Will I See Wildlife?
How likely am I to see wildlife while fishing?
A day in the Denali area offers more than just a great day of fly fishing for grayling. It also offers the chance to see wildlife. The town of Cantwell, where Denali Angler is based, may be 27 miles south of the entrance to Denali National Park, but the park stretches all the way down to Cantwell, which means that we’re on the very edge of this 6.1 million acre park. So in addition to some great dry fly fishing for grayling, it’s not unusual to see all sorts of wildlife.
That said, we don’t have the same density as you’ll find in the Park. So if your main goal is to see wildlife, I urge you to take a tour into Denali National Park. Specifically, I find that the bus ride back to the Eielson Visitor Center to be the best bet if it’s game that you want to see. On clear days, the Eielson Visitor Center provides jaw-dropping views of Denali and the Alaska Range and is located at mile 66 on the park road. Your journey to the visitor’s center is as special as the destination because to get there you’ll traverse a remarkably scenic section of the park while scanning for wildlife. You have an excellent chance to see moose, caribou, Dall sheep, grizzlies, and--if you’re lucky--wolves. To get there, take either a transit bus ($60 for adults 16 years and older; Free for kids under 16) or the Kantishna Experience Tour bus ($284.70 for adults; $133.20 for children under 16.) Once there, take a hike on one of the center’s three trails or enjoy a Ranger-led program.
But I’ve seen all the same animals where we fly fish as I’ve seen in the park, although not with the same frequency--the exception being moose. We see them regularly when we’re fishing, since we’re often in moose-y habitat. But it’s not just moose that we see.
Last summer, we had guests who went out for a walk and casually mentioned, when they returned, that they’d seen a large cat. When I quizzed them about the color and size and the shape of the ears, it was obvious that they’d seen one of Alaska’s rarest sights: a lynx. I’ve only seen four in my lifetime, although two of them were near Cantwell. The best lynx sighting I’ve ever had was a short walk from my cabin. I spotted the big cat working along the river that I intended to fish, silently moving through the alders and willows, no doubt stalking hares and ptarmigan. I froze and the cat never saw me. The wind was in my favor and at one point it was just thirty feet from me.
I don’t remember the grayling I caught that day, but I’ll never forget that lynx.
We tend to have more grizzly bears than black bears where we fish, although we don’t see bears often. We also usually don’t see Dall sheep up close since they spend their days far above any creek or stream that we fish. (Although on one river that we sometimes hike back to, we’re at the base of some unnamed peaks where we do find sheep). Caribou, at times, come trotting by us on the hillsides above where we fish. When spooked they throw their heads back and move off until they’re a comfortable distance away and then stop and stare back, looking us over, seemingly curious, before moving off for good. And as far as wolves go...we see more tracks than wolves, paw prints on gravel bars. Like lynx, they are seldom seen--and although I’ve had the good fortune of seeing a number of wolves over the years, I’m certain that more wolves have seen me: spotting or smelling me before silently vanishing.
We also see Bald and Golden Eagles and in one particular pond, there are usually a pair of nesting Tundra Swans with their signets swimming obediently behind them. We have Red-Throated Loons on the lake in front of our cabin, their calls utterly unlike the haunting cry of the common loon. Red-Throated loons squawk and croak and often make otherworldly noises. Researchers have dubbed the noise they make the “plesiosaur call”. A perfect description. We also see a variety of owls, and on the creeks, we see Belted Kingfishers, Common Mergansers, and--in the swifter stretches--we sometimes find one of my favorite ducks, breeding pairs of Harlequins.
Now I can’t guarantee that you’ll see any of the wildlife that I just mentioned, but I will say that in addition to some excellent fishing and soaring scenery you have the chance to see all of these animals. If you do, consider it a bonus, and if you don’t, consider taking the tour to Eielson.
If I can offer any other advice, don’t hesitate to ask. And if I can help you plan a great day of guided fly fishing in the Denali area, make sure you reach out!
Take care,
George Rogers
Denali Angler
Owner and Guide