What No One Tells You About Visiting Alaska in Mid-September
If I had a nickel for every person who told me this, I'd be no better off than where I started. For starters, everything is closed.
And I know what you're thinking — "it's off season, Jen, things are going to be closed." I'm no rookie at exploring national parks in the off season. I actually prefer it. I was expecting at least a restaurant or grocery store to be open. Nope. All closed for the season.
My husband and I were ready. Our flight got into Anchorage around 4pm. We love a road trip — immersing ourselves in local communities, shopping local, finding treasures we don't need but absolutely buy, a latte from a local coffee shop always in hand. We found the cutest Airbnb in Talkeetna, still roughly 2.5 hours from Denali National Park and Preserve.
The drive out of Anchorage didn't start out scenic, but the farther we got from the city, the mountains started peeking through.
We had a plan going in. We were prepared. I'd scouted the grocery store we'd stop at before heading to our final destination. Checked the hours on Google — golden, open until 10... during the "summer season." Which was, politely, hand-written on a piece of copy paper in black Sharpie: Summer Season: May 31 – Sept 1.
Amazing. Fantastic. So, like Ross Geller, we were going to pivot.
Google said there was another grocery store with a gas station further up the drive, closer to our place. Closed. The Subway next door was thankfully open until 10pm. Grabbed a sub and a salad (celiac girly) and went happily on our way. We'd get groceries tomorrow, and visit Denali Park Village — it looked like the cutest little Alaskan village. Maybe one day I'll know. We did go. You've already guessed it: closed. That was fine, though — we'd packed energy bars and gluten-free snacks.
Now that the village was closed, that gave us extra time at the park we didn't think we'd have. Luckily, we were prepared for a hike — our CamelBaks were filled with water, our layers ready. We grabbed our gear and hit Savage Alpine Trail first. We completed three hikes and gained 7,000 feet in elevation. It was an all-day affair.
Hangry, hiking, and fueled by nothing but on-the-go snacks, we made a choice. A great choice, but a choice nonetheless. Either head back to our cabin, or drive around looking for wildlife. We love to scout the wildlife — every bird, prairie dog, deer, caribou, you name it, we've got our binoculars out searching for them. During our last hike, we'd spotted a pack of moose through our binoculars, but they were far off in the distance. It was golden hour. We wanted to see one up close.
We were driving around enjoying a game of I spy, and before we knew it, we partook in a fun activity that all couples truly love to get into… a cute little argument.
Hungry took over and we were 2 hours away from nourishment. So when I say choice, we made a choice.
Can you blame me? We were high on elevation and adrenaline, feeling on top of the world and physically on top of the world. You know the part of the song where Hozier yells? Yeah. That kind of on top of the world. Can't relate — do you remember the song Julie Andrews sings in The Sound of Music, "The hills are alive"? These mountains were alive.
Or maybe we were just delirious from our sugar dropping, having exerted all our energy. Either way — shoutout to Denali Brewpub in Talkeetna for staying open late and making fantastic burgers. That burger really brought me back to life.
I loved staying at Susitna River Lodging. Our cabin sat riverside on the Susitna, the sun setting every evening beneath the Denali peaks, rapids running past just below the window. That was my favorite part.
Remember when I said everything was closed? Not Conscious Coffee. It fueled our mornings once we found it — plenty of outdoor and indoor seating, a London Fog made to perfection, and a sunrise sandwich worth the walk.
Here's what got us through two full days without a grocery store (affiliate links included below — I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you):
The sun setting
Insert Hozier yell