20260908 Tuesday, September 8, 2026; Denali ATV Adventure

20260908 Tuesday, September 8, 2026; Denali ATV Adventure

The weather has definitely taken a turn for the worse with wind and rain for much of the day.  For the most part, the rain has been light and intermittent, but the low cloud level has obscured views of any mountain tops, and it is looking highly likely that we will not catch a glimpse of the tallest mountain in North America despite having spent several days near its base.  

We did have an ATV adventure booked for this morning, so at 10 a.m. we were picked up at the lodge and driven about 9 miles north to just outside the National Park border, where it can be legal to operate an ATV.  This ATV adventure was probably the most extensive and challenging of all the ATV excursions we have done.  

Fortunately, the Yamaha 4 x 4 side-by-side UTVs were up to the task.  We drove on some pretty bad 2-tracks with moguls and through potholes and ruts that would have easily stopped less capable vehicles dead in their tracks.  We will certainly be a bit sore tomorrow from all the bouncing and will probably discover new bruises over the next day or so.  

This adventure took us about 15 miles through narrow trails winding through woods, alongside cliff faces, up and down steep hills, through and across several creek beds and streams.  We did each take turns behind the wheel.  Janet is much more comfortable with blasting at top speed over the worst terrain, and she did a great job of setting the pace for all the other side-by-sides as we were in the lead vehicle behind our guide and one very experienced single rider on straddle-style ATVs.  

The river valley we descended into was very similar to the Savage River valley inside the park, and some of what we drove on were the remnants of coal mining roads.  The town of Healy is just north of Denali National Park, and it was a coal mining town.  We made a couple of stops to take in the view and change drivers while our guides talked about the history of Healy and some of the geology and natural history of the area.  

The scenery was beautiful with the foliage turning fall colors.  Entire hillsides looked like impressionist paintings.  We did come across some fresh moose prints in mud at one stop along the riverbank to learn about some of the interesting mineral specimens that can be found in the riverbeds.  

We had worn our Gortex coats and pants, which helped keep us dry and warm, but it was easy to feel the chill when we got out at viewpoints.  The Yamaha UTVs did have a roof, windshield, and doors, although there were no wipers for the windshield, so when it rained, it got difficult to see very well through the windshield.  The guides did hop out twice to wipe down the windshields, which was very helpful.  

Over the course of the tour, we had covered over 1600’ of elevation and had hit a top speed of nearly 30 mph.  

It was certainly a good thing we did our Horseshoe Lake hike and Denali Natural History Park tours while the weather was better.  Doing the ATV adventure in the rain just helped keep the dust down and add more mud to the puddles.  

After returning from the ATV adventure, we took a stroll to check out the neighboring Holland America Denali Lodge.  On the face of it, it appears to be a much older facility with more of a rustic character.  We did not get to see the inside of any of the rooms, but the lodge lobby and public areas were a bit run down compared with the Princess Denali Lodge.  They did have two sled dog puppies on display behind the Holland America Lodge.  These were very cute and rambunctious puppies, and a big draw for all the dog lovers.  

We had dined last night at one of the main dining venues in the Holland America Denali Lodge complex and saw the menus for the complex.  There were fewer restaurant choices and things seemed to be 2 or 3 dollars more expensive than at the similar Princess venues, so after wandering through the gift shop, we headed back home.  

We decided to have an early dinner at Fannie Q’s, which is a sit-down restaurant and bar.  No children are allowed in Fannie Q’s because of the bar.  The ambiance and decor were upscale and welcoming.  

It was a significant step up from the Grizzly Grill where we had lunch yesterday.  We had Cobb Salad ($16) and 3-Piece Fish and Chips ($22), along with a Spruce Tip IPA ($9).  The service and food were excellent.  The fish and chips were served with a big pile of tater tots, and the Cobb Salad was huge and had really fresh and high-quality greens and tomatoes that were delicious.  The Spruce Tip IPA was a unique local beer that combines herbal tones like you find in gin with the citrus notes from the hops to create an interesting and refreshing beer.  

Janet has unfortunately started to come down with a cold, so we called it an early night.  We will have to repack our suitcases and have them out for pick-up outside our doors at 6 a.m.  Tomorrow we board the Princess Denali train, which will take us to Seward where we will embark onto the Island Princess.  It will be a bit of a homecoming for us since we spent 60 days on the Island Princess going around South America in January 2018.