Denali National Park

The next day again, we had breakfast in our hill-top bungalow and left towards “Denali National Park”. The drive towards Denali was quite clear and we pulled over in multiple places and played with snow and took some pictures. We reached Denali and there was one other visitor than our group and he brought his guide-dog. There was the employee at the Visitor center as well. Apart from 9 of us, there was nothing else. Snow filled every bit of the land. The only place of warmth was the visitor center. Only the initial 5 miles of the park was open. So we decided to hike up to a nearby frozen lake in the park called “Horse shoe lake”.

With Snow-shoes on the horse-shoe lake

The entire path was filled with snow and we needed to wear something special. Yes, snow-shoes. This was the first time for me to do snow-shoeing. The hike was quite enjoyable. The lake was quite hard and it was definitely safe to walk on it. We saw a beautiful hare on the trail to the lake. We had our energy bars and drank some fluids. Then on the way back, we saw the 10th person. It was the engine driver of a train that runs through the park. We were quite surprised to see the train there. Then we headed back. The visitor center employee warned that there might be some snow-storm in an hour or so and asked us to leave quick. We did not see any signs of snow-storm. We stopped when we saw a Moose, took a break for lunch in a restaurant, stopped in the middle for taking pictures.

A picture before the storm

Whenever you are in some alien territory, listen to what the locals tell. If you don’t you might even have to drive in a snow-storm. Until that day, I had always wondered why they keep sign boards indicating the road curves right, curves left. Well, that evening, we could not see anything other than the road turn signs and we blindly followed the signs and drove home safe. That was a really thrilling experience. We spent the rest of the day looking out for Aurora. But we really could not see Aurora. There were a couple of buses full of Japanese tourists but none could see Aurora that night.

Bathing in Chena Hot Springs

The next day, we went to the “Chena Hot Springs”. The road is dead straight on the way to Chena hot springs from Fairbanks. We enjoyed bathing in the pool made from the spring water. We took bath in the 70 degree water when the external temperature was -35 degrees. There was quite some sulphur in the water but once you get into the water it is really difficult for you to come out of it since it is too cold to run from the pool to the building.

Transformation of a single block of ice

After the bath that day, we went to see the “World Ice Art Championships”. This was something amazing to see how the art is done and the skill involved in carving a single block of ice into something like this. It is really unbelievable to see how this is even possible. I will append a bunch of pictures from the Ice Art championships at the end of the post. Earlier that morning we went to the Ice Alaska as well to see how they do the art and maintain it at a low temperature inside an igloo.

These are all some of the memories from the best trip of my life so far.

Mountain Range enroute Denali

Ice Eagle

DNA of art

Isn't it too cold for Spring

Illusion

Aurora Borealis

So far in this blog, I have been writing only about National Parks I have visited. But I think I should write about this trip, the best so far in my life. We wanted to go to Alaska to see “Aurora Borealis”. Destination – “Fairbanks”. That’s the reason why we decided to go in winter. So how to choose the time for one such trip? December and January are quite cold. Try to avoid those severe winter months. We went in February end and it was close to a new moon. And at least go for 4 nights so that your probability for the “Northern Lights” increases. When it is close to a new moon, you get to see Aurora better is what we read somewhere.

Cleary Summit

Now, we started late in the evening from Seattle towards Fairbanks and on the way from the flight we were already seeing Alaska. The air-hostess was very graceful in pointing us to have a look at the incredible phenomena. The day we landed there was an Aurora storm. As soon as we landed there, we took a couple of 4X4 and drove to the place where we booked. So what is this place like? This was away from the city lights on top of a hill near Fairbanks. The place is called “Cleary Summit”, a ski resort as well as an Aurora observatory. We stayed in the lonely bungalow on top of the hill. I should thank the couple, Steve and Brenda for accomodating us and the facilities were amazing and way beyond our expectations.

The house we stayed in

We captured Aurora with our photographer friend’s camera. Slept wearing all thermals around 3 am after we were exhausted seeing the dance of the lights in the sky. It was mesmerizing. We were freezing at -35 degrees. The reason why we chose this place was to see and capture Aurora and we were able to do it. We were already happy about everything in the trip, for the prime reason already finished. The next morning, we woke up at ease and made breakfast there. We even took bath – we had supply of hot water there on top of the hill. And we hit the roads on the RAV4 and the 4Runner.

