Page 171 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide 2017 - Alaska

DENALI NA TIONAL P ARK  169

might spot a lone wolf on the
road in the sum mer. Shortly after
the road’s highest point at the
3,980-ft (1,213-m) Highway
Pass, visi tors get their first good
view of Denali at the Stony Hill
Overlook. The road continues
west to the Eielson Visitor
Center. West of here, the road
passes the foot of Muldrow
Glacier and follows the wildly
braided McKinley River to
Wonder Lake. The one-way trip
from Park Headquarters to the
lake takes about six hours.
In an effort to control traffic
pollution, only park shuttle The original log-built 1919 Kantishna Roadhouse
buses are allowed on the Park
Road beyond Savage River. region around the lake, char ac- one of many Alaskan settlements
The only exceptions are RV terized by expanses of tundra that started as mining camps.
drivers who have a minimum and blue berry bushes, is favored In 1905, the initial rush brought
three-night stay booked at grizzly habitat, and campers at in at least 2,000 stampeders,
the Teklanika campground. the Wonder Lake Campground who arrived to profit from the
frequently see bears and caribou. area’s deposits of gold, silver,
} Wonder Lake In nearby ponds, beavers can lead, zinc, and antimony. After
Mile 85, Denali National Park Road. @ often be seen cutting willows, ANILCA was passed in 1980 (see
from Wilderness Access Center.  and moose can be spotted p61), Denali National Park was
The aptly named Wonder Lake, dredg ing for pond weed. For expanded and Kantishna found
at an altitude of just 2,090 ft most visitors, the lake is the end itself sur rounded by the park. In
(627 m), enjoys an unobstructed of the usual route through the 1985, all mining, including that
view of Denali, which rises a park, although the road and on private claims, was banned.
dramatic 18,230 ft (5,569 m) shuttle bus services continue Today, Kantishna is little more
above the level of the lake. on to Kantishna. than an airstrip and a collection
By compari son, the 29,035-ft- of lodges. The 1906 recorder’s
(8,710-m-) high Mount Everest Kantishna and assayer’s office and the
rises only about 10,000 ft 93 miles (150 km) W of Denali original 1919 Kantishna
(3,000 m) from its base. On rare Village. * 130. ~ air taxi from Roadhouse can still be seen
clear days, visitors are treated Denali Village. @ from Wilderness near the current roadhouse.
to the remarkable sight of the Access Center. Anglers who hold a state
mountain reflected in the still Located 7 miles (11 km) beyond fishing license can also fish
waters of Wonder Lake. The Wonder Lake, tiny Kantishna is around Kantishna.

The Wolves of Denali
While most people come to Denali to
see the “Big Four” – grizzly bears, moose,
caribou, and Dall sheep – a very lucky
few also have the chance to see timber
wolves in the wild, or hear their
haunting choruses. These canines
number only 7,000 to 10,000 in Alaska,
and only 100 or so indi viduals, in about
a dozen packs, inhabit Denali National
Park. Each pack, which includes an
alpha male, a female, and their pups,
requires between 200 and 800 sq miles
(518 to 2,072 sq km). Adults usually
weigh around 100 lb (45 kg), and have a Timber wolf wandering through the scrub, Denali National Park
brain twice as large as that of a domestic
dog. Currently, Alaska’s wolf population is healthy, but some sport and subsistence hunters maintain that
wolves kill too many moose and caribou, and the state government has instituted highly controversial
predator control programs. Denali’s wolves are safe from officially sanctioned hunts, but once a pack
roams beyond the boundaries of the park, there are no guarantees. Wolf researchers in Denali employ
aircraft, radio collaring, and genetic studies to track and study the packs.
Idyllic view of the majestic Denali peak

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