A View of Denali from Kesugi Ridge

August 2016  |  Alaska

In mid-August after looking at rainy forecasts in Alaska for weeks, there was finally a one-day window of sun in the weather forecast. We high-tailed it towards Denali and went on a quick one-night backpack trip up Kesugi Ridge, in Denali State Park just across the valley from Denali National Park. With clear weather the view of Denali from Kesugi Ridge is supposedly amazing; the question was, would the weather forecast pan out and the clouds clear enough for us to see the big peak?

A view of rugged peaks in the Alaska Range, Denali National Park.

A view of rugged peaks in the Alaska Range, Denali National Park.

The giant flank of Denali appears through a break in the clouds. The scale of Denali dwarfs the rugged peaks far below.

The giant flank of Denali appears through a break in the clouds. The scale of Denali dwarfs the rugged peaks far below.

When Denali is covered in clouds (which is most of the time) you can't tell where the peak is or how big it is. But when the...

When Denali is covered in clouds (which is most of the time) you can't tell where the peak is or how big it is. But when the clouds break up and Denali emerges, its massive scale is mind-boggling, like a Himalayan peak got misplaced in Alaska. This is the view from Kesugi Ridge across the valley from Denali.

A spectacular view of Denali, the tallest peak in North America with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 m), as seen from...

A spectacular view of Denali, the tallest peak in North America with a summit elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 m), as seen from Kesugi Ridge.

Big Sky Chinook tent on Kesugi Ridge, with Denali behind in the distance - Alaska.

Big Sky Chinook tent on Kesugi Ridge, with Denali behind in the distance - Alaska.

We were stoked to catch a view of Denali, but with more bad weather rolling in, we packed up our tent and walked back down to spend a week relaxing and waiting out the weather in Anchorage.

Posted in Backpacking & Trekking and tagged Alaska, August.