6. Glacial River bed
The river basins of Denali are part of a
rich ecosystem that is home to some
notable large mammals. Grizzly bears
make use of the larger rivers like Stony
River and the Nenana to catch trout;
and large moose, caribou, Dall sheep
and wolves all use the rivers for water.
Other wildlife found near the rivers
includes wolverines, red foxes, black
bears, marmots, snowshoe
hares, peregrine falcons, trumpeter
swans, golden eagles and harlequin
ducks.
10. Grizzly going by
Wildlife in Denali is acclimated to
vehicle traffic. They see the tour buses
as part of the natural environment and
are not shy about walking directly in
front of a bus or car. This young grizzly
passed by very close to the truck and
we were able to get a close up shot.
Grizzly Bears are one of the biggest
land mammals in North America. It
was estimated in the 1800's that as
many as 50,000 grizzly bears ranged
between the Great Plains and the
Pacific Ocean in the lower 48 states.
Today the grizzly bear is found in about
2 % of its previous range in the lower
48 states where around 1,300 grizzly
bears remain in the wild. Alaska
however has a large population of
grizzlies numbering over 30,000
animals.
16. Denali’s past:
original Kantishna
Roadhouse
In the late 1800s Fannie Quigley and
her husband Joe opened the
roadhouse to gold prospectors as a
hotel/eatery/mail stop and general
communication center for the miners
in that area. Joe suffered an injury
that took him to Seattle for treatment.
While there he fell in love with the
nurse that treated him and never
returned. Fannie ended up staying
and running the roadhouse for the rest
of her days. She was famous for her
rhubarb pie, home brewed beer and
could shoot, skin, and prep a moose
on her own.
20. Moose in Alaska
Alaska moose mate every year during
autumn and winter, and usually
produce one or two offspring at a
time. At around 10-11
months, yearling Alaska Moose leave
their mothers and fend for themselves.
The Alaska Moose ranges throughout
Alaska to most of the western
Yukon, Canada. Due to its large
range, humans frequently come into
contact with the moose. Mothers are
very protective of their young calves.
Most of the time moose do not
confront people unless they are
provoked or feel their young are
threatened. If you notice its hairs
raised, head down and ears back-and
it’s licking its lips- that’s a cue to make
tracks in the opposite direction.
Most injuries from moose occur
because of vehicle collisions.
23. Official summer gear
in Alaska
Though most of us might worry about
encounters with large animals like
Bear, or Moose, the peskiest critter in
Alaska has to be the mosquito. In
summer months the Alaska's mosquito
population is the stuff of legend. There
are 35 species of mosquito in Alaska.
All but a few of these will feed on
humans. Mosquitoes are by far the
most prevalent bugs, which is why
they remain lord of the flies. Every
year, they congregate in hordes that
are thickest from the Yukon River
north to the Arctic Ocean and torment
the Caribou and humans relentlessly.
If you want to enjoy the outdoors you
need to prepare with netting and bug
spray.
24. For further reading:
Recommendations from an Alaskan
• Searching for Fannie Quiqley by Jane G. Haigh
• In the Company of Moose by Victor Van
Ballenberghe
• Two Old Women by Velma Wallis
• Discovering Denali: A Complete Reference
Guide to Denali National Park and Mount
McKinley by Dow Scoggins
