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Wolf activity along the Denali Park Road was low in 2019. The previous year in 2018, the Riley Creek West pack was frequently seen after they moved their pups from a den site away from the park road to sites in close proximity to the road starting in July. However, both adults of the pack were killed by other wolves during the 2018-2019 winter and the fate of their five pups was unknown. In 2019, only one pack consistently spent time in the road corridor: the Riley Creek pack, which consisted of an older female, 1202BF, her partner 1911GM, and one other gray wolf. They traveled along the Teklanika, Sanctuary and Savage River drainages throughout the summer but did not den or produce pups. The Grant Creek pack denned over 15 miles north of Toklat Road Camp in the Wigand Flats and rarely ventured as far south as the park road in the summer of 2019. Further west along the park road, the solitary Eagle Gorge female, 1604GF, roamed from Moose Creek to Turtle Hills and Clearwater Creek, occasionally traversing the park road. A number of lone or transient wolves likely traveled through the road corridor, and new packs may be forming to fill in available territories. On- going monitoring efforts will help provide additional information about packs along the Park Road corridor and throughout the study area. |
Last updated: October 7, 2019