From Valdez, we headed for the Alaska Highway via the Richardson Highway. We had driven the northern part of this road on our way into Alaska, so we knew it was very scenic. Further, Denali Highway connects the Richardson Highway to Denali National Park, and this road had been recommended by friends.
We also passed Wrangell-St. Elias National Park, the largest park in the system at more than 13 million acres. This is over six times as large as Yellowstone N P, and bigger than the entire country of Switzerland. The park contains some of the highest mountains in North America, many of which are volcanoes. Access to the park is rather limited, with one main road more than 100 miles long. The distant view is pretty good, so we didn't drive very far into the park.
One of the most interesting things we saw along the way was a strange looking bus from Germany providing a grand tour of North America for twelve people. The bus came across the ocean aboard a cargo ship with its passengers inside. In addition to their seats, each passenger had a sleeping berth in the rear section. I wondered what this trip might have cost, but did not want to ask such a personal question.
Richardson Highway did not disappoint with its scenery. Mountains, glaciers, lakes and waterfalls were almost everywhere we looked. The Worthington Glacier was definitely one of the most spectacular of the trip.
Denali Highway is 120 miles long, but only about twenty miles are paved, while the rest of it is pretty rough. The paved section did have gorgeous scenery, and I'm sure the remainder was also beautiful. I just couldn't bring myself to drive the full distance and then backtrack.
This part of the Alaskan Highway was new to us, as we had bypassed it on our way to Alaska, knowing we would see it on the way out. As expected, we did spot some wildlife along the way.
I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving to start the holiday season.
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