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All the ingredients for the ultimate Alaska road trip are in place during late May.

Inviting spring weather is in the air, the price of fuel is on a slow decline, hours of daylight are on a sharp increase, tourist season is still weeks away and there is free camping at Denali National Park. Yes, free camping! And don't forget the best part -- access to one of the most sacred and fabled roads in Alaska from the comfort of your driver's seat.

There's no need to poke yourself with a Swiss Army knife; this is reality. The Denali National Park road, running into the heart of the park, is open to private vehicles until the Teklanika rest area at Mile 30. Camping is free at Riley Creek Campground just inside the park entrance (it's the only park campground open before Memorial Day weekend).

During the summer, the park road is open to most private vehicles only to Mile 14.5, where the Savage River crosses the road.

Of course, there is a catch. All this flowing beauty and driving freedom will dry up quickly. The free ride in 2004 officially ends Saturday, May 22, when buses take over the road and park rangers begin enforcing summer entry regulations and collecting camping fees.

"This is a neat time of year to enjoy that portion of the road," said Kris Fister, the park's public information officer, "and it definitely affords some opportunities that won't be available when buses start running."

The two-lane Park Road opens to public traffic twice annually, sandwiching the tourist season with entry each spring and fall, weather permitting. The spring session typically begins in mid-April, depending on how the previous winter affected the road. Thanks to low snowfall, the road opened April 11 in 2003.

Fister said rules of common courtesy and common sense apply. If drivers want to hike or leave their vehicles, they should park away from the road at the numerous pull-offs along the route.

"Other than that, just be prepared for whatever," Fister said. That includes a last gasp of winter. On a weekend in mid-May 2003, temperatures ranged from mid-20s to low 50s in the park and included a mix of rain and snow. Random patches of snow still remain in the area, but the common park hues are brown and gray.

Drab hues don't stay once May comes. More than 18 hours of daylight per day feed the area by late May.

During mid-May, the animals are rustling and the people aren't exactly bustling. Fister estimates "a couple hundred" visitors a day on weekends, but the traffic slows to a mere trickle on weekdays. Fister also said she has received recent reports of Dahl sheep, caribou and bears. There also are plenty of birds still wearing their winter whites.

"The ptarmigan are still quite visible," Fister said, joking. "We haven't gotten green up here yet. We're still in a consummate wintry mode."

Visitors have been spotted taking day hikes on the series of popular trails just inside the park. Many are taking advantage of free camping at Riley Creek, which has 100 campsites. Reservations are not accepted, so the sites are available on a first-come, first-served basis until May 22.

In early May, most businesses in the area have locked doors and boarded-up windows and the nearest open gas station is 11 miles north in Healy.

(Anchorage Daily News reporter Josh Niva can be reached at jniva@adn.com.)