Taking the Kids: to Alaska's Camp Denali and celebrating a special anniversary

Now the third generation is continuing the tradition and stewardship of the land they started, teaching all of the guests about sustainability in the process. Lettuce and herbs come from the greenhouse and other veggies, meat and fish from local purveyors. A solar system heats the kitchen's water, which comes from a local stream.

Whether climbing the mountain, which at 20,300 feet is the tallest in North America (Denali, the high one, is the name the native Athabascan people gave the massive peak, though McKinley remains its legal name) or in the park, everyone who comes wants to challenge themselves somehow, even if it's just by forgoing cell service and creature comforts.

Did I mention the outhouses and communal showers at Camp Denali? (North Face Lodge has more conventional hotel-style rooms.) And the cost is more than $500 per person a night, less for kids.

Well worth it, we agree, for the standout ride and picnic into the park, the delicious locally-sourced meals and the guided hikes. The lack of modern amenities just adds to the adventure.

"To see Mt. Denali at 2 a.m. as the full moon rose was unbelievable," said Barbara Schoenly, here from Connecticut with her husband and two college-aged sons. An added plus, she says, was having her family off the grid together in such a spectacular locale.

And you can't get any more remote than here. Before we even got to the park entrance, we'd already traveled 237 miles from Anchorage by bus. You can also take a train (www.alaskatravel.com) or fly. We flew out -- a spectacular journey with Kantishna Air Taxi (www.katair.com). Seattle-based Wildland Adventures (www.wildland.com) helped me arrange this trip, as they arranged our first trip here 13 years earlier. And I found Lonely Planet's discover Alaska helpful www.lonelyplanet.com/alaska.

Only 300,000 people visit Denali each summer -- just one-tenth the number who visit Yellowstone National Park, where we visited in 2011 (http://www.takingthekids.com/weekly-column/escaping-yellowstone(PERCENTSIGN)E2(PERCENTSIGN)80(PERCENTSIGN)99s-crowds-with-guides-to-show-the-way/), and only a small percentage of those camp overnight in the park like we do.

Since the park was expanded in 1980, the camp is within park boundaries and we are thrilled to have Camp Denali naturalists guide us because without trail signs or trails, it's not easy to find your way. (Read my travel diaries for more about our stay in Denali (www.takingthekids.com/travel-diary/two-weeks-in-alaska-day-one-on-the-road-to-camp-denali).

Posey sniffers or gung-ho hikers? Translation: The naturalists want to know if we want to go off on a wilderness foray that is more talking than walking, a moderate hike or really push ourselves no matter what the weather. (I'm really glad for my LL Bean rain gear!)

"We want to help visitors to have an experience that is eye opening -- to connect between the natural world and their lives at home," says Jenna Hamm, who has a graduate degree in environmental studies. Her two young kids race around the place just as she and her brother once did.

On our steep hike that first morning, swatting mosquitoes, I think of all the hard work that went into building this place. The Alaska Range spreads out below us in all its glory, Wonder Lake looking like a giant mirror. Wildflowers dot the Tundra. We sprawl on the ridge and eat the lunch (sandwiches on homemade bread! Fresh baked cookies!) that we packed in the morning at Camp Denali.

"You are all part of us now," Jerryne Cole told us when we got back.

It's a privilege.

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It's not too late to plan a summer getaway. For more ideas, check out Taking the Kids 51 Great Ideas for Your Family's Summer Vacation http://www.takingthekids.com/travel-topics/summer-guide-to-fun/ and also follow "taking the kids" on www.twitter.com, where Eileen Ogintz welcomes your questions and comments.