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  1. #1
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    Bike Touring in/near Denali Nat'l Park - help needed

    Somehow the idea got in my head of taking a vacation up to the Denali area to bike tour. This is an attractive idea because I've always wanted to spend some time in DNP, don't have a ton of vacation to go somewhere super far away, and don't have time/interest in training for an adventure that requires new skills or a ton of additional capacity.

    I'm having trouble finding TRs to emulate or suggestions for putting together a trip like this. There are many commercially guided options, but I don't feel like I need a lot of guide help once I get the plan going. I know the park road is mostly closed to motor traffic (except park buses) and is 85 gravel miles long each way - a bit short for a week's tour unless we get off the bikes a lot, mix in other activities, or tack on another tour.

    Some initial questions:
    - have any of you done any bike touring in or around DNP? if so, how was it and what did you do?
    - what other activities should we think about adding to a bike tour itinerary in the park or nearby?

    My buddy and I are talking about end of August or early September. 10 days: 1 day each way from the lower 48, 1 day for logistics, 7 days in action.

    Thoughts? Suggestions? Beta? Connections I can contact?

    Thanks.
    another Handsome Boy graduate

  2. #2
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    Hyperspace!
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    Good time to go as it will be cooler and the bugs will get knocked down.

    I would check out paxson to cantwell to mckinley village ~160 miles on the denali highway - which is a gorgeous gravel ride. Combined with a ride to wonder lake and back would put you at about 50 miles a day for a week of riding.

    Don't bring a road bike. Do bring rain gear. Watch out for hunters (i.e. don't wear your caribou outfit while hiking).

    I'm heading from Anchorage past Glennallen at the end of August and may be able to provide a ride out that way.

    Other options would be to head up to something like Kesugi Ridge bike to little coal creek, hike the trail to Byers Lake ~35 miles (or run it in a day), then hitch back to your bike. There are loads of other options, and a packraft would open up even more.

  3. #3
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    Thank you Wendigo! This is the kind of beta (and ride offers) I'm going to need. Not sure about the pack rafts as I have very little experience on rivers, but I like that kind of thinking.

    here's a video of the park road I found that has me stoked:
    Edit - Imbed not working, here's the link:
    another Handsome Boy graduate

  4. #4
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    Nov 2009
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    take it slow on the bike road and have cameras quickly accessible.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2007
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    I would second the Denali Hwy.... Cantwell to Paxson is 135 miles, all but 25 miles of it are gravel.

    I just did this trip at the end of May, and I pack along a rod to fish along the way...

    A cyclocross bike will suffice and be easier on the pavement if you decide to make the ride longer....


    Let me know if I can be of anymore help.

  6. #6
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    I'm working on putting this trip together and could really use some help with a few things:

    1. an outfitter to rent us some of the gear. Shipping bikes and gear to AK is really expensive, so I'd rather rent bikes and trailers or panniers and give a local outfitter the money - any recommendations? I've got the cold weather backpacking/camping gear, just need a way to haul it around the park. My buddy who is coming only has a road bike so he'll need to rent a beefier ride.

    2. Shuttle service from Anchorage to the park for me, my buddy, and our gear & bikes

    3. any spots in the park that are "can't miss" camp spots or places where we really need to plan to spend more than a day. We are planning to ride pretty modest mileage daily to leave lots of time for hiking and other non-bike activities. Any suggestions would help us craft the itinerary

    Thanks!
    another Handsome Boy graduate

  7. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by Platinum Pete View Post
    I'm working on putting this trip together and could really use some help with a few things:
    [...]
    2. Shuttle service from Anchorage to the park for me, my buddy, and our gear & bikes
    The train.

    3. any spots in the park that are "can't miss" camp spots or places where we really need to plan to spend more than a day. We are planning to ride pretty modest mileage daily to leave lots of time for hiking and other non-bike activities.
    If you're going into the park you might as well hit Wonder Lake. If the weather is good, the view of the mountain is stunning. Plenty of hiking opportunities from there. Polychrome Pass is beautiful.

    If you do the Denali Highway watch for ridges on the north side of the highway where you can hike up and get the view to the north. I don't remember the mileposts for any of them, but I found a number of spots that had great hiking up to a view.

  8. #8
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    Wish I knew?
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    One way to ship a bike is by mail. Split into just the frame and a separate box for the wheels. That was how I got bikes I bought on ebay shipped to me and was way cheaper.
    The pacifists always lose, because the anti-pacifists kill them.

  9. #9
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    Eugenio Oregón
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    Pete, I can put you in touch with the guy from my local bike and outdoors club who did this trip in September 2009:

    Quote Originally Posted by Owen Bailey
    Summary: bike along Denali Highway, in Denali National Park, and around Kenai Peninsula. Photos.

    Cycling the Denali Highway and in the National Park was the main goal of my trip. Since it was mid September I was concerned about snow storms closing the roads, perhaps while I’m on it in a remote area. The Denali Highway is 217 km of mostly dirt road and was the former entrance to the park. The road was not as isolated as I expected, especially since it was hunting season. I arrived in the NP ten days after leaving Haines, AK and there were few people around at the end of the season. The last day of bus service for the year was the next day so I was able to ride the bus into the park to the Eielson Visitor’s Center and then ride back to the campground. This visitor center is 100 km into the park and the dirt road goes over a few passes along the way (the highest is 3,980 feet).

