3 Days in Denali NP

Long Story Short

Two hikers walk for three days in Denali NP across units 4, 5, and 6. Day 1: Taking a shuttle to the Savage River Mountain Overlook, they head south down the Savage R. and camp in its upper basin. Day 2: The hikers get some ridge walking in while crossing over into the valley of the Sanctuary River and Unit 5. They then follow the river south into the Refuge Valley and camp. Day 3: Following yesterday’s pattern, the hikers start the day with a pass (this one much more daunting than the last) into Unit 6 and follow Calico Creek to the Teklanika River. The Teklanika then leads them north to the Park Road where they flag a bus to the park entrance.

Rivers – All rivers could be forded except a section of the Teklanika (see Sept 9 below for details). River conditions can change rapidly year-to-year and season-to-season.

Water – Ample in rivers, intermittent up high except when fed by glaciers.

Wildlife – Caribou, ptarmigan, ravens, pikas, dall sheep, 1 bear (grizzly).

Weather – Sun in the valleys as they near the park road, rain and wind in the southern half of the valleys and on passes. Obviously your weather may differ.

Landmarks – Savage River, Fang Mountain, Sanctuary River, Refuge Valley, Calico Creek, Cathedral Mountain, Teklanika River

Permitting – We found the permitting process intuitive and helpful, though we did forget a couple items in our rush to catch an early bus into the park. It’s best if possible to have all your stuff packed several itineraries in mind before heading to the backcountry desk. The park website or phone line is the best place to go for permitting info, buses, and regulations.

Long Story Long

Follow along: https://caltopo.com/m/L8KL

Park background

Denali works on a quota system: the park is divided into 87 units, 29 of which are accessible via its only road. Road-adjacent units have limits on the number of nightly campers ranging from 4 to 12 with 4 and 6 being especially common. Reservations for units must be made in person at the visitor center and many were available during this time as it was the end of the season. The park contains only 2 casual hiking trails. Everything else requires off-trail travel. Hikers commonly utilize gravel bars along rivers, ridgelines, and long, flat glaciers as travel corridors.

Sept 7 – 9 ‘crow flies’ miles – 6.5 hours

It had been a chilly night in the Riley Creek campground but the morning was overcast and warm. Knowing it would be a dash to get out hiking into the park today, we packed up our bags in a hurry and and got to the backcountry desk in the visitor center as it opened at 8:00. The park mandates that permit seekers watch a 30 minute video (actually helpful) and speak with a ranger about their itinerary (ours, Ranger Sergeant, very knowledgeable). Originally fishing for a 3-day, 2-night trip, we were persuaded to allow ourselves more time and secured a permit for 3 nights across units 4, 5, and 6 which are defined by large glacial valleys bordered by high ridges on the east and west, by the park road to the north, and the glaciated spine of the Alaska range to the south.

Taking the free shuttle to the Savage R. Mtn. Overlook (otherwise, the backpacker bus is $42.75), we followed Jenny Cr. to the Savage R. and crossed. Immediately the landscape, mostly tangled alders and shinnery, felt cold and exposed compared to the forested grounds of the visitor center and campground. Half a mile south of the road, we huffed up to a small table W of the river in search of an old wagon trail which the ranger had hinted at. Not finding this, we instead meandered through the scrub on top of the table which looked a mite less brushy than the flat stuff near the river. 2.5 miles S of the road, the table passed into a pattern of modest hills. We decided to descend and, after wading through marshy grasses, found a distinct trail paralleling the river. This we followed with more or less success until reaching the upper basin of the Savage R. where it forks at N63.611058 W149.230472. Intending to climb the SW-NE pass near Peak 4935 the following morning (N63.577815 W149.255362), we continued up the south branch of the river, a wide gravel bar easy for walking but dry at this time of year. The valley funneled high south winds coming over the Alaska range and rain set in as we cooked dinner in the shelter of the river bank.

Sept 8 – 7 miles – 8 hours

The sky was overcast and dry when we woke at a leisurely hour. Setting off, we continued to stroll the gravel bar on our way south, finding no water. Though it is possible to access the pass into the Sanctuary R. valley (again, N63.577815 W149.255362) by following an obvious creek drainage, we elected to get some air time by pursuing the ridge just north and parallel to it. This made for excellent views of a cloudy Fang Mtn. though the added exposure brought raindrops and 20+ mph winds. Several bear ruts were visible on the steep descent from the ridge and along the wide E-W bench that slopes down from the W side of the pass. This bench, which parallels a steep-sided creek, makes for excellent walking toward the gravel bar of the Sanctuary R. Our course was altered, however, by a grazing grizzly who persuaded us to descend into the brushy creek. This is a cute creek but best avoided as the going is remarkably slow.

