Denali Adventure

You’ll meet your group and tour leader at the starting location in downtown Anchorage, known during the summer months as “The City of Flowers.” After our orientation meeting and overview of the route ahead, we’ll fall asleep — while it’s still light — dreaming of our upcoming self-contained adventure.

After breakfast, group photos, and quick bicycle safety checks, we're off! First, we'll follow the bike path out of Anchorage, then head onto the Old Glenn Highway. Today's ride is generally flat, with minor elevation changes, so we'll be able to concentrate all our energy on peeking at wildflowers and observing the hawks, eagles, and falcons as they glide overhead. Tonight we'll camp alongside the Matanuska River.

Our ride today will follow the Glenn Highway and the Matanuska River corridor (a route popular with trumpeter swans, as well), taking us through some of the most productive farmland in the state of Alaska. Farmers in the area grow enormous vegetables during the brief summer months, the most renowned being their giant cabbages. We'll complete three good climbs today, before settling in for a scrumptious dinner and rustic riverside camping at King Mountain Recreation Area.

Although today's ride is mountainous, including some short 8 percent grades, we'll be amply rewarded by berry picking opportunities at Long Lake, and stunning views of the 27-mile-long Matanuska Glacier, located in the breathtaking Chugach range. Riders in the past have even opted to visit the glacier and play in the snow! We'll end the day's ride at the Grand View Café, where you might be tempted by a cold pre-dinner beer or a warm slice of pie.

The first bit of our ride today will be uphill, to Eureka Summit (3,322 feet), passing Sheep Mountain Lodge, locally famous for its made-from-scratch oatmeal-raisin cookies and cinnamon rolls. After that, we'll have an easy ride to our evening's rest spot at Mendeltna Creek Lodge and Campground. Gold in the creeks draining from the Chugach Mountains brought prospectors to this area in the late 1800s, so keep your eyes peeled!

Our ride today is mostly flat or downhill, which is lucky for us because we'll want to use all of our energy and senses to absorb the dramatic scenery--a plethora of lakes (Gergie, Arizona, and Buffalo, to name a few), awe-inspiring tundra, and, should you want an excuse to climb off your bicycle and stretch your legs, ample wild berry-picking opportunities. The Wrangell Mountains will dominate the skyline by the time we cruise through Glennallen, known for its natural beauty and great fishing.

Glennallen, Alaska, at the center of the Copper River Basin, is known as one of the area's premier outdoor recreation centers, as well as for being a very welcoming community. Groups in the past have opted for tours of the Copper Center (at one time a large Ahtna Athabascan village; later, a principal supply center for miners), riverboat cruises, salmon fishing, and simply sipping coffee at local eateries.

From our starting point today, we'll turn north onto the Richardson Highway. Alaska's first road, it was created in 1898, improved to automobile-serving status in the 1920s, and finally fully paved in the 1950s. The highway features spectacular views of the Alaska and Chugach Ranges, along with incredible pedaling along the Trans-Alaska Pipeline. We'll enjoy our camp and delectable dinner tonight, and perhaps imagine ourselves as the miners and gold prospectors of days gone by.

Along with some challenging climbs, today's ride offers spectacular views of the Alaska Range, which runs from Cook Inlet to the magnificent Mt. McKinley. As we pedal along the Denali Highway, we'll get a chance to experience the true remoteness of Alaska: brilliant, wide-open skies and the purest and freshest air imaginable. We'll also have the opportunity to commune with many types of feathered friends, from Arctic terns and cliff swallows to bald eagles and several species of loons.

Early in the day, we'll transition from paved to hard-packed gravel roads. We'll cross McLaren Pass-- the second highest pass in Alaska, and the highest on the Alaskan Highway System. At the summit we'll be rewarded with blueberry harvesting possibilities, before enjoying a screaming downhill to the McLaren River, just a few miles from the Continental Divide.

Today's scenic ride along the Denali Highway presents first-rate scenery the entire way, with essentially no traffic and no major climbs. You'll want to keep on the lookout for wildlife; this route is home to wild animals both large and small; bear, pika, moose, caribou, beaver, and fox, to name just a few. We'll cross the Susitna River, and then make camp and cook dinner in the presence of glistening glaciers.

Our ride today, which will include several short, steep climbs, features stunning views of the Alaska Range--especially Mt. Deborah, towering over 12,300 feet--and pedaling through permafrost-stunted, boreal forest made up primarily of spruce trees. After we pass by the Nenana River, we'll be treated to one of the grandest vistas on Earth: North America's highest peak, Mt. McKinley. With approximately 80 percent of its 20,320' elevation, or some 16,000 feet, rising above the surrounding landscape, McKinley's base-to-summit elevation is actually greater than that of Mt. Everest.

We'll bid farewell to our good friend, the Denali Highway, switching back to pavement on the George Parks Highway. This road offers a variety of tantalizing delights, not the least of which is the monster cinnamon roll at the Roadhouse, mile 16 ("Oh yeah, baby!" exclaimed one 2007 participant on viewing the sugary treat). Today's miles are mostly downhill, so it's a speedy ride to Denali National Park and our celebration dinner.

Although the tour officially ends at noon, you may choose to extend your stay in Denali to explore this incredible piece of Alaska. You'll have your pick of shuttle bus tours, wildlife tours, rafting, hiking, and cycling throughout the area, before you say goodbye to your new friends and make your way homeward (many tour participants opt for the scenic train ride back to Anchorage). Invigorated is how you'll feel after completing this fantastic, self-contained two week adventure--guaranteed!