Denali in the Clouds

— Happy 101st anniversary to Denali National Park and Preserve! Can you see Mt. Denali? It is there in the photo here, but it’s hidden in the clouds. Some people may not be aware that private vehicles are not always allowed after the main visitor center at Denali National Park and Preserve. Consequently, the best way to see the park in a vehicle (if you don’t want to gamble with being chosen by a park lottery)  is to get in one of those park buses that can take you 90 miles inside the park all the way to Kantishna. That is what we did in 2004. One of the stops we had was at the Eielson Visitor Center, on mile 66 of the Park Road. The Eielson Visitor Center has existed in some form since 1934. It remained as a tent camp until 1960, when a new interpretive center and rest stop replaced that rustic setting. Then in 2008, there were some renovations done in the building. We’d been lucky to have seen Denali several times while in Alaska, but the afternoon I made this shot, it was nearly 4 PM. Denali was already hidden in the clouds.