Only 50% of climbers successfully reach the top of Mt. McKinley, which is North America’s highest point at 20,320 feet tall. It turns out that just seeing Mt. McKinley’s summit is an accomplishment, because it’s usually shrouded in clouds. Well, its peak wasn’t completely revealed tonight from my vantage at the McKinley Princess Hotel, but it came fairly close. I managed to snag an excellent seat at the hotel’s Mountain View restaurant, which lived up to its name. It provided a very dramatic backdrop for my delicious asagio-crusted halibut with risotto.
The McKinley Princess Hotel is located in Denali State Park (not to be confused with Denali National Park, scene of my 12-hour bus ride). The hotel is 40 miles away from Mt. McKinley, which makes it a great place to view the mighty mountain – when it wants to be seen. Winter is supposedly the best time to see the summit, but the hotel is only open from May through September.
I also got a great view of McKinley from Denali National Park yesterday morning. I was at least 100 miles further away from the mountain than I was today, but what I saw was still pretty cool, as you can see in the photo of below.
Comped but never compromised: I’m on an Alaska Twitter Press Trip with Princess Cruises, but I’m free to write whatever I want.
Wow! That second photo really puts things in perspective – and those subtle colors in first one looks so dreamy, like a painting.
I love that second shot…. “ah, those mountains in the distance are nice…. oh wait, wow, those aren’t just clouds, there’s a huge mountain up there!”