As you travel north of the George Parks Highway through the center of Alaska, there's a potential to see many animals along the road or crossing the road. One particular trip we took up the highway we spotted nearly one hundred living creatures not including humans between Wasilla and the Alaska Range.
The paved road that leads to the little village of Talketna begins at milepost 99. This little town is 16 miles north and in the winter has plenty of snow, It is located near the junction of the Talketna River and the Susitna River. There is lots of fishing in this area during the months of June and July.
Just up the road from the Talketna Spur Road at milepost 115 is the small town of Trapper Creek. This is where a dirt road, Petersville Road, heads back into the hills where many homesteads were staked 30 years ago.
As we continue north we begin climbing into the Alaska Range and you begin to see many viewpoints where you can see Mt. McKinley, the largest mountain peak in North America, 20,320 ft. At milepost 134.5 is a small restaurant, Mary's McKinley View Lodge, that has an overlook to see the Great One. During this point of the trip north the highway follows and crosses the Chilitna River as it flows south into the Susitna River.
Cantwell, Alaska is located at milepost 210 on the Parks Highway and is basically at the summit of the Alaska Range. 166 people live in this little town year round.
Further up the road at milepost 237 is the entrance to Denali National Park, the largest National Park in the United states. The Visitors center is a mile or so from the entrance up the paved part of the Denali Park Road. The only way to visit the National park is to pay and reserve a seat on several different guided and unguided trips into the park by bus or van. There is lots of concession vendors in this area that are only open from May through September.
In part four we will continue to travel north on the Parks Highway.