Dog-sled

The next morning we simply drove to some little town called North Pole and just bought some stuff and hanged out for sometime and then went to the snowfields. What is so special about these snowfields when Alaska is full of snow? We rid the “snow-mobile” and “dog-sled” on these snowfields. We were given Arctic wear for doing these rides as piercing through the cold needs such a thick covering. The dog-sledding was quite a simple one just that the dogs are quite furious and initially I had a fear getting near them. Later half way through the ride, the guide even taught us how to ride the sled.

Snow-mobile

Then we took the snow-mobile. It was difficult for me in the beginning. Then later it was fun. We climbed small hills of snow and even raced parallel to the great Alaskan oil pipeline. It was serious fun! And we retired to our hill-top bungalow for the stay. That day, there was no signs of Aurora. I spent a few hours staring at the sky and dozed off on the easy chair. So far in the trip everything was new to me. I have never seen Aurora, never rid snow-mobile or a dog-sled, never stayed in such an isolated place on top of the hill. We were totally satisfied and we had planned for 2 more days to come.

I will write more about them in the next post. I will just leave a few more pics here to show how great the Alaskan road service is and they clear snow and keep the roads always in great conditions.

Frozen River Tanana and the bridge on it

Our gang in front of the hill-top bungalow

Snow cleared bridge

Crater Lake

You can see the “Wizard Island” from the “Watchman overlook point”, the closest. Then there is a small cone like thing called “Phantom ship” and it has an overlook point for the same. Then there is a castle like colorful formation called “Pumice Castle”. This place is quite cold even in summer. And the ice goes away very slow. If you prefer to see the crater lake with ice, go sometime in May. The area can get drastic weather changes and there is no cell tower or any sort of signal. So go prepared. We went down to the boat starting point and it is fun getting down till there but it is a really steep hike up.

On the banks of Crater Lake

So how to get there and what else to do nearby. We came down from Seattle and stayed near Roseburg. We came in summer and hence we took the Diamond lake route to the north entrance. It is a nice drive there and diamond lake is also something which you can see. Then on the way back, we took the Umpqua river road and there are a lot of waterfalls. We took all those simple trails that led the waterfalls. We liked the “Clearwater falls”. Some dried up in summer like the Watson falls. The others were either quite a significant trail or a detour from our way back.

Near Roseburg, you have a town called Winston and there is a Wildlife Safari and do not miss it. I loved it so much. Then we took a different way back to Seattle via the coast. So we did the ATV/buggy rides in Florence Sand dunes recreation area. So I guess you know what to do in this place. Crater Lake as such just takes you 1 day but is a must see. Do not miss it. So combine with some of the other places to see and plan your trip.

Phantom Ship

Clearwater Falls

Buggy ride in the Sand dunes

Tunnel Arch

Pine tree arch

In this post I will write about the two best areas of the park namely Delicate Arch and the Devil’s Garden trail. First, let me share my experiences about the Devil’s Garden trail. This trail goes till the Devil’s garden as its name suggests. There are a number of named arches in this trail and in the sub-trails here. All are one of its kind arches, so don’t get bored of the arches and don’t leave any arch. This trail has the biggest arch of the park – the Landscape arch. First you need to take a sub-trail to see the “Tunnel Arch” and the “Pine tree arch”. This is just an opening for the trail. Pine tree arch is quite big and approachable. The tunnel arch has to be viewed from a distance.

Landscape Arch

Navajo Arch

After the pine tree arch, we get back on to the main trail and on the main trail you will pass through the “Landscape arch” viewpoint. Then after Landscape arch the trail gets difficult. You have to climb a steep path and my best bet is that there was the “Wall arch” which is broken now. Here you can see the actual broken arch and remains of an old arch. Again a couple of sub-trails have to be taken for two arches namely the “Navajo arch” and the “Partition arch”. Both these arches are approachable. Navajo arch is also a cool place like the sand dune arch. Partition arch provides a spectacular view of the entire area. Then you get back on the main trail for another totally different trail experience, walking on the cliff. Yes it takes you to the “Double O Arch”.

