Denali National Park, Interior Alaska

Denali National Park in northern Alaska is home to Denali, the tallest peak in North America, which towers over the Alaska Range at a staggering 20,310 feet. The terrain across its nearly 6 million acres (approximately 9,500 square miles or 25,000 square kilometers) comprises of the highest portions of the Alaska Range of mountains, multiple glaciers at higher elevations, Arctic tundra at middle elevations and deciduous boreal or snow forests with coniferous trees, birch, aspen and nearly 650 species of flowering plants at lower elevations. The park is also home to Alaska’s Big 5 animals, moose, caribou, wolf, Dall sheep and grizzly bears, as well as 37 species of mammals, ranging from lynx, marmots, and Arctic ground squirrels to foxes and snowshoe hares, and over 130 different bird species, including the impressive golden eagle.

There are several ways to experience the natural wonders of Denali National Park including hiking, biking, camping, rafting, fishing, wildlife viewing, or flightseeing (flights depart from the park entrance or from the mountain town of Talkeetna). The majority of the 92-mile road that leads into the heart of the park is not open to private vehicles, so the best way to access the interiors of the park is by bus, either a narrated tour bus, or a non-narrated transit bus. The narrated tour buses visit the top sights in the park and provide insightful narration by naturalist guides, while the transit buses operate merely as “hop-on-hop-off” buses that transport visitors to various points in the park. The transit buses are also equipped with bike racks for those who want to go mountain biking in the park.

Some of the key locations in the park include:
1. The Denali Bus Depot: The park’s transport hub and campground reservation center.
2. The Sled Dog Kennels: Home to the only sled dog team in the United States to patrol a national park.
3. The Denali Visitor Center: A 14,000-sq-foot facility dedicated to a better understanding of Denali National Park and Preserve, with exhibits devoted to the area’s natural and human history and a theater with movies that provide a glimpse of the park’s wildlife and scenery.
4. The Murie Science and Learning Center: A facility that features fascinating hands-on exhibits as well as a display on research currently taking place in the park.
5. The Eielson Visitor Center: Denali National Park’s newest and most impressive interpretive center with a massive model of Denali, and huge windows offering a spectacular view of Denali peak.
6. Wonder Lake Campground: A campsite where campers can enjoy a reflection of Denali on the mirrored surface of the lake on a clear day.
7. Kantishna: An old mining settlement at the end of the 92-mile Park Road, now the site of several wilderness lodges.
Visitors are encouraged to make reservations for Denali National Park, especially during the peak visitation months of mid-May through mid-September. Few people visit the park in Winter, although it is a unique and rewarding experience, with different activities available like cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and viewing of the Northern Lights.

Denali National Park, Interior Alaska

Map

Add to favorite

Create new board

Add to current board

Add to favorite

Delete from favorite

Add to favorite