Denali National Park, Alaska

Denali National Park is the most visited area in all of Alaska. Wildlife abounds as it is one of the world's last great frontiers, its wilderness is largely unspoiled..

Denali, the "High One," is the name Athabascan native people gave the massive peak that crowns the 600-mile-long Alaska Range. Denali is also the name of an immense national park and preserve created from the former Mount McKinley National Park. In 1917 Mount McKinley National Park was established as a game refuge. The park and the massif including North America's highest peak were named for former senator - later President - William McKinley. In 1980, the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act (ANILCA) enlarged the boundary by 4 million acres and redesignated it as Denali National Park and Preserve.
 
More than 650 species of flowering plants as well as many species of mosses, lichens, fungi, algae, and others grace the slopes and valleys of Denale. Only plants adapted to long, cold winters and short growing seasons can survive in this subarctic wilderness. Permafrost ground underlies many areas of the park, where only a thin layer of topsoil is available to support life. After the continental glaciers retreated from most of the park 10,000 to 14,000 years ago, hundreds of years were required to begin building new soils and revegetation. The dynamic glaciated landscape provides large rivers, countless lakes and ponds, and unique landforms which form the foundation of the ecosystems that thrive Denali.

Day Hiking:
Day hiking in Denali can include anything from a leisurely stroll along a river bar to an adventurous hike to the top of a mountain. Denali for the most part is a trailless wilderness. You will find short trails at the entrance of the park, and near Polychrome Overlook, Eielson Visitor Center, and Wonder Lake.

Nature Walks:
You may join a ranger for a guided walk or educational talk. National Park Rangers and Naturalists offer visitors a variety of programs. You can learn about anything from grizzlies to glaciers during informal 30 to 45 minute programs. Topics are listed on bulletin boards throughout the park.

Denali Highway:
Today the Denali Highway is an often overlooked treasure taking the traveler back to Alaska's rich prehistoric past, it's colorful gold rush history and the awesome wilderness that remains throughout much of the state. No longer the primary route to Denali National Park, the highway is lightly traveled on the 133 miles between Paxson and Cantwell. Gravel after the first 21 miles, the road is best enjoyed at a leisurely pace, either behind the wheel or atop a bicycle. Travelers should plan for plenty of sidetrips? to explore archaeological sites, paddle wild rivers or hike the alpine tundra.

Mountains and Landscape:
The Alaska Range follows a broad arc for 650 miles, from Cook Inlet on Alaska's west coast through the Denali massif and onward to the Canadian border. The Denali Highway passes through alpine tundra, paralleling this band of mountains to the south. Peaks like Mt. Hayes at 13,832', Hess at 11,940', and Mt. Deborah at 12,339' dominate the skyline.

To the southeast, the Wrangell Mountains rise even higher. Although almost 80 miles away, Mt. Sanford at 16,237' rises prominently, flanked by Mt Drum and Mt. Wrangell. As the northernmost active volcano on the Pacific Rim, Wrangell may at any time be venting steam into the Arctic air.

The land constantly reveals the work of glaciers that carved it over the millennia. The Gulkana and Gakona glaciers are visible just out of Paxson, remainders of ice floes that gouged the many U-shaped valleys appearing along the ride. Mid-way along, kettle lakes have formed. These small circular ponds developed when ice chunks broke from retreating glaciers and were buried in sediment. As the ice melted, the land sank into bowl-shaped depressions. Farther along, the road travels on outstanding examples of eskers, ridges of silt, sand and gravel that were deposited by streams flowing within a glacier.

At the height of the summer, wildflowers dot the open tundra. Evergreens cling low to the ground. Black spruce and dwarf willow are stunted from the extreme winter cold and short growing season.

Wildlife Viewing:
The BLM, which administers the highway, recommends several spots for wildlife watching. Mud Lake just out of Paxson is a clear shallow lake frequented by trumpeter swans, bald eagles, and moose. Sockeye salmon can be seen in the waters. Fiftymile Lake is another good place for spotting swans, bald eagles and moose, along with grizzly, caribou and beaver. Caribou migrate through an area west of the Susitna River.

The Tangle Lakes are prime bird-watching habitat. Red-necked Phalaropes can be seen sucking insects from the lake bottom, along with swans, wigeons and pintails.

Flightseeing:
You may want to land on a mountain lake, fly over fjords, view glaciers and wildlife or just enjoy the phenomenal and breathtaking beauty of Denali. Scheduled services are also available to Fairbanks.

Location:
Denali National Park straddles the Alaska Range. The park entrance is 237 highway miles north of Anchorage and 125 miles south of Fairbanks. Mount McKinley itself is about 140 miles north of Anchorage.

Access:
Primarily from the Parks Highway and the Alaska Railroad.

Accomodations:
Nine hotels/motels, nine bed & breakfasts, one hostel, five campground/RV parks, 17 lodges/cabins, five restaurants.