Visiting Denali National Park in early summer is quite a bit different vs the winter (or much of the year here). It’s still amazing to see how fast this state goes from snow white to lush green.
When my coworker and I arrived at Denali it was certainly apparent that the tourist season was here. The little resort & shops near the National Park were buzzing with life (this place is a ghost town during the off season). We had pizza at Lynx Creek Pizza before starting our hike. I can’t say the pizza was any good – it smelled great and the restaurant was crowded but it was bland.
We stopped by the gift shop before heading out on the trail. The park was also a ghost town with most of the little shops closed during the off season. The gift shop was pretty nice, it’s worth stopping by.
We did Horseshoe Lake Trail which is a popular trail that is easily found from the gift shop. The trail is an easy 2.1 miles, scenic and with only 393 feet of elevation. We honestly only did the trail because of time constraints. To my surprise the trail ended up being more interesting than I initially thought.
Any time I can get close to a beaver dam it is always enjoyable to me. Personally I haven’t seen one in the wild but this area has telling signs that they are in the area. What a cool sight!
Rain clouds came in just as we were ending the hike. What a beautiful place.
