😢

[Gardyloo]

2 hours ago, puppymama1 said:

We have our Tundra Wilderness Tour booked for June 8... I am hoping the road will be fixed in time.... I have wanted to go to Denali for a long time... 😢

Best to have a Plan B in mind.  Flightseeing?

[Live in the moment]

On 1/20/2020 at 3:43 PM, strickerj said:

I just came across this more detailed description of the issue on NPS's website: https://www.nps.gov/dena/learn/nature/pretty-rocks.htm. It shows the alternatives to the current routing along with the next steps for right now.

So you'd be able to do some kind of tour in Denali still? Just not as far in?

 

[mapleleaves]

3 minutes ago, Live in the moment said:

So you'd be able to do some kind of tour in Denali still? Just not as far in?

 

 

They haven't even started clearing the park road yet, so no one knows if the situation got worse over the winter or is the same.   We all have to wait for the updates. Watch the Denali web site.  

Many people think that unless there was drastic damage done in the past several months, all the bus routes will be run, HOWEVER the start date may be delayed for necessary repairs to stabilize the road.  I think the first buses are scheduled to start May 20 .... that date may get pushed back.

The Natural History Tour only goes to Mile 30 which is before the slide area, so I can't imagine why that wouldn't run, but we'll just have to stay tuned to the Denali web site and see what develops.

[Live in the moment]

Thank you, mapleleaves!

 

I'm with a group on a land package after our cruise - we'll be in Denali June 7-8 - so keeping fingers crossed!

[Gadget 1004]

My DW and I a long with another couple will be in Denali on June 6-7 and we are doing the Kantishna Wilderness Trails Tour that goes to Kantishna Lodge in the far back of Denali.  It's 100 miles in and out.  I called KWT tonight and asked about the road conditions.  The person I spoke with stated it's still winter in the park and they have not information on the road conditions.  He stated just before the park opens the NPS will determine what the road conditions are and then make a decision.  He stated the road conditions would be posted on their website.  denaliwildlifetour.com

[TSUmom]

On 1/23/2020 at 8:53 AM, puppymama1 said:

We have our Tundra Wilderness Tour booked for June 8... I am hoping the road will be fixed in time.... I have wanted to go to Denali for a long time... 😢

We too have the Tundra Wilderness tour for our August cruise...this has been a dream trip for my DH and although he will be a bit disappointed if we don't get to tour the park I know he will be happy to finally see Alaska.  

[puppymama1]

58 minutes ago, TSUmom said:

We too have the Tundra Wilderness tour for our August cruise...this has been a dream trip for my DH and although he will be a bit disappointed if we don't get to tour the park I know he will be happy to finally see Alaska.  

That is what I keep telling myself too... there is nothing I can do to change it, so however far we can go, hopefully we will see some wildlife!

[Gardyloo]

Hopefully the road issues will be resolved to everyone's satisfaction, but I thought I'd follow up on my "Plan B" comment with some ideas of how people might compensate if the Denali experience isn't possible - for example if the road is only open to Mile 43, making access to the interior of the park impossible.  So here are some ideas to research, just in case...

 

1.  Alternate road trips.  Of course there are many, but here are a couple of trips that could be used for two- or three-day (or more) "substitutes" for Denali. 

 

a.  Glenn and Richardson Highways.  Map - https://goo.gl/maps/h3Kucuw3NteDCbiY8 This would take you north and east of Anchorage, with (possible) stops at Independence Mine and Hatcher Pass, the Matanuska Glacier, then up to the junction with the Richardson Highway at Glennallen, then south along the Richardson to Valdez.  You could take the scenic side road to Chitina, from which there are day-trip excursions to McCarthy and Kennecott Mine, or just continue to the jaw-dropping scenery around Thompson Pass and Worthington Glacier.  At Valdez there are glacier and whale watching tours, kayaking, or numerous other activities on spectacular Prince William Sound.

