Fabulous Views at Denali State Park

Just down the road a bit from Denali National Park is Denali State Park.  We decided to stop and visit there for a couple of days, to take it what it had to offer, including great views….

 

One of the things the state park offers are some good vantage points of Denali (the mountain).  Of course, it was hiding in the clouds, but this time we managed to see the South Peak (we saw the North Peak while at the actual National Park).  The South Peak is actually the taller of the 2, and many years ago, a climbing expedition known as the Sourdough Expedition climbed to the top of what they thought was the highest point on Denali, the North Point.  How disappointing to find out they missed the mark of the highest point!  The incredible thing about this expedition (which occurred in 1910) was that it was 4 guys with no experience, and they were fueled by hot chocolate and donuts.  Must have been some mighty powerful donuts and cocoa!  The first successful summit of the South Peak happened 3 years later, in the Stuck-Harper Expedition.  Walter Harper, a young local Athabascan Indian, was the first man to stand on that summit.

 

Like the national park, the state park offers up some other great views, other than Denali!  I loved the way the clouds just hugged close the mountains in the Alaska Range (I believe).

Enjoy!