From Palmer, we followed Parks Highway north. The first two days were not super exciting, riding past shopping malls, industrial areas, and endless private property.

From Willow onwards, we were increasingly able to catch glimpses of cloudless Mount Denali through the trees. Yes, we were among the lucky third of visitors who actually get to see the mountain on their trip to Alaska, and even for several days😊. The panorama from Denali State Park and over Broad Pass was once again simply magnificent! 

With temperatures above 30°C and fantastic weather, there was no question of skipping Denali National Park to save a few extra kilometers. We knew from numerous reports that the gravel road in the national park was only passable by official buses or bicycles up to mile 43. Since 2021, a landslide has prevented travel to the end of the 92-mile (148-kilometer) Denali Park Road. Construction work on a bridge is in full swing, but would not be completed until next summer at the earliest. Until then, only pedestrians and cyclists are allowed to bypass the landslide through a riverbed and continue on the road behind it without any motorized traffic. Although this option sounded very tempting, we assumed that the water level of the rivers in spring would still be too high and that we would not be able to get through.

When we inquired about this option at the information center, the ranger made it sound like it would be no problem at all. Hmmm, we were pretty sleep-deprived because we had camped in the bright sun the last “night,” which had not been restful at all. And we had actually expected to be advised against hiking with our bikes through the riverbed. But when else would we have the opportunity to experience Alaska’s most prominent national park so exclusively in glorious summer weather? Probably never again, because as soon as the bridge is finished, visitors will flock back to the end of the road.

We first had to drink a coffee to really wake up and gather our thoughts. After that, the decision was crystal clear: we weren’t going to miss this opportunity! At the national park’s backcountry office, we completed the mandatory safety briefing, which included an informative film about how to behave around wildlife, river crossings, finding a campsite, spitting out toothpaste, etc. Then we had to specify which areas of the park we intended to camp in, and we were handed a free permit to legally camp in the national park. What great service from the motivated ranger team!

Before we could set off, we had to take care of our provisions. After checking out the corner store in the park village, we realized that a trip to the neighboring village of Healy, 17 kilometers away, was inevitable. Unfortunately, the selection at that supermarket was neither appealing nor fresh or inexpensive. But we had to eat something! When shopping in rural Alaska, frustration is almost guaranteed: food is not only outrageously expensive, but also of incredibly poor quality. Baked goods, bread, tomato sauces, dairy products, beverages, etc. contain many times more sugar than our European products. The ready-made cheese spread contains no cheese at all, only flavorings, colorings, corn syrup, and palm oil. The so-called “Parmesan” is stretched with cellulose and still costs $5 per 100g. These are just a few examples. The most important thing is that everything has a well-known brand name, is enriched with more or less useful ingredients, and contains an even number of calories per serving, even if the serving sizes are ridiculously small. It’s a shame that in the US (or hopefully only in Alaska?), you have to become a health fanatic and study the composition of food if you want to eat reasonably well. Incidentally, we weren’t the only ones: many other tourists also stumbled through the store in consternation, wandering around the shelves in confusion.

Frustrated but with full pockets, we returned to the Denali National Park information center. There we stowed our unnecessary equipment and extra food supplies in a locker so that we could travel as light as possible on our little expedition. The next morning, we cycled deeper into the mountains on Denali Park Road. After the first few kilometers of paved road, the road turned into a smooth gravel track, which was only open to cyclists and the extremely considerate driving national park buses.

While the buses had to turn back due to the landslide at mile 43, we continued on. We pushed our bikes for eight exhausting kilometers through a wide creek bed and crossed several shallow river branches. David navigated us perfectly along the ideal line, so that we were exhausted but had no trouble reaching the road again behind the landslide. Voilà, there we were, cut off from civilization, but with the best infrastructure in the middle of the wilderness! Bike tracks, hiking boot prints, paw prints, and bear droppings showed that we weren’t alone😊. Because this part of the gravel road had hardly been used by heavy vehicles for four years, the surface was a bit looser and the ride more strenuous than on the first part of the route. But it didn’t matter that we weren’t making fast progress, because we had to stop every now and then to marvel at the view and take photos. We simply couldn’t get enough of the view of Mount Denali and the surrounding mountains (…as you can see from the extensive photo gallery😊).

We took a long break at the abandoned Eielson Visitor Center and watched as the view deteriorated rapidly due to smoke from forest fires in Canada. Since our calves were burning, our supplies in the bear canisters were dwindling faster than we would have liked, and an oncoming cyclist warned us about the mosquito plague at the end of the road, we decided to turn back early. After all, we still needed energy for the two-day return trip. But apart from the higher water level in the stream, it felt less strenuous than on the way in.
Back in civilization, we enjoyed cool drinks and took it easy the next day. Our goal was to ride 45 kilometers back to the turnoff onto Denali Highway, eat popcorn at the gas station, and wash our hair in the sink😊.

With favorable wind and weather conditions and a gravel road that was more like an asphalt road, the route along Denali Highway was also a pleasure, with magnificent views in all directions. However, we saw almost no wildlife. The area appears to be a hunting stronghold, where anything with fur and four legs is shot. Only porcupines apparently did not interest hunters. They are neither suitable as trophies nor for filling the freezer, lucky for them!

In the no longer existing town of Paxson, we reached the Richardson Highway and rode it with a strong tailwind through the Alaska mountain range to Delta Junction. Our constant companion was the Alaska Pipeline, a 1,287 km long steel pipe on stilts. Due to thermal expansion and the risk of earthquakes, the pipeline is only mounted on sliding bearings and has been transporting crude oil from the Arctic Ocean to Valdez since 1977. It is fascinating to see how the structure withstands the extreme environmental conditions. To our delight, we also enjoyed consistently dry, warm weather, which was now beginning to take its toll, causing many forest fires in Alaska and the Canadian Yukon. On the way to Tok, the landscape and we ourselves were often shrouded in thick smoke.

We had actually planned to take a well-deserved break in Tok so that we could reach Dawson City via the Top of the World Highway with renewed energy. However, both plans went up in smoke, and we decided to continue directly to Canada via the Alcan Highway. Numerous construction sites with the obligatory bike transport on pilot vehicles shortened our daily stages. Well, there are worse things.

As soon as we crossed the border into Canada, we saw significantly more wildlife and fewer people with guns. Wonder if there’s a connection😉?
Just as a friendly motorcyclist coming towards us showed us a video of a black bear he had recently spotted, our first grizzly bear trotted across the road nearby. So, they do exist! The fact that we encountered another grizzly bear on the way between our cooking and sleeping places admittedly robbed me of my sleep. Nevertheless, we were absolutely thrilled by both the animal encounters and the unexpected scenic beauty of the Yukon!

And we were looking forward to a break soon. The fire-related change of route had the huge advantage that Haines Junction was now on the way. Here we found a delightfully good grocery store and, in particular, the cottage of Beat, an acquaintance from Switzerland. Thirty-five years ago, through a stroke of luck, he had acquired a piece of land near Haines Junction, built a cottage on it, and kept it in good shape all these years. With detailed instructions sent by email, we were able to gain access to Beat’s cozy cabin with its Swiss flair. We feel at home here and are enjoying a few days of rest. Given our wonderful living situation, we are in no hurry to continue our journey😊. Thank you very much, Beat!