Back in 2016, Denali National Park in Alaska had a lottery program that awarded working photographers access along the entire 92-mile park road with their vehicles. Normally, car traffic beyond Savage River at mile 15 is prohibited to keep the park as wild and undisturbed as possible. (The exception is campers with recreational vehicles, who can go as far as Teklanika Campground at mile 29, but their vehicles must remain at the campground.) I was one of a handful of photographers who received a professional photographer’s pass that year and elected to visit the park in late August, when fall tundra colors normally peak.
Statistically, the 20,310-foot peak of Mount Denali (also known as Mt. McKinley) is visible only 30% of the time. There’s a saying that mountains make their own weather, and this is particularly true of Denali. When my wife and I were blessed with this rare clear-skies day, we planned to travel an additional 33 miles from Teklanika to Stony Hill Overlook (mile 62) at sunset to photograph the mountain. The overlook, at an elevation of 3,960 feet, provides the first unobstructed, base-to-summit views of Denali. Photos taken during the day typically have park buses on the road, so I knew this opportunity would be one that is seldom photographed.
Taken at about 10 p.m., alpenglow colored the high cirrus clouds pastel pink. Residual light from the sunset brought out the snow, ice, and glaciers in great relief against the sky, enhancing the majesty of the mountain.
Update; in the ten years since this photo was taken, a lot has changed. The photographer pass program has been discontinued. Furthermore, the park road closed at mile 43 in 2021 due to a landslide at Pretty Rocks caused by deteriorating permafrost. The remediation project is expected to be completed this year, with the road reopening for the 2027 season.
