Flooding Closes Portions of Denali Park Road

[Chenega]

Heavy rains in the area have closed the Denali Park road in the Wonder Lake/Kantishna area. Park officials were arranging plans to fly people out from the Denali Backcountry lodge by helicopter. The road beyond Eielson Visitor Center was closed this morning (mile 66). Here's the story from the Anchorage Daily News.

http://www.adn.com/2014/06/26/3535950/flooding-in-denali-national-park.html?sp=/99/100/&ihp=1

Edited June 27, 2014 by Chenega

[Northern Aurora]

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (http://www.newsminer.com) is also covering this story. Apparently the National Weather Service recorded 2.91 inches of rain falling overnight. We are having a very rainy June in Fairbanks, which doesn't receive much rain normally, with more in the forecast.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for sharing this information.

 

Keith

[Chenega]

Here's the latest from the Fairbanks News Miner. The road is reopened to the Wonder Lake junction. http://www.newsminer.com/news/alaska_news/airlift-completed-for-marooned-denali-guests-employees/article_e2dee8ca-fe1a-11e3-930c-0017a43b2370.html

[KirkNC]

Wow, I hope this not not mess up people's plans.

[Northern Aurora]

Our NPR station in Fairbanks (KUAC) is also reporting that the park road is open to Wonder Lake.

 

Apparently it was quite the deluge -- while the Wonder Lake weather station recorded a little over three inches of rain in 24 hours, 2.91" fell between 8:30 PM Wednesday through 8:30 AM Thursday.

 

And while a little over 100 folks were evacuated from the Denali Backcountry Lodge in Kantishna, the lodge escaped damage.

[Aquahound]

I made the round trip drive Anchorage to Denali today and all is back to normal. Beautiful day today. There was a lot of talk about it up there though...talking about people being evacuated by helicopter.

[frugaltravel]

Did you drive from Anchorage to Denali then take the bus all the way to Kantishna yesterday? I don't think so.

 

All is not back to normal today. Still some lodges with no guests or employees. Day trips to Kantishna are not operating that far.

Edited June 29, 2014 by frugaltravel