Cross the Tokositna River which marks the southeast corner of Denali National Park. Look for tents or rafts next to the river. While difficult to access—even by bush plane—this area is a prime place for camping, exploring, and to begin a raft trip down the Tokositna River to Talkeetna. Out the left window, you can look south to the Peters & Dutch Hills, an active gold-mining area since the early 1900s. A winter wagon road from Talkeetna kept the area stocked with supplies. The Tokositna Glacier appears. This 25-mile long river of blue-tinted ice is 3 miles wide in places. Snow accumulation creates glaciers, which flow downhill, carry rock and debris to their terminus, then melt and feed the local river systems. Look for crevasses, sapphire ice, and blue pools of glacial melt water. Why blue? The ice is so dense, it reflects only blue light back.
