The Denali and Richardson Highways

Leaving Denali National Park we drove the Denali Highway from Cantwell to Paxson.  The Denali Highway is 135 miles of mostly unpaved road connecting the Parks Highway to the Richardson Highway.  We drove it early in the morning and enjoyed the spectacular scenery, stopping in the Tangle Lakes area to make our breakfast.

Talkeetna Range to the south

Moose

Alaska Range to the north

Nenana River

 taiga

Denali Highway

(most of it is unpaved)

Mount Deborah and Hess Mountain

Susitna River bridge

Alaska Range

Clearwater Creek

Tangle Lakes Archaeological District

Moose

Eskimo Potato

At the end of the Denali Highway at the ghost town of Paxson, we turned north on the Richardson Highway toward Fairbanks and drove to Summit Lake and Gakona Glacier.  We had intended to hike to the Gakona Glacier but were very tired and instead turned back south and drove the Richardson Highway to Glennallen where we spent the evening.

Paxson

Gakona Glacier area

Gakona Gacier

near Gakona Glacier

 Caribou antlers

 Gakona Glacier and area

Eskimo Potato

Gakona Glacier

 Hairy Alpine Milk Vetch

 Icefall Peak

the road to Gulkana Glacier

 fellow explorer and photographer

 Icefall Peak

 views from the overlook on the Richardson Highway

Paxson Lake

taiga between Paxson and Glenallen

Meier's Lake