We had 6 fun days camping, fishing, and wildlife viewing along the Denali Highway. C’s new schedule of 8 work days followed by 6 days off is great for exploring Alaska. 

Two weeks ago we traveled on the Dalton Highway and went over the highest highway pass in Alaska (Atigun Pass).  This time we drove over the second highest highway pass in Alaska (Maclaren Summit) and took off hiking a ridge nearby.  In the photo below,  our truck is a tiny dot on the road.

We were hoping to see caribou on the other side of the ridge. While we had a great view (after breaking trail through knee-deep snow), no luck with the caribou.  However some VERY cool birds showed up.  First we saw an American Golden-Plover couple.  They were so beautiful. 

Then C saw a bird hovering and hunting in the distance.  Soon the Long-tailed Jaeger came closer and closer until it was about 30 yards away, intently hunting and ignoring us.  It was amazing!

All week we failed to see caribou,  but kept getting surprised by cool birds surprisingly close. 

We stayed at Brushkana Campground our first night.  The creeks were running too high for easy fishing so we headed for Tangle Lakes at the other side of the Denali Highway.   We stopped for an excellent lunch at the hospitable Alpine Creek Lodge.  Tangle Lakes offered good fishing and we ended up staying 4 nights at the BLM campground there.  There is good potable water at a crank pump, but absolutely no shade at any of the sites.  During our stay we had several meals at the nearby, friendly Tangle Lakes Lodge, which also offered a shower with towel for $10.  On our way back to Healy we got gas at Maclaren River Lodge for a reasonable $4.50 per gallon.  Maclaren also had delicious homemade ice cream at only $5 for a huge scoop (I could barely eat all mine – it was the equivalent of 3 to 4 normal scoops).

Fishing was hit or miss though we got better as we learned a few tricks.  By the end, we had caught 52 Arctic Grayling (releasing most, eating 3) and 1 Lake Trout.

We saw 20 moose, 0 caribou, and 1 river otter during our trip.   I added 3 warblers to my life list (Yellow, Wilson’s, and Blackpoll).  C watched a gull swallow a 6″ (plus?) Grayling.   Now we are home and surprisingly tired!