I had traveled parts of the Denali highway, from either end, until this summer. I wanted to ride the entirety, without the epic of a car shuttle. So I left from home and made a loop of it. I suffered horribly from saddle sores on this trip, and rode standing in the pedals for the most part from Paxon back to Fairbanks... Ouch.
Started the trip out with this view. What!?
The end of day one. Stayed in the Riley Creek Campground. It was nice to have running water and soap.
Typical views from this amazing route!
Big peaks in the distance.
Just keep looking.
I rode from DNP, thinking I would make it to Tangle lakes... The big hill up to Maclaren summit was an unexpected "surprise". The skies opened up at the summit, and I quickly jumped into my tent. In my eyes you can see that "I'm happy but are we there yet?" look.
Woot! Woot!
A bit of pavement....
As far as I can tell, this is the town of Paxon..... Am I missing something?
Check out the 44Mag on the sleeping pad. I bring this when I go alone in summer. Winter is such a treat, not worrying constantly about being mauled by a bear in the middle of the night. The Richardson Highway is gorgeous but the shoulder is non-existent in places. Not very bike-friendly. But I don't see any cars!
The road form Delta to Fairbanks is very flat. It rained the entire time. A perfect adventure!!! 4 days total.
