Denali National Park, Alaska - Brushkana River, Alaska

Day 20 – Thursday, August 18 2005
Denali National Park, Alaska – Brushkana River, Alaska
Miles Driven: 94

After a brief morning rain shower, we left the RV park and headed for Denali National Park. It was early so there was not much traffic. We drove into the park as far as it is allowed (about 15 miles) but decided not to ride one of the tour busses that take you farther into the park. What we could see was beautiful but it was overcast so Mt McKinley was not visible. By 10:30 we were in Cantwell where we re-fueled and bought a few supplies before heading out on the Denali Highway, a 135 mile gravel road that connects the Parks Highway with the Richardson Highway at Paxson. There were a lot of hunters on the road with ATV’s; we assumed they were looking for moose. The road follows the Nenana River for a while, and the Alaska Range is in view, very pretty. We camped for the night at Brushkana River BLM campground. It got pretty cold during the night; my little thermometer read 30 degrees when we woke up the next morning, and it’s the middle of August!