Denali State Park, Alaska - August 20th to 21st, 2022

So many things are called Denali that it can be confusing sometimes. Denali, the mountain, is inside Denali National Park. Denali Park is a strip of businesses along George Parks Highway just outside the entrance to Denali National Park. Denali State Park is a state park on the southeast side of Denali National Park and straddles George Parks Highway. The state park is where we were camping the next two nights.

Saturday we drove from Fairbanks to Denali State Park. Along the way, we stopped at Denali Air’s airstrip to take the Denali Peak Experience Flight. It was spectacular! We covered the flight in a previous post (Denali Peak Experience Flight - August 20th, 2022).

As we drove south from the airstrip, we entered the clouds and the rain. For the third time we passed by the Denali North View and Denali South View rest areas of Denali State Park, and for the third time, there was no view of Mount Denali from there. The other two times were on our way to and from Talkeetna the week before (Talkeetna, Alaska - August 13th to 14th, 2022). Our reservation was in K’esugi Ken Campground in Denali State Park. It is a rather new campground, with electrical hookups, pit toilets, and spacious, well-spaced sites in the woods. Very nice.

Since it was still raining, we sautéed our brats in our Instant Pot inside instead of on the butane stove outside. They still turned out pretty tasty. We had a decent cell signal from our Red Tail Lodge (our camper van), so we spent the rest of the evening inside, out of the rain. We had both a Verizon signal and an AT&T signal. However, the AT&T signal was better. We’ve been pretty disappointed with the Verizon signal in Alaska. AT&T has performed much better. Verizon has either been weaker or non-existent. We’re still glad we travel with both. Verizon outperforms AT&T many times in the lower 48 states.

Sunday we went on a hike in Denali State Park, the Curry Ridge Trail. We picked up the trail right from the campground, just the way we like it. No packing up and driving to a trailhead.

It rained most of the night, but stopped before 10 am. However, we were still sitting in a fog bank. We started our hike shortly after 10, thinking we would not see much of a view. The trail is a steady climb of about 1000 feet over roughly two miles. The path was muddy and a little slick, but the ascent was not steep enough for that to really be a problem. The ground is a heavy clay, so you don’t sink into the mud very far. We still managed to get quite a bit of mud on the sides of our pants.

There were a lot of different types of berries lining the trail, a mixture of orange, red, and purple. The large dark purple ones looked like small grapes. We learned later that they were watermelon berries and are sweet and edible. Had we known that, we would have picked and tried a few.

On the way up, the fog lifted and we had a nice view of the mountains on the other side of the valley, although they were partially hidden in layers of clouds. On a clear day, we should have been able to see Mount Denali, but it did not reveal itself to us this time.

Near the top, the trail becomes a loop. In the clockwise direction, it is one mile to the Rocky Knob. Going counterclockwise, it is two miles. We took the loop in the clockwise direction. AllTrails maps out the route as an out-and-back, just going on the short leg of the loop to the knob and back. Comments on the trail said the whole loop was worth doing, so that was our plan. Doing the whole loop only adds a mile to the hike.

Not long after we started the loop, we emerged above the tree line. Being autumn (yes, it was only August), the tundra was a kaleidoscope of colors and textures. Ann saw a great picture with almost every step. Adding to the beautiful scenery at our feet, was the sweeping panoramic views all around us. The clouds seemed to enhance the vistas, setting the mood. Up on the ridge, about a quarter of a mile away, was a large lake.

We ate our lunch on top of the Rocky Knob, with a backdrop of gorgeous surroundings. As we were sitting there, Keith announces “There’s a bear!”. Ann looked over to where he was pointing. At a nearby rise, about 300 to 400 yards from us, was a black bear. We were just there a short while before, as the trail went over that rise on the way to Rocky Knob. Keith called out “Hey, bear!”, to alert the bear of our presence. The bear stopped and looked at us for a moment or two. Then Keith yelled out again. The bear then turned and scurried downhill, disappearing into the heavy brush below.

Of course, Ann had her camera out, taking pictures and video of the bear until we lost sight of him. When we first sat down, Ann had set up a time lapse with the GoPro, facing it towards the partially covered mountains across the valley. We were hoping to capture the clouds moving, but they didn’t move at all. The time lapse would have been pretty boring, but it did capture the bear. However, the GoPro has a very wide lens, so the bear is not very big in the view. During the rest of our time at Rocky Knob, we kept searching the brush for movement or signs of the bear, but didn’t see any.

If we had any doubts about continuing the loop or heading back the way we came, we didn’t have any questions about which direction we were taking now. Continuing on the loop instead of going towards the bear seemed like the obvious choice.

The trail follows alongside the lake, then winds through interesting brush, tundra, then trees. While we were still alongside the lake, we spotted black bear tracks in the mud on the trail. We were negligent about saying “Hey bear” on our hike up to Rocky Knob, but we were calling out at regular intervals since our sighting of the bear.

We were glad we continued the loop as it meandered through some wonderful and varied landscape. Judging by how the vegetation was encroaching onto the trail, we’re guessing most people don’t hike the whole loop and turn around at Rocky Knob. We would recommend taking the whole loop. Hiking is more than just a destination; it is also about the journey. And the second part of the loop is a beautiful journey.

On the descent back down, we passed quite a few people heading up the trail. We warned each of them about the bear, so they would be alert. One woman had a large bell with her. After we spoke with her, we could hear her ringing her bell louder and more often as she continued. We didn’t have the heart to tell her that they say the human voice is more affective at scaring off bears than bells are. Black bears are more easily scared off than grizzly bears, so she should be fine.

By the time we returned to the campground, we had gone 7.9 miles with an elevation gain of 1138 feet in four hours and 35 minutes. It was hike number 35 of our 52 Hike Challenge for 2022. It was a wonderful hike. A far cry from what we expected in the fog when we started out. It remained overcast and looked like rain all day, but it only sprinkled on us a couple of times during our hike. The real rain held off until evening, after we were in our dry Red Tail Lodge.

Is Denali State Park as grand as Denali National Park? No. Is it worth visiting? Most definitely! We were not sure what to expect, but the state park was a pleasant surprise, even in the rain. Had the skies been clear enough to see Mount Denali from the state park, it would have even been better.

Check out our related video: Denali State Park, Alaska

(Ann)