If you've visited some of the US National Parks in the past few years, you may have heard of their lottery system. Essentially, there are locations that are just so stunning and beautiful, that they become quickly over populated and trampled upon. To combat this, the US Department of Interior began to implement lottery systems at various popular locations across many of the parks around the country. One of them being Denali National Park in Alaska.
Denali National Park and Preserve is known best for the very mountain is it named after, Denali. It is a vast area of land that covers all types of climate and land formations, and protects countless species and wildlife. To truly uphold the qualities of this great park, only one road was constructed through the park itself. This means that there is only one way in and one way out, which would sound like quite the mess. However, Denali has a bus system that transports park explorers in and out of the park as they please. With this, there is no way to drive into the park yourself. There's no way to stop and go as you please. It's not possible to drive all the way to the end of the 92.5 mile road, past Wonder Lake, to the small private community located in the heart of the Park.
This is where the lottery comes into play. Every May, the National Parks System opens up lottery registration for one month. Each person is allowed to apply once for the lottery, which would award them a ticket for private, individual passage through the park later that same summer. It's really quite an interesting concept, as the winning weekend is hosted on the final days the park remains open for access in September. Only a few hundred passes are given out each year to contestants, which apply by the tens of thousands. Winning the lottery allows a person to drive their own personal vehicle into the park and travel at their own pace across the course of that final summer weekend.
There are a few other important things to know about Denali. The mountain can be quite bashful and is on average seen only 52 days of the year, with the majority of those days occurring in the winter when the park is completely closed. Also, snow can fall at any time of year in the park, even in the warmest Alaskan month of July. So between the weather and the likelihood of seeing the mountain, timing and luck are everything.
This past summer, I not only won the road lottery, but my pass was on a crystal clear, warm, beautiful day. The conditions for visibility and road access were absolutely perfect. As part of winning the lottery, I was allowed to bring a vehicle and as many people as I could fit in it with me. We had good company, decent food, and fantastic views. What more could you ask for?
I highly encourage visiting Denali National Park, and if you happen to be a resident or you know you'll be in town for the third weekend of September, put in for the road lottery. It may just be one of the best days of your life. It certainly was for me.
Now, since I can't take you back in time with me, here are some photos from the trip. They certainly do not do the grand nature of the park any justice, but I certainly tried my best to convey just how amazing it was.
Denali National Park and Preserve
f/1.4 | 5s | 24mm | ISO 1250 - In order to have the most time possible in the park, we camped the night before in the town of Healy so that we were close by to get an early start on the day. There we stayed up half the night watching the Northern Lights dance across the sky.
f/5.6 | 1/125s | 24mm | ISO 400 - The following morning, we arose and packed up as quickly as possible. On our way out of the campground, we saw a beautiful reflection on the lake. The clouds opposite of the sunrise were catching the most stunning light and colors. That accompanied with the autumn season rolling across the Interior, made for a very special sight.
f/10.0 | 1/500s | 70mm | ISO 250 - The day started off cloudy, which was quite daunting for a while. However, it allowed small pockets of light to shine through, which illuminated these mountains quite nicely.
f/2.8 | 1/800s | 85mm | ISO 100 - My friend, Teo, taking in the scenery.
f/7.1 | 1/640s | 75mm | ISO 100 - There she was: Denali, in all her glory. And on such a clear, beautiful day too. The clouds began to break just as we crested over the mountains to view into this valley below. This was a wonderful sign of things to come.
f/6.3 | 1/640s | 85mm | ISO 100 - As I said before, not only was it special that we were even here for the lottery, but it was extremely rare that the mountain would show herself this well. We couldn't believe our fortune that everything would align perfectly for us. Our friends, Rod and Bex, took in the fantastic views that stood before them.
f/9.0 | 1/1000s | 70mm | ISO 100 - And as the mountain cleared for us, smaller valleys surrounding the are shuttered in their own unique weather. I thought these clouds were insane and couldn't let them swirl without capturing their immensity.
f/9.0 | 1/320s | 39mm | ISO 100 - The magnificent Wonder Lake. Known all over the world for its incredible reflection. The Alaska Range sits perked just beyond and above it, sitting perfectly in place to show itself off to the world below.
f/5.6 | 1/400s | 70mm | ISO 500 - And of course, last, but certainly not least, Denali. This mountain is the tallest peak in all of North America at just over 20K feet. It is truly humbling standing below her. We were lucky enough to have an entire day in the park, nearly all to ourselves. After it got late enough and close to sunset, the park rangers began to sweep us out of the park. We were literally the last group and they could not leave until we did. Thankfully though, they weren't too pushy and we were able to stop for a few moments and soak up the unforgettable images unfolding in front of us. This was one of the greatest days of my life thus far and this moment was the cherry on top.
Visiting Denali National Park and Preserve is something that everyone should do at least once in their lifetime. It displays the true, untouched beauty of nature and just how wonderful everything can be. The moments we shared in this place were unmatched and will stay with me for the rest of my life. I one day hope to return to this place and soak it all in again, but until then, the memories and photographs shall have to suffice. I won the greatest lottery life had to offer. One with a payout of moments, composed of natural beauty, good friends, and adventure.
Best to you with your own lottery,
Dimitri