Me in the smaller side of the Partition arch

Double O Arch

From here you can finish the trail by taking an unpaved trail or you can continue to the “Dark Angel” which is not an arch. On the way to the Double O Arch, you will be able to see the various formations “Black Arch” and many structures which could be the devil’s garden. Ok, let me not write more on this and quickly move on to the “Delicate Arch”. A write-up on Arches National Park is never complete without mentioning Delicate arch for this being the most photographed arch in the world. It is amazingly beautiful. A few points which I would like to convey are:
1. Do not combine the Devil’s garden trail and the Delicate arch trail on the same day – both are strenuous trails and you will be worn out by the end of the day unless you are really fit.
2. Make sure you are there near the Delicate arch for sunset.

There are a couple of places to see the Delicate arch from. One is a viewpoint from a lower trail and the other close to it. The second one is the most preferred and you can see a line of photographers seated with their stands setup and waiting for the sunset time. You cannot see the sunset colors from the lower trail. So take the lower trail in the morning time and go near the arch for sunset. Believe me, the sunset on the delicate arch is absolutely fantastic. This is also a strenuous trail. If I remember correct, there is a lower view point of the delicate arch which is approachable for wheelchairs. The other view point and the trail to the arch are not approachable. The trail to the arch is quite steep and you have to climb a hillock. There will be stones kept as markers for the trail and make sure you follow them. Now, with this I will close this post with a few photos of the Delicate arch.

Delicate arch from the view point trail

Delicate arch at Sunset

Sunset colors on Delicate Arch

Sunrise colors at Arches

Getting to the “Arches National Park” is quite simple. What we(me and my friend) did was, we flew to Salt Lake City, Utah and then took a rental car to Arches. We stayed in a simple motel called “Riverside Inn” in “Moab”, the town nearby Arches National Park. We went there on a weekend in September and the sunrise was around 7:30 am. We had breakfast and left before sunrise to the National Park. There were people who were already entering the park and we could recognize the photographers in them. The sunrise was simply amazing and the colors we could see at the time on the rocks were brilliant. If there is a big structure of sandstone for the sunrise, just stop by and go for it. It is giving great colors. Try to stop near the “Three Gossips” for the sunrise.

North and South Window

After sunrise we kept driving into the park towards the first important sight. On the way we could see a lot of small arches and upcoming arches. The wind will keep working and in future there could be more arches here. Also, we saw the Couthouse Towers and there from there you can see the remains of an old-day arch. Then we saw the “Balanced Rock”. It is a small simple trail that goes around the balanced rock and it is really nice to see from a distance as if you go closer the base you will see to be quite big in itself and the balancing will seem to be just as normal. Now, we headed towards the first area of arches – “The Windows”. In this area, there is a trail that covers 3 good arches namely “Turret Arch”, “North Window” and “South Window”. This is just over 1 mile for the main trail but there are some unpaved trail areas which will go around the Windows and we had to take it since the sun was on the other side and the purpose was this picture above on the right.

Double Arch

After seeing the windows, we went to see the “Double Arch”. You need to carry lots of water if you are going in summer. It is a dry area and you will need lots of fluids. By the time, you see these arches, you will be quite tired. There are no restaurants/food outlets in the park. We went to have lunch in Moab. You can also pack food to save time. Water is available at a few trailheads and you can get bottled water at the visitor center near the entrance of the park. There is another good arch on the roadside with a few feet walk to it called “Skyline arch”. There are couple other arches with a single trailhead. The cool area is called “Sand dune arch”. It is really nice and cool and as the board there would suggest, it would be a good area for the kids. We decided to skip the “Broken arch” as the name itself was not sounding right. And now, I will have to stop this post with some of the pictures of these arches. In the next post (probably two), I will write about the Devil’s Garden trail and the Delicate arch. As usual, some pictures for you below.

Turret Arch

Balanced Rock

Three Gossips

Skyline Arch

Reflection of the glaciers on Many Glacier road

The next morning we took the “Many Glacier Road”. The first day being just a simple sight-seeing, the next day we took the longish trail to the “Iceberg Lake”. Yes, that was the goal of the trip – the visitmt.com photo! So on the way to the trailhead, on the Many Glacier road there is a small dam and we were able to see the reflection of the glacier mountains on the still water. This sight, we expected to see on the Lake McDonald or St. Mary lake but due to the wind or boating we could not see so well. This was a lovely sight.

