One of the best known destinations in Alaska is Denali National Park. We drove up there from Anchorage on a cloudy day so we never could see Mt. McKinley and the park turned out to be a huge disappointment with very few hiking trails available. They don't allow vehicle access through the park, which would be fine, IF they had a decent shuttle system. We arrived the day after the shuttle buses stopped running despite the weather still being a comfortable 50-60 degrees and lots of tourist still in the area. We were even more surprised to discover that they charge $33 to ride the shuttle through the park! I don't mind supporting our national park system but this seemed outrageous. We visited Zion NP this spring which converted to a similar operation for no additonal cost.
Since Denali wasn't worth staying more than a day, we continued up the Denali highway to Fairbanks to check out the North Pole and the Chena Hot Springs. Wherever we travel, we always look for hot springs for therapeutic relief. Pattie gets a massage while I get to soak in hot mineral water. This resort featured a large main pool with the source water entering at one end around 120 degrees! In Colorado last spring, I was able to soak in pools of 108, 110, and even 112 for a few minutes but I couldn't get within 5 feet of this source without crying Uncle!
It has rained each and every day we've been here in Alaska but the sun almost always makes an appearance during the afternoon and the rain doesn't deter us from enjoying our activities. We've seen 5 rainbows including this beauty where we could see it touching the ground. Coincidentally, it occurred the same day that Pattie and I struck gold in El Dorado!