View of Denali at sunset from Primrose Ridge.
During the summer in Denali National Park, private vehicles are not allowed beyond Savage River at mile 15 along the park road. However, in the spring before May 20 (when transit bus service normally starts in non-pandemic years) the road opens to private vehicles as far as the Teklanika River rest stop at mile 30. The park is popular with locals in the spring, with many visiting to observe wildlife, bike, hike, and take advantage of free camping before the tourists arrive. My favorite place to hike in the spring is Primrose Ridge, which features easy hiking terrain, great views of Denali, and many interesting rock outcroppings. But be prepared for the wind on top!
Last weekend I spent two beautiful, sunny days hiking around Primrose Ridge. I started hiking early in the morning, climbing up from a spur ridge that starts near a rest area around mile 17. There’s an unmaintained social trail leading from the road most of the way to the top, and it’s definitely worth finding the trail to minimize bushwhacking. (Hint: It starts just past the rest area across the road from the end of a gravel foot path.) Near the top, the lingering snow patches were still thoroughly frozen and I found hiking over them was easier than hiking on the tundra.
Rock outcropping on top of Primrose Ridge.
The top of Primrose Ridge is very broad, stretching over three miles from east to west between the Savage River and Sanctuary River. Across its length and along the several spur ridges leading to the top there are dozens of photogenic rock outcroppings, which also serve as wind breaks. Denali can also be seen from across the entire length of the ridge, making for endless photo opportunities. Mount Deborah looms to the east outside the park, appearing a little smaller than Denali but still majestic. There are steep canyons to explore on the north side of Primrose Ridge, and Healy is close enough to the northeast that you can pick up some spotty cell service.
View of Denali from the high point of Primrose Ridge, aka Mount Margaret.
I had hoped to find some animals on top of Primrose Ridge to photograph, but I failed to spot any. I’m trying to add a backcountry “animal & Denali” shot to my portfolio but finding an animal in the right spot at the right time is quite difficult. Oh well, maybe next time.
After exploring and climbing some of the rock outcroppings, I scouted a location to shoot the sunset. A few hikers from Fairbanks reached the top in the afternoon, and I chatted with them while they ate lunch. After they began descending, I nestled on a rock in the warm sun and took a nap.
View to the northwest from Primrose Ridge at sunset. Somewhere in the distance is the Stampede Trail and that famous bus.
As sunset neared, I set up my camera for my planned shot of Denali. With my camera taking photos on a timer, I hiked several hundred feet away and stood in front of the mountain as the sun went down and the light became progressively warmer. While the light was warm, the breeze certainly wasn’t; I took my jacket and mittens off for the picture, and by the time I finished posing my hands were numb.
I returned to my camera just in time to set up another shot facing the sun as it started to graze the horizon. I realized the same area wouldn’t work for a sunrise shot of Denali since the sun wouldn’t be shining on the foreground until later in the morning, so I continued hiking under the twilight toward the west end of Primrose Ridge in search of another perspective. Sometime before 2 a.m. I found a spot that would work for a similar “long-distance” selfie, but I hoped as I dozed off in my sleeping bag that I would find some sheep on the ridge to photograph when I awoke later, instead.
Denali at sunrise from the western end of Primrose Ridge. I meant to pose on the edge of the ridge for scale but missed my spot.
I woke up at 4 a.m. and there were no sheep, so I set my camera on a timer again and began hiking to get in place. I reached what I thought was the right spot and began posing, knowing my camera was taking a picture every minute from over a thousand feet away. But the section of ridge I meant to pose on was so featureless and looked so different when I grew closer with the sun shining on it that I hiked too high up it, just out of the camera frame. If I hadn’t been cold and tired I probably wouldn’t have made that mistake. Disappointed but mostly too tired and cold to care, I crawled back in my sleeping bag and went to sleep until mid-morning. After I awoke again, I packed up and started hiking back to the spur ridge I had climbed the day before. I passed a caribou antler but still didn’t spot any animals on the way down.
This summer, bus service will likely not start until July 1 if it starts at all, and it sounds like backcountry campers will be allowed to continue driving as far as mile 30 until then, so I’m planning on another trip up Primrose Ridge after it turns green and much of the remaining snow melts. Maybe the animals will show up by then.
If you’re interested in hiking or camping on Primrose Ridge, you can find more information on the Denali National Park website.