Moose on the Iceberg lake trail

This trail is supposed to be with a lot of bears and we started the trail with all whistling and continuous talking. Fortunately or unfortunately, we did not meet any bear on the trail. The initial steep hike alone is the tough part of the trail after that it was such a pleasant walk. The trail is 4.5 miles one way and we took one break near the waterfalls(I believe its name is Ptarmigan falls). This place is almost the midway of the trail. We had a nice pleasing walk through the forest. We just saw a moose on the way and no bears!

Since we went very early in the spring, the last part of the trail was still full of snow and there were flags marked to help you follow the trail. This was simply amazing to note how great a job these people do in the National Parks. And finally, we reached the Iceberg Lake and it was stunning. I saw icebergs floating on water for the first time in my life. The color of the water changing everytime the sun went inside the clouds. The days we went were mainly clear days. We spent quite sometime. Had lots of photos taken and got somewhere close to the visitmt photograph.(well, the one on the site is a lot better, the sight we got to see was the same). I will end my experiences on my trip to Glacier national park with a few more pictures taken on the trail.

Ptarmigan falls on the way to Iceberg lake

Iceberg lake - Icebergs floating on the water

Our attempt at the visitmt.com photo

Speed Boating on Lake McDonald

The next day early in the morning, we started towards West Glacier and it was one of the best drives. You will go via the “Flathead lake” which is really BIG. And the days we traveled were having clear blue skies. And the water was blue in open areas, green on the borders with leaves reflecting on the water. It was a pleasure driving along Flathead lake. Then we reached West Glacier and took the “West entrance” of the Glacier national park. Then we started driving on the Going to the sun road. We saw the lovely “Lake McDonald”. We stopped in the Lake McDonald lodge. Took a speed boat and we rode the boat on the huge lake. It was an experience of lifetime to ride a boat. We got life jackets and all four of us never have driven on boat. The right and left are opposite to control and it made it thrilling and the waves on the lake made us feel that we are on an ocean. The views from the lake were really great.

Glacier view from a tunnel

After the boating, we had lunch at the lodge and then saw “McDonald Falls”. I simply could not keep track of the waterfalls we saw on the way. There a lot of glaciers – the number is decreasing rapidly. By 2020 or so, people estimate there won’t be any glacier left. These are the people who really know how bad Global warming is. And on reading the articles there, you will have to become very conscious of the ill-effects of global warming. The road is very scenic and you will have to stop in many places. The tunnels and the glacier viewpoints through them, the waterfalls, the trees, greenery – simply amazing. “Jackson Glacier” is the most prominent of all. The on the road you can see the “Weeping Wall”. It is something different and mostly one of its kind.

Mountain Goat climbing the snow-clad mountain

After this comes the engineering wonder, “Triple Arches”. This road is a marvel in the engineering history and was made out of materials in the same area. There you will be close to “Haystack falls”. From this area you can see a waterfall called “Bird Woman falls” at a distance which is really a very high waterfall just below the hanging valley glacier. Then we headed towards “Logan pass”. We saw a mountain goat as we were approaching the pass. The temperature dropped as we reached Logan Pass. We also saw a marmot there. Then we spent some time there and then left towards “St Mary”. The lake there is big and you again can see two colors. After reaching the St. Mary area, we exited by the St. Mary entrance and went to the “Two Medicine” area. Two medicine does not indicate any two peaks. The name has a Blackfeet tribal story behind it. We did not do much in this area. We just saw the Lower Two Medicine lake and the peak there.

Then we went up again and Chief mountain highway and saw the “Chief Mountain”. Then we retired to our hotel in Babb. This was the first day. There are so many wow-places in the park especially on the Going-to-the-sun road. I will add some more pics of the day.

Weeping Wall

Two Medicine area

Chief Mountain

Haystack Falls near Triple arches

Bison in front of our car

It was too cold and we had planned to go on a drive toward “Hayden Valley” from the “Canyon Campground” before sunrise. We (3 of us out of 12) just slept for just 3-4 hours and left early in the morning. And  it was worth the experience. We saw a bison herd crossing. We saw lots of deers and elks. The beauty about the early dawn is that the animals are active and they are in groups. It is a great sight for any wildlife lover. Then we got back to the campground and we saw yet another bear on the way. Then we headed towards the shower rooms and the old lady there told me that she has been in the park for quite a long time and she had never seen a bear yet and told us that we were lucky.

