Our trek into the great beyond

We agreed long ago that our meager resources would be directed to traveling and building memories with the kids.  We're not interested in the power toys (especially four wheelers, snowmachines and boats) that so many Alaskans tend to blow their money on.  So we save up each year to take the kids somewhere unique and meaningful, which we toggle back and forth between someplace affordable and somewhere more far flung.  Last year was our big (and expensive) RV tour of California, so this summer we stayed closer to home, and concocted a round trip circuit along the picturesque Glenn, Richardson, Denali and Parks highways, traveling close to 600 miles in four days.

We had perfect weather for most of those days, and only once did it rain on us (though when it did, it really did).  After driving past Matanuska Glacier about two hours into our trip, and traveling through our first area of tundra, we arrived at Lake Louise, where we stayed the first night.  Despite the beautiful weather, the campground was nearly empty.  Islands dot the lake, many with houses and cabins on them.

Our second day took us through the town of Glenallen, where we connected with the Richardson Highway and headed north.  The terrain thus far consisted of mixed spruce forest (taiga), with instances of highland tundra.  Glaciers could occasionally be seen in the distance, and snowcapped mountains were never out of sight.  We would often have the road to ourselves, and though we saw many caribou crossing signs, we sadly never spotted any of the animals themselves.  As it was, the only critters we'd see throughout the trip were several brave campground birds and countless arctic ground squirrels.

After a brief run up the Richardson, we turned east at Paxson and began the most scenic and wild leg of the drive, along the historic Denali Highway.  Constructed as the original road to Denali National Park, the highway is a 135-mile two-lane stretch of mostly gravel, meandering through taiga and tundra, near the Alaska Range, and crossing the Susitna River.  The highway is famous for offering an exceptionally beautiful look at wild interior Alaska, with epic, sweeping vistas at every turn.

Our second night was spent at Tangle Lakes, one of the most concentrated archaeological sites in North America.  The final night was spent at Brushkana Creek, at the eastern end of the Denali Highway.

As we made our way south and toward home, we stopped at Byers Lake for a couple hours of canoeing.  It was the perfect end to a truly memorable vacation, and despite the mosquito bites, lack of showers, ever present campfire smoke and waterlogged tent, we all had an absolute blast.  Camping is one of our favorite activities, and we'll definitely be planning another outing for next summer.