After breakfast I started to break camp. I was soon ready to pull out heading for Denali National Park (DNP). I found a place to dump the waste tanks and get propane since one tank was empty. That is the first tank of propane since I filled the tanks just prior to crossing the border in May.
It was a cloudy day, so I don’t know if the mountain will be out. It rained off and on during the drive to DNP, but the trip was uneventful.
I arrived at the Park Office to check in and asked about extending my stay at Teklanika Campground. They said that things were slow this year so that should not be a problem. When they checked to extend the stay, the park was booked so I will leave as scheduled. I filled the freshwater tank and the portable water jugs for the stay and headed toward camp.
I got to Teklanika and set up camp. It was starting to rain so I hurried as much as possible to get inside without getting too wet.
Teklanika is 29 miles from the park entrance. Private vehicles are not permitted after mile 15 to reduce damage to the environment and litter in the park. Therefore, you are only permitted to go to the campground and leave one time. Private vehicles are not permitted to drive on the roads after arriving at the campground. A multi-trip bus pass lets you ride the green Camper Bus as often as you want. It takes 5 hours for the round trip from the entrance to East Fork River at mile 43. Green Camper busses run every thirty minutes and the last one leaves East Fork River at 9:00 pm. It’s a could night if you miss the last bus.
The road goes 90 miles into the park. A landslide at mile 43 closed the park road. It will take six years to remove the slide material and make the area stable. Then the busses will be able to drive to the end of the road.
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