Parks Highway

Yikes. How did it get to be July? I keep thinking the summer is just beginning, but the classic summer is 1/3 over. Maybe it is the 60 degree days and the fact that we have worn shorts only a few times.

Today we left Anchorage and drove north on the Parks Highway to Denali National Park, traveling through “some of the most spectacular scenery in Alaska.” (The Milepost) What we saw was mist, rain, and low hanging clouds covering the mountain tops, and one mother moose with an adorable baby running across the road (surprisingly, the mother stopped and looked both ways before crossing).

The rain keeps coming. The rivers are swollen and brown. We were amazed to see some rafters out anyway. Because of the rain, we have seen little of the sun, but the sky is never dark even in the middle of the night. Always seems like dusk. After visiting the visitor center and mercantile center to check in, we are camped at Riley Campground.

Riley Creek Campground Review: Over 140 well-spaced sites. Most level. Most suitable for tents and RVs under 24 feet, but some larger pull-throughs. Reservations best made in advance. The reservation guarantees that a site will be available in one of three size ranges (A= Over 30, B = 30 or under, C= Tent) but you get to select the site after you have arrived and checked in. No hookups, but water and RV dump available. Generators permitted two hours in the morning and four hours at night. Depressions and holes in the road are full of water making it difficult and messy to negotiate the campground.

-- Janet (text) and David (photos)