A view near Artist point

Then all of us took the second loop the bottom one. We went to see the “Grand canyon of yellowstone”. There is a north rim and south rim drive and to my memory it is a one way loop. It is really good. It may not be so great as the Grand canyon itself but it is a nice canyon. And to know the source of the water cutting the canyon, you have to see the “Upper Falls” and the “Lower Falls”. The upper falls is pure white from a distance and the ferocity is just too much. The lower falls is taller than the upper falls and is one of the best waterfalls I have ever seen. There is a viewpoint called “Artist point” and it is worth going to that place.
Then after seeing the canyon area, we drove along the “Yellowstone river” and made quick stops at “Sulphur Caldron” and the Mud Volcano area. We just quick ran through the Mud volcano trail and saw the “Mud Volcano” and there is something called “Dragon’s mouth spring”. These are really great to read and see but standing near them is yucky. They stink because of the high sulphur content. We saw the places and read about them on the board nearby and came running to the car.

Old Faithful geyser

Then we just went to the “Fishing bridge” enjoyed the views there, took some snaps and then went towards “Grant Village” for lunch in the lake view hotel. Then we had the highlights of the trip still left to be seen. So we headed straight towards “Old Faithful” and saw it erupting perfectly on time as per prediction (they say they do not schedule but their prediction is as good as show timing schedule ). Then we went to the “Midway Geyser Basin” where we saw a lot of springs. The very first one “Excelsior” is the best to me but everyone would say “Grand prismatic spring” as the best. The point is that the Grand prismatic spring is covered with the steam and you might not get to see a prism of colors, I was just able to see 3 colors.
The above was the best part of the day. Then we wrapped up our day by seeing all the remaining geysers which were quite similar. We saw some eruption of a geyser black in color in the “Biscuit basin”. We also saw the “Fountain Paint pot” and also the “Firehole canyon” area. They were becoming boring at the end of the day. You can skip some less famous geysers unless you know they are going to erupt in some time soon. You can collect some information from the Old Faithful area on the various eruption timings of the various glaciers and know the error +/- timing for the prediction they give. Then for the end of the day, our stay was planned in the “Flag Ranch campground”. We drove towards that area and this drive is quite scenic. We stopped in many places and the “Lewis Falls” is one of them. It is a small falls but it is really beautiful. And just before entering the campground, I had to brake for the black bear which crossed in front of our car.
So these words are just my memories of the trip we did and on the whole, “Old Faithful” should be given the pick of the day award and “Yellowstone” is an experience on its own. It is a different world altogether. And let me end it with more pictures.

The baby bisons and the herd

Other wild animals

Grand Prismatic Spring

Excelsior spring - Midway geyser basin area's first spring

The trip I made to Yellowstone was quite a one of its kind trip. This was a long drive from Seattle. We reached West Yellowstone in a 14 hour drive. We stayed on the first night in a hotel called Stage coach inn. http://www.yellowstoneinn.com/ – The hotel was very good than we had expected. It is not a forest yet! The town is very lively. The next morning we entered the Yellowstone national park. Yellowstone National Park has two loops where you have almost all the main attractions. You will get this map http://www.yellowstonenationalpark.com/images/YELLmap1.pdf, when you enter the national park. There are too many things to see and you need to time your trip accordingly. Spending more time in the main attractions is definitely worth it.

Bison in Yellowstone

We took the west entrance and moved towards Madison beside the “Madison River“. After Madison, this becomes the “Gibbon River“. And if you think there is nothing in this area to watch, trust me you will see the first bison in this area. So watch out for the bisons.  After crossing Madison, the first attraction which you will see right by the side of the road is the Gibbon falls. Then comes the first geyser “Beryl Spring“. There will be quite some more tiny geysers on the side of the road. These are signs which would tell you that you are entering the “Monument Geyser basin“. Monument geyser basin is a very colorful area and a nice hike. Always beware of the fact that sulphur stinks really badly.

Black bear in yellowstone

After the monument geyser basin, we went to the “Artist Paint pots“. This is a really superb hike and it is worth going to the view from the top. You can see the palette formation and for the pots you can see paint bubbling and the paint would be in different colors. Those are some chemicals like the white one being CaCO3. After this you can reach the “Norris geyser basin“. This area has one of the tallest geyser called “Steamboat Geyser“.  After this area, you can head towards the must see place “Mammoth hot springs“. While going towards the Mammoth hot springs, I saw a Black bear.

