I returned this fall to Denali National Park where I spent a week hiking, cycling and flying across the Denali landscape. The colors were vibrant and there is nothing like an aerial perspective of The Great One, Mount Denali.
Narrow Passage
An Alaskan passenger train enters Denali in fall splendor
Along the banks of the Chulitna River on Denali's east side grows some of the most magnificent stands of larch and aspen.
Thorofare Pass shows off fall's colors and winter's early snowy arrival
Arrival of autumn's first snow
The high peaks of the Alaskan Range have already received their first new snow of the season.
Snow coats the highest peak. In days it will reach the valley.
Spruce trees stand silhouetted against the snowy peaks of the Alaskan Range, one of only 15 species of trees that can be found in Denali due to its cold, wind, elevation and short growing season.
Banked by vast fields of blueberries, turned red by autmn's chill, Wonder Lake stretches to Denali.
Denali's floor is carpeted with berry bushes, lichens and small grasses that have adapted to its unique environment
In this harsh climate, the tundra floor is carpeted by plants that, to survive, will grow only a few inches.
Cranberries and soap berry can be found across the Denali tundra.
Denali Park Road
Denali Park Road in fall
Fog rises in the distance above Wonder Lake, as Denali gleams in the early morning sun above Nugget Pond and the red berry bushes and yellow larch that surrounds it.
Denali reflects in Nugget Pond
Surrounded by berry bushes that have turned red with autumn's arrival, Nugget Pond is the perfect place to watch Denali in the morning cool.
From the steps of the lodge at Camp Denali lies exquisite Nugget Pond and one of the best views of Denali
Aerial view of Denali's stream beds that carry the sediment and stone ground by the glaciers and snow atop the nearby mountain.
Denali's riverways glisten below
The peaks of Denali reach more than 20,000'
Clouds form almost daily around Denali's peak as the moist air from the Pacific is forced up and into the subzero air that surrounds the mountain's highest peaks.
Denali in Black and White
A flightseeing plane is dwarfed in the Denali mountainscape
A high mountain ridge guards the entrance to Denali's peaks
An ode to Ansel Adams who photographed this scene of Wonder Lake and Denali in 1947 and marveled then that "Alaska is one of the most impressive reservoirs of beauty and wilderness - an inexhaustible resource for creative interpretation."
In early September, the larch and aspen along the banks of McKinley Creek turn a resplendent yellow.
Miles of blueberry bushes carpet the shores of Wonder Lake as the Alaskan Range and Denali catch the morning sun.
A large boulder is a reminder of the glacial forces that shaped the Denali landscape
Termination Dust, as the first snow is called, coats Denali and the ridges below it, above Wonder Lake
From the shoreline of Wonder Lake, Denali stands clear this September morning.
The Alaskan Range and Denali beckon in the distance beyond Nugget Pond
Denali Portrait
Denali Beckons
Golden leaves, red berry bushes, blue skies and a clear view of Denali greet me at sunrise by Camp Denali.
Reflection Pond Panorama
Reflection Pond Classic
Carved by glaciers thousands of years ago, kettle ponds like Reflection Pond dot the Denali landscape. On this peaceful morning, Denali reflects in the still waters as a large, loud kettle of sandhill cranes rides the thermals above.
A kettle of sand cranes ride the thermals higher and higher above Denali as they begin their migration south
A handful of blueberries.
Denali's waters reflect the blue skies above, with stands of aspen along the shores.
A bird's eye view of Denali's fascinating river structure
Denali panorama in black and white
Denal's peak is cloaked in the pink light of early dawn
Three caribou cross the Denali autumn landscape
A male caribou leads the way
A young grizzly searches for ground squirrels
A young grizzly bear hunts for ground squirrels near Sable Pass.
A grizzly licks its lips in anticipation
Autumn Road in Alaska
Autumn Along the Chulitna River
A large bull moose emerges from the willow thicket
It is the September rut, and this large male is determined to send off a younger male.
A short-eared owl looks for rodents
One of Denali's most sensational views can be found here at Thorofare Pass and Gorge Creek
WInter's arrival above fall's brief and fading color palette
An aerial approach to Denali reveals the glacial river paths, volcanic origins and immensity of Denali
The eastern face of Denali in the clear of mid morning
An aerial view of the north and south peaks of Denali
The high ridges guarding Denali's peaks are buried deep in snow
The strong winds that rush across Denali shape the deep snows like so many swirls of whipped cream
Almost to the Top - a view of Denali's peaks suggests, wrongly, volcani origins.
Fortress Denali
The western face of Denali rises above the clouds in the late afternoon
The steep walls and canyons along Denali's eastern face
HIdden Views of Denali
Heavy snows are loaded on the western face of the ridges leading to Denali's peaks
Denali's Approach
Mineral and water deposits color the Denali floor
Glacial path leading to the west from Denali
Late afternoon sun on Denali
Denali's western face in black and white
As the sun rapidly descends to the horizon, Denali glow turns golden.
Much of the mountain is obscured by clouds, but the zone above is bathed in beautiful the beautiful light of early evening
Denali's Golden Glow - in moments like this you forget the turbulence and rush of frigid air as you hang out the open door of a small plane
The golden glow of sunset begins to fade on Denali
As the golden glow fades, it is replaced briefly by the pink and purple of evening's alpenglow
Denali Alpenglow