Denali National Park

Denali protects a huge slice of the Alaskan interior around Denali itself, at over six thousand metres the highest mountain in North America. A single road leads into the wilderness of tundra, taiga and braided rivers, roamed by grizzlies, caribou, moose, wolves and Dall sheep, seen mostly from the park bus rather than a private car.

Background

Denali National Park and Preserve, formerly Mount McKinley National Park, was established on February 26, 1917. Together the park and preserve cover 6,045,153 acres, more than the state of New Hampshire, and on December 2, 1980 a wilderness of 2,146,580 acres was set aside within the park. Forest and deciduous taiga cover the lowest ground, tundra the middle elevations, and glaciers, snow and bare rock the heights; the longest glacier is the Kahiltna. In winter visitors come for dog sledding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling, and the park recorded 543,300 recreational visits in 2025.

Source: Wikipedia, "Denali National Park and Preserve"

What's there

• Denali - the great peak, when the clouds clear to reveal it.
• The park road and bus - the wilderness road ridden by shuttle to spot wildlife.
• The big five - grizzly, caribou, moose, wolf and Dall sheep.
• Tundra and taiga - the vast subarctic landscape, ablaze in autumn.

When to go

The short summer from June to early September, when the road, buses and services run; the season is brief and the far interior harsh outside it. Late August brings autumn colour to the tundra.

Things to know

Private vehicles are limited on the park road, so seeing the interior means riding the shuttle bus for many hours. The mountain is often hidden by cloud, so a clear view of Denali is a matter of luck. Part of the road has been closed by a landslide, so check current access.

Nearby

Anchorage and Fairbanks are the gateway cities; the wider Alaskan interior spreads around.

Key facts