Denali National Park, Alaska

Denali National Park is more of a reserve than a place designed for visitors. It's big - about as big as Vermont - so there's plenty of room for wildlife to spread out and get comfortable. And they do.

Private vehicles are not allowed on most of the one main dirt road that leads into the park, so visitors must take a tour on a bus (or hop on a park-provided shuttle) to see what the place is like. The drive can be a little scary, but there are plenty of good views of the mountains and valleys.

We were lucky enough to be greeted by this moose when we entered the park, and saw a few more along the way during an 8-hour trip. We also saw some caribou and bald eagles.

The highlight, though, was a bear sighting. Mr. Bear was spotted taking a little swim in a creek near the first rest stop, probably the Teklanika River. The bear came out of the water, did a bit of a shake, and walked along the riverbed. Then the animal went up the hill, cut in front of our bus (we had halted) on the road, and headed for the wilderness. And thanks for dropping by.

Here's a video look at the Tundra Wilderness Tour:



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