Mirrors help drivers negotiate blind switchbacksCopyright 2007 Lydia Hinshaw
DENALI NATIONAL PARK, AK -- The hike I did Wednesday started with a boring slog up the switchbacking road to the Grande Denali Hotel, which perches high above the Parks Highway.
The hotel, and the road leading to it, are considered an abominable scar on the landscape by residents and visitors alike, except, of course for those visitors who can afford to stay at the Grande. They get to enjoy wonderful views across the Nenana River valley and into the Park.
Vehicles, including huge motor coaches, face several blind turns on the way to and from the hotel. Mirrors have been installed to provide drivers with critical information about oncoming traffic.
This is not a road I've had to drive except in training. I much prefer the cliff-edge of Polychrome Mountain, which is both hotel- and mirror-free.
The hotel, and the road leading to it, are considered an abominable scar on the landscape by residents and visitors alike, except, of course for those visitors who can afford to stay at the Grande. They get to enjoy wonderful views across the Nenana River valley and into the Park.
Vehicles, including huge motor coaches, face several blind turns on the way to and from the hotel. Mirrors have been installed to provide drivers with critical information about oncoming traffic.
This is not a road I've had to drive except in training. I much prefer the cliff-edge of Polychrome Mountain, which is both hotel- and mirror-free.
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