Part 5 of our 5-Part 2021 Denali series. We hike the Mountain Vista/Savage Alpine Loop and get our first real sub-alpine ascent of the trip. We then explore the Savage River Valley for the rest of the day, and we get our first glimpses of the Northern Lights that evening. The following day we leave the Savage River Campground for the Riley Creek Campground. This is where we spend our last 2 days in The Park. We hike the Triple Lakes Trail, which was surprisingly one of our favorite hikes of the trip (despite Evan leaving a pool of blood for any discerning Grizzlies). That final night in Riley Creek we finally get a proper sendoff with some real Aurora Borealis action. On our departure day we decide to drive back into The Park, back to Savage River, to see if we can maybe get one last shot at a Grizzly, Wolf, or Moose sighting. We were super lucky and got one out of the three. And they were HUGE at that. Finally, we get the best views of Denali you can possibly get from that part of The Park! On yet another gorgeous bluebird day. To be so lucky to meet the criteria for the "30% Club" multiple times on this trip was astounding. To make the "10% Club" on our last day??? Absolutely Miraculous. Suffice it to say, we did not want to make the 5-hour drive back to Anchorage. But we did get some sick drone shots... so don't leave prematurely. Thanks for joining us on our adventures, and stay tuned for our upcoming 2022 trips. Enjoy