    The view of Denali was beautiful and I was fortunate to have clear skies and warm weather. Four days later they received two feet of snow at the visitor center and closed the road.

    When I first arrived at the mercantile to check into a campsite it was deserted so I bought some snacks to celebrate arriving. Eventually I met two people from Slovakia and two women backcountry camping and hitchhiking around Alaska and Yukon from France and Switzerland. We went hiking to Horseshoe Lake and saw beavers working on their home along with a bald eagle and other wildlife.

    Denali is the only NP in the US that uses sled dogs for regular patrols in the winter. There was a demonstration and it was interesting to see the technique involved with getting them organized (giving bones helps quiet the “talkers” post demo, but others get them to avoid rivalries).

    From Anchorage I rode out to the Kenai Peninsula. I met up with the couple from Slovakia again (they had worked in a nearby town for the summer and were traveling around before returning home for college). I spent ten days in Seward going to the Music and Arts Festival, hiking, visiting the sea life center, going to a talk about ocean acidification and learning about the efforts of Alaskan groups in the areas of energy and climate change. The people I met in Alaska were incredibly nice. Everywhere I went had a small town atmosphere.

    They have a race in Seward up Mt. Marathon each 4th of July. It’s the second oldest trail race in the US, next to the Dipsea race in Marin. I thought I would hike the race course but after checking it out and deciding it was a rock chute I looked for an easier way up. They don’t mess around in Alaska. You want up? There you go. At the festival I met the woman who won it the last six times, the guy who organized the World Beard and Mustache Championship in Anchorage (he is into mountain bike touring and nature photography), and a woman whose brother paddled from Seward to Seattle and made a documentary about it (Paddle to Seattle).

    In Kenai Fjords National Park I hiked up a trail past Exit Glacier to the Harding Ice Field. This is an amazing landscape of ice that generates dozens of glaciers around the Kenai Peninsula. The glaciers in this area are retreating and signs mark the location in given years. A survey of 2000 low-altitude glaciers in Alaska found that 98% are thinning or retreating. Portage Glacier near Anchorage has retreated 5 km in the last century and is no longer visible from the visitor center (built in 1986 for $8 million). A ranger at Kenai Fjords said that 50% of trees in the park have been harmed by bark beetles and over 80% of Alaskan native villages are being negatively impacted by climate change. .

    The weather was changing while I was in Seward and fresh snow appeared lower on the mountains each morning. I wanted to ride to Homer before leaving Alaska but the cold, wind, and rain made the journey challenging. The penultimate photo that looks like a hurricane felt like one, right in my face. As I got close to Anchorage the wind was behind me and pushed me along at a fast pace without pedaling.
    _______________________________________________
    "Strapping myself to a sitski built with 30lb of metal and fibreglass then trying to water ski in it sounds like a stupid idea to me.

    I'll be there."
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  10. #10
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    Shralph - any connections would be appreciated
    Optimus Prime - Thanks for the PM, it was helpful and insightful
    Others - keep it coming
    another Handsome Boy graduate

  11. #11
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    The trip is coming together. I leave Friday morning and have Saturday as a logistics day in Anchorage. I still need to get a shuttle Sunday to the park for me and my travel partner, plus our bikes, trailers, and gear. Any recommendations?
    Also, if anyone who has spent time in Denali National Park or similar places has recommendations of specific gear items or best practices for operating in a place like DNP I am all ears. I've got extensive camping and treking experience, but not much amongst mega-fauna and my only times in AK have been sailing. In particular, advice around dealing with the mosquitoes would be good.
    another Handsome Boy graduate

  12. #12
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    Quote Originally Posted by Platinum Pete View Post
    The trip is coming together. I leave Friday morning and have Saturday as a logistics day in Anchorage. I still need to get a shuttle Sunday to the park for me and my travel partner, plus our bikes, trailers, and gear. Any recommendations?
    Did the train (that I mentioned above) not work out?

    Also, if anyone who has spent time in Denali National Park or similar places has recommendations of specific gear items or best practices for operating in a place like DNP I am all ears. I've got extensive camping and treking experience, but not much amongst mega-fauna and my only times in AK have been sailing. In particular, advice around dealing with the mosquitoes would be good.
    You're past prime skeeter season, but some DEET (I like Cutters), a headnet, and a good tent will serve you well.

    Cook away from your sleeping area. Duh.

    Don't forget rain gear. Good rain gear.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by Meadow Skipper View Post
    Did the train (that I mentioned above) not work out?


    You're past prime skeeter season, but some DEET (I like Cutters), a headnet, and a good tent will serve you well.

    Cook away from your sleeping area. Duh.

    Don't forget rain gear. Good rain gear.
    The train is an option, but it is not the fastest or the most schedule flexible. We've identified and corresponded with van-shuttles, but some are booked and some seem to be jerks, so the train is looking better and better.
    Glad the bugs will be lighter, but it sounds like they'll still be pretty serious. Deet for sure. Rain gear for sure, fingers crossed and rabbits feet rubbed in hopes of a few dry days. Bears and moose still worry me, but I'll follow all precautions set out by the rangers and rely on the statistical unlikelihood of attack for comfort.
    another Handsome Boy graduate

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