If you want to know how to see Denali, you should know there’s a lot more to it than just driving to the nearest viewpoint.

Last weekend we decided to brave the rain to take the Project M out for another camping trip before winter roars in. The goal: to get some fishing done, and to see Mount Denali.

A Trip to Byers Lake State Park, Alaska

Alaskans are a hearty bunch as you know. Despite the rain and sub-optimal camping weather, there were plenty of RVers out exploring the area around Denali last weekend. It’s also moose hunting time, so in many areas outside the park the hunters are on the move.

Our campground of choice was Byers Lake State Park, located less than an hour north Willow, and just past the best place if you want to see Denali: the South Viewpoint parking and campground area. We heard that area just south of the national park is beautiful, and it didn’t let us down.

Alaska has tons of really nice state parks, and they’re a bargain at $20 a night. No hookups of course, but who needs ’em? And reservations? Not now, and maybe not ever. There’s plenty of campsites to go around in the less touristy destinations up here.

We Didn’t Go Boondocking

Although there’s plenty of free boondocking to be found nearby, we haven’t tested the waters yet. Going off-road right now isn’t the smartest idea. With bears and moose on the move, and waterlogged dirt roads from months of endless rain, my gut instinct told me that sticking to pavement is a smarter way to go.

So we hit another state park, and are glad we did. With our Project M awning protecting us from the rain, it wasn’t too bad out there. Sure, it was a little cold, but not unbearable. Jim did some fishing, I did lots of reading, and we both disconnected from the Internet for over 24 hours. It was more than we could have asked for on a rainy camping weekend.

We laughed thinking about how we would have behaved if we had our fifth wheel with us at that campground. Chances are we good that would have run the furnace all weekend, and only gone outside for a short burst of time. RVs do that, they make it too comfortable to explore when you’re experiencing less than optimal weather.

Our next destination: the Mount Denali South View station just south of Byers Lake.

On a clear day, Denali looms large, and can be seen for many miles.

Unfortunately Alaska hasn’t seen a lot of clear days this year, but the morning we packed up to leave Byers Lake looked promising. The sky was clearing, and when we arrived at the viewing point, it almost seemed like the mountain would make an appearance.

We arrived at the Mount Denali South Viewpoint, not exactly sure what mountain was Denali. They were ALL big, and very far away. But then, we caught a glimpse of an even larger mountain looming behind all of them.

We Learned How to See Denali That Day

It was cold, and it was wet, but we waited for the chance to see Denali, something I’ve been looking forward to for many years. Clouds slowly swept across the sky and swooped throughout the distant peaks. Denali was laughing at us, shrouding herself in thick blankets of fog, occasionally casting some of it off but mostly hiding behind the weather patterns she was creating that day.

A dozen tourists came and left, but we stuck around for two hours. We might have seen her, but maybe we didn’t. In the video thumbnail image below, you can see a faint shadow of a mountain on the far right.

We still aren’t 100% sure if we saw Denali that day. But that’s alright. After all, we have many more opportunities to see her over the coming months. Unlike all the tourists who pay a lot of money to come to Alaska with the same high hopes, and never get to see the mountain behind the clouds.

If you want to see Denali, you’ve got to have patience. And time. Lots of it. She will show up when she darn well pleases.