Denali National Park & Preserve
Overview
It's more than a mountain. Denali National Park & Preserve features North America's highest mountain, 20,320-foot tall Mount McKinley. The Alaska Range also includes countless other spectacular mountains and many large glaciers. Denali's more than 6 million acres also encompass a complete sub-arctic eco-system with large mammals such as grizzly bears, wolves, Dall sheep, and moose. Today the park accommodates a wide variety of visitor use including wildlife viewing, mountaineering, and backpacking. It continues to provide a laboratory for research in the natural sciences.
Activities
Bicycling
Cyclists may ride on park roads, parking areas, campground loops and the designated Bike Trail between the Nenana River and the Denali Visitor Center. Bicycles are prohibited on all other trails. Bicycles can be transported on the Savage River Shuttle and some shuttle buses. Space is limited. Check availability at the Wilderness Access Center. Bike racks are provided at campgrounds, rest areas and visitor centers. If you go day hiking from the Park Road, carry your bike 25 yards from the roadway and hide it from view. If you're leaving it overnight, tag it with contact information.
Auto/Motorcycle
The Denali Park Road is the only road in the park, and with few exceptions, private vehicles are not allowed beyond mile 15 of the 92-mile road. To provide for visitor access and enjoyment of the world class resources, several types of bus services along the Park Road are available.
Extending 92 miles from the park entrance to its terminus in the old mining community of Kantishna, the mostly-gravel road traverses boreal forests and sub-arctic tundra. Crossing rolling mountainsides and sheer cliffs, the road meanders through scenic vistas and prime wildlife viewing areas.
Fees are charged for shuttle and tour bus service along the Park Road. There are four main tour buses available.The Denali Natural History Tour is 17 miles, 4.5 hours, the Tundra Wilderness Tour is 53 miles, 8 hours and the Kantishna Experience Tour is 92 miles, 11 hours.
All shuttle buses, regardless of destination, are designed to move people around within the park. You're not limited to staying on the bus in which you originally started. This is the type of bus you want to take if you're interested in a day hike, or just want to experience the park off the bus for a while.
Camping
Fees are charged for campground use in summer, and for shuttle and tour bus service along the Park Road. Campground reservations can be made as early as December 1 for the following summer. There are no National Park Service (NPS) operated accommodations in Denali other than campgrounds. There are some lodges located within the boundaries of the park, but they sit on privately-owned land and are not directly affiliated with the NPS. For campground reservations, call (907) 272-7275 or visit reservedenali.com.
Climbing
Climbers attempting Mt. McKinley and Mt. Foraker must pay a special use fee per climber, in addition to the park entrance fee. This special use fee offsets mountaineering costs to the park, such as maintaining the high-altitude ranger camps, hiring seasonal staff, providing mountaineering booklets and information and keeping the mountain environment clean.
Hiking
Trails in Denali are largely centered around the Denali Visitor Center. Some of these trails are utilitarian - they travel alongside the Park Road and connect the visitor center with other important facilities in the entrance area of the park, such as the park sled dog kennels, Riley Creek Campground and the Wilderness Access Center. Other trails offer a departure from the immediate surroundings of the Park Road, allowing you to seek a bit of solace and quiet, while still having an obvious, established path to follow.
With a few exceptions, trails in Denali are generally considered easy to moderate in difficulty, and some are ADA accessible.
Hunting
While hunting is prohibited in the the national park, sport hunting is allowed in certain areas of the preserve. Check with officials for more detailed information.
Picnicking
Please contact the main number for more information.
Wildlife Watching
Denali National Park and Preserve is bursting with life--more than 750 species of flowering plants, 39 species of mammals, 169 species of birds, 14 species of fish and even one hardy type of amphibian all thrive within its borders. The park is home to moose, grizzly bears, Dall sheep, caribou and wolves. If you take the shuttle bus to Wonder Lake or spend time in the backcountry, chances are you will spot at least one of these species. Denali is also home to yellow-cheeked voles, hoary marmots and beavers. During summer, watch for rodents like red squirrels, mice, voles, shrews and lemmings scrambling to store food that will sustain them through winter.
Winter Sports
Available winter sports include cross country skiing, dog mushing, snowshoeing, snowmobiling, winter camping, winterfest celebration, and winter wildlife viewing.
Seasonality/Weather
For a visitor to Denali, the summer is when most services and activities are possible, and is when access into the park is easiest. Animals are at their most active and visible from May to September, as they squeeze in as much living (and eating) as they can before the onset of another cold winter. Mosquitoes, too, are active in early summer, although by early August they have disappeared from all but the wettest parts of the park. While snow can fall even in summer, snow that arrives in September tends to stay rather than melt away. Winter announces its arrival not just with snow, but with extreme temperatures and ever-less sunlight. Access into the park and services offered are limited between late September and late April, though self-sufficient folks will find plenty to do in winter.
Park Partners
Alaska Geographic
Alaska Geographic's mission is to foster the public's understanding, appreciation and enjoyment of all national parks in Alaska, including Denali. Alaska Geographic provides funding and educational products and services.
(907) 274-8440Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture
Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, offers several types of bus services along the Park Road in Denali National Park. Reservations for park campgrounds may also be made through Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture.
(866) 761-6629Directions
Driving
There is one road entrance into Denali. The entrance is along Alaska Route 3 (also called the George Parks Highway) about 240 miles north of Anchorage, 120 miles south of Fairbanks, and 12 miles south of Healy - the nearest year-round community.
In Talkeetna, about 100 miles north of Anchorage and 140 miles south of the park entrance, you'll find Denali's mountaineering headquarters.
The Denali Park Road is open to private vehicles for 14.8 miles to the Savage River Bridge. Public travel to destinations farther into the park requires shuttle and tour bus services.
Flying
Air travel to either Anchorage or Fairbanks is the easiest entry to Alaska. Then you'll want to use a car, bus or train to reach Denali.
Public Transportation
In summer a variety of private bus and van services operate daily from Anchorage and Fairbanks. Contact a travel agent or search the web for available companies.
Phone Numbers
Primary
(907) 683-2294Links
Official URL
http://www.nps.gov/dena/index.htm- Login or register to post comments
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Comments
Was in Denali in July of last year. It was beyond our expectations! Went on Natural History tour and listened to an Athabascan Story Teller named Carolyn ? from Mingo, AK. I took her picture and when back home in PA, won a prize for the picture and I would like to send her a copy of it. Should I send it to the Nat;l park to the visitors center or do you have another place for me to send it. It's really important to me. Thank you for your time and and assistance.
Hi Linda,
We spoke to the folks at Denali and found out that the tour is run by a park concessioner, Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture. You can send the photos to them at:
Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture
P.O. Box 49
Denali Park, AK 99755