We reached the Sanctuary R. at N63.559053 W149.340561 and then walked south on gravel bars, occasionally fording a small river braid. Same as the day prior, we reached our intended campsite at an uncomfortably early hour but decided not to press on toward our next pass due to sore knees and enticing views of the Refuge Valley. We camped on ground W of and above the river, a few hundred feet from the beginning of tomorrow morning’s ascent.

Sept 9 – 13.1 miles – 10 hours

This morning’s goal was the steep pass into the Teklanika R. valley at N63.5251 W149.3973. From the Sanctuary R., the easiest approach to this pass is to follow the river until you are south of the creek that comes down from the pass, approximately to N63.517549 W149.333052. At this point, you then skirt the 3400ft contour line NW until arriving just short of the aforementioned creek where a relatively gradual slope ramps down to pick you up. This scree-and-grass ramp, while mildly strenuous, can be climbed without issue whereas the creek itself cliffs out and can’t be followed directly.

The ramp, leading up and to the W, eventually levels off into a small basin. There are many places to camp in this area which are not visible from the Sanctuary R. A route up to the pass, though inevitably steep and full of loose scree, can be surveyed from most points in the basin. Like with yesterday, we decided to climb up high before actually reaching the pass in order to get in some more ridge walking. Winding our way up a steep scree slope on the north side of the basin, we reached the beginning of a ridge at N63.529088 W149.370088 (see the number “18” on USGS maps) and followed it to a peak 0.5 miles to the north of the pass. Winds were an impressive 30+ mph on the ridge and drove rain sideways in pellets, enhancing the inhospitable and desolate mood otherwise provided by the craggy, cloud-shrouded peaks to the south.

The W side of the pass is more gradual and gives way to another bench, this time paralleling Calico Creek. The bench makes for easy walking and has Sound of Music views. Dropping off the bench and into Calico Cr. 1.5 miles W of the pass, we hopped along intermittent gravel bars until meeting the relatively large Teklanika River. For the first mile after it joins Calico Cr. and flows north into forest, the Tek might not be fordable. Fording is not likely to be necessary, however, because of the abundant game trails along its E bank. After a 45 degree bend at N63.5910 W149.5274, the river relaxed into braids and was fordable. Flat ground on the river’s E shoulder make for a quick exit to the Park Road where it crosses the Teklanika Bridge. Reaching this area well before dark, we decided to flag a bus back to the Visitor Center rather than spend our permitted night in Unit 6.

Though admittedly without firsthand knowledge of other places in the park, we think this route is an excellent choice for backpackers with moderate experience who aren’t equipped for snow and ice. It offers excellent views, frequent changes of terrain and vegetation, ample camp spots, and decent tread. Extended jaunts through thick brush can be avoided through good decisions except along the Savage R. where some ‘schwacking is inevitable.

Gear

https://lighterpack.com/r/lbdaf9

Sleeping bag – the 3 degree was no doubt overkill. While planning for the trip 2,000 miles away, I had to choose between it and a 20 degree quilt and erred on the safe side. It was a real joy though to slip into it each night.

Clothes – also a little overkill; temps were in the high 30s / low 40s in the evenings so, with my other layers, the down jacket was probably not necessary. I would trade out it and the wind pants for some rain pants which would have been helpful during the exposed ridge walks. The fleece hat was also unnecessary given the warmth of my bag.

Tent – a little big but an excellent (if expensive) tent. I was glad of it when we got rain and high winds at night.

Pack – I would have liked to take a smaller pack on a trip this short but was forced to take the Circuit due to the size of my sleeping bag and other clothes bulk. Still the circuit is well made and has always worked for me without issue. I find the central support bar as well as the inner organizer pocket to be unnecessary.

Filter – I enjoy the flow rate of the Katadyn Befree which, while diminishing now somewhat, still beats a sawyer. Our first campsite was a dry camp. While the befree technically adds a liter of storage, I find that the flimsy bladder and its tendency to leak from the cap make it less than ideal for long water carries. The 2 smartwater bottles I carried provided adequate capacity but a sawyer screwed onto the top of one of these would have been more efficient than the befree.