 

On the way back you could drive up the Knik Valley (often lots of wildlife visible) to the Knik River Lodge, from which there are excursions to Knik Glacier, then stop at Eklutna village with its fascinating cemetery (with colorful "spirit houses" built over the graves) and the old Russian church.

 

Thompson Pass/Worthington Glacier

 

 

Eklutna cemetery

 

 

b.  Kenai Peninsula.  Map - https://goo.gl/maps/5eJgq7DXUDEGvhwk7

 

Most cruisers will (or will have) experienced either Seward or Whittier as part of their cruise  plans, but the Kenai Peninsula (or just "the Kenai") is much more.  In addition to the well-known side trips to Girdwood/Alyeska and glacier cruises out of Whittier, there's a lot to see on the peninsula.  You can visit the old gold mining village of Hope, see the old Russian churches in the town of Kenai or the village of Ninilchik farther down the peninsula.  Homer is well known, set on gorgeous Kachemak Bay, but few visitors bother to take the ferry across the bay to the picturesque village of Seldovia, or the hamlet of Halibut Cove.  Up and down the peninsula there are numerous place to fish for salmon, trout or halibut, there's wildlife galore, and of course Seward is a jumping-off point for activities ranging from tours of Kenai Fjords National Park to glacier hikes, fabulous fishing for halibut or silver salmon... 

 

Halibut Cove

 

 

Russian church, Ninilchik

 

 

2.  Fly somewhere.  For around $300 - $350 you can fly round trip (Alaska Airlines jets) from Anchorage to several communities in the bush.  This can often be cheaper than many cruise excursions offering a fraction of the interest.  If you stay overnight, hotel costs are comparable, or even less, than hotels in towns like Anchorage or Fairbanks, and of course an overnight in the bush community is one you won't have to pay for in some other location, i.e. a wash.  I'll mention three possible destinations.

 

a.  Kodiak.  Kodiak is another old town from the Russian era.  It's a major fishing port and offers easy access to bear viewing, fantastic fishing, or just hang out and get the feel of a working Alaska fishing port.  It's surprisingly sophisticated and offers tons of activities ranging from easy to strenuous.

 

 

b.  Kotzebue.  Kotzebue is an Inupiat Eskimo village located on an arm of the Arctic Ocean in northwestern Alaska.  It's above the arctic circle, and while 24 hour sun is present for much of June into mid-July, "midnight sun" and all-night daylight is the case pretty much throughout the summer.  There's a comfortable hotel - http://www.nullagvikhotel.com/ - right across the street from the oceanfront, you can learn a lot about this remarkable part of the world and the remarkable people who call it home, and see a face of Alaska hidden from the vast majority of visitors.

 

 

c.  Nome.  Nome is an historic gold rush town located on the south coast of the Seward Peninsula, facing the Bering Sea.  Gold mining is still big business in Nome, both on shore and also offshore on the bottom of the Bering Sea (see the "Bering Sea Gold" TV show) but what sets Nome apart from other bush communities is that it possesses a sizeable road network that radiates from the town out into the Seward Peninsula bush.  In addition to spectacular scenery and sights like the "last train to nowhere" - a wrecked train that's been sitting in the tundra for a century - there's a huge amount of wildlife easily spotted from the roads.  There are muskoxen, moose, reindeer and caribou, bears, foxes, umpteen bird species (including many migratory species not seen elsewhere in North America) beavers etc.  In town are comfortable hotels, fun bars and cafes.  If you want a feel for an Alaska that really feels like things did "in the day," there's no place like Nome.  (I know, ick.)

 

 

 

Anyway, just some thoughts about ways you could, in a pinch, make up for any barriers to seeing Denali the way you'd like to.  Of course, there's nothing stopping you from doing any of these activities IN ADDITION to spending time in Denali.

Edited February 11, 2020 by Gardyloo

[gigito2]

Great ideas!  Thank you for this, Gardyloo