Then there are some waterfalls on the way which we skipped and went to the “Petrified Tree” area.  And after that we saw the “Tower Falls“. Then, for the end of the day, we went to the “Canyon campground” area and camped there in our tents. This loop can be seen in 1 day where the day is long summer day! If you can spare more time, try to see the “Undine falls” and “Wraith falls” and the “Blacktail Ponds“. And the must see area is “MAMMOTH HOT SPRINGS“. And if you think why, see the pictures below.

End of the Mammoth hot springs trail

Mammoth hot springs

Grizzly in Yellowstone

Tree in Petrified tree area

Mount Rainier on a sunny summer day

I have done only single day trips to Mount Rainier National park. There are 4 entrances to Mt. Rainier National park namely Nisqually, Stevens Canyon, White River and Carbon River. The best part of Mount Rainier I would say is the Paradise and to visit Paradise, I would recommend taking the “Nisqually entrance”.

The last trip I made to Paradise, was quite good. It was summer (mid-July), and Paradise will be the one you would have dreamt of. So how you can plan a 1-day trip from Seattle area to Mt. Rainier National Park:

Start early in the morning, around 7am. You can reach the park within 2 hours. Enter the park through the Nisqually entrance and follow the map you get at the entrance. You can have a brief view of Rainier from the “Kautz creek” and note the colors in the Kautz creek. Then continue towards “Longmire”. There is a trail on this path called “Trail of the Shadows”. You can see some the springs in the trail. They are not hot water springs but I remember reading it as hot gas (CO2) and cold water. This trail is quite scenic and you can see many wild flowers around the trail. This trail is across the Longmire museum, just to make sure you don’t miss it.

After this trail, keep driving towards “Paradise”. The trail with a lot of adventurous sub-trails is the one to “Carter falls”. This trail is really long and it goes till Paradise. I have gone till “Madcap falls” and taken some sub-trails. Carter falls is in a really dense area and you won’t be having a great view. You will have to peep through the trees to see it falling in two strips. And do not stop with this. Go a few more feet you will see the Madcap falls. Just after the Madcap falls, there is an adventurous subtrail. Take this, and it is worth it. You need to walk on a fallen tree (I hope you will find this tree). There you will find another lovely waterfalls. This would be like the ones where you the heroines dance in Indian movies. Never worry about the down-trek, it is very easy to come down this steep hike.

After that, you can see “Christine falls” on the way to Paradise. There is a viewpoint as well you can see it from. Then comes “Narada falls”. This is just a 0.1 mile hike again and you will reach this place mostly when the sun is right above your head. There will be moisture all over the area, so take care of your cameras. This place is very famous for the rainbows. So you will definitely be taking a few snaps. If you plan to stay a little longer in this place, you might need to carry your ponchos. This falls you can reach from the Carter falls trail as well.

Narada Falls from a shady subtrail

Then you can go to Paradise. This place is right as its name tells you. It is a paradise with all wild flowers grown. You can break for lunch here. There is a Paradise Inn hotel as well in case you are planning an overnight stay. There are a lot of trails in the Paradise area. The “Skyline trail” is the longest. You can go to the Panoramic view point. You can have a look at the other peaks as you climb higher. Climbing Mt. Rainier needs permission and if you are a novice climber, you need to get a ranger to lead you. I was just happy looking at the Nisqually glacier from a distance. There are many cases of deaths, frost bites which we hear of as people go higher. On exceptional days, people climb the Nisqually glacier and ski down. On the wildlife, I have just spotted a black-tailed deer and nothing else.

After Paradise, if you go further, down the valley towards Stevens Canyon entrance, you will see the Reflection lakes. You can see the reflection of the trees and Rainier in the waters. If you are planning a longer trip, definitely visit the Silver falls and Sunrise lake. If you want to take shorter trails in Paradise, take the Alta Vista trail or Glacier Vista trail.

So, with this I would like to add a few more pics of the wild flowers in Paradise and conclude the first post of mine. This is one of the must-see places around Seattle.

A wild flower in Paradise area

Variety of wild flowers in Paradise

More wild flowers in Paradise