Denali National Park & Preserve Things to Do

The Wonder Lake "Y" is a fork in the road where travelers can choose to turn towards the Wonder Lake Campground or continue on to the end of the Denali Park Road.

McKinley Station was typical of Alaska towns of the gold-rush era, booming overnight before fading into obscurity. The community lasted close to 20 years, boosted by the railroad and the creation of Mount McKinley National Park, but was eventually absorbed by a small expansion to the park in 1932.

The park entrance area is dominated by Mount Healy, which looms just north of the park road. The ridgeline extends for 15 miles (24 km) from the George Parks Highway to the Savage River.

The park’s first ranger, Harry Karstens, arrived in 1921. After a summer of meeting people, and a long patrol through the park, Karstens began clearing land for his headquarters on the northwest bank of Riley Creek. The location offered an ideal place to monitor people using the trail leading west to the park, but proved to be incredibly cold in winter—which led to its move in 1925, to a hillside offering much milder winter temps!

Polychrome Overlook is a popular scenic view from the Denali Park Road. Far below the overlook is the Plains of Murie, which is crossed by numerous braided river channels and dotted with kettle ponds and glacial erratics. In the distance, the Polychrome Glaciers and numerous peaks of the Alaska Range add to the scenery.

High on the side of Polychrome Mountain, the Denali Park Road passes through the Pretty Rocks Landslide at Mile 45.5.

Primrose Pass is a relatively accessible area of brushy tundra, with expansive views of the Alaska Range and, in the fall, brilliant yellow, red and orange foliage.

The life-size bear sculpture outside the entrance to the Denali Visitor Center is an enlargement of an original eight-inch bronze entitled “Resting Grizzly” (1974) by William D. “Bill” Berry (1926-1979), an Alaskan wildlife artist who worked extensively in Denali from 1954 to 1979.

Sitting near the entrance to Denali, this is one of the only picnic areas in the park. It rests amid a spruce forest, and features several covered tables, as well as restrooms. Accessible year-round, two trails lead away from the picnic area; one cuts through the forest to the nearby park entrance sign. The other leads upstream along Riley Creek, eventually connecting hikers either to the Triple Lakes Trail or to trails that lead to the Denali Visitor Center.

The 5-mile-long Sable Pass closure, in effect continuously since 1956, provides a limited area along the park road where visitors have an opportunity to view wildlife undisturbed, in a natural setting.

The Denali Park Road crosses the Sanctuary River at Mile 22.8. This modest river cuts through the Outer Range as it flows north.

Savage River is a beautiful spot along the Denali Park Road, and marks the farthest point into Denali that a visitor may drive their own vehicle in summer.

Explore the only working sled dog kennels in the National Park System.

The Toklat River flows out of the Alaska Range and under the Denali Park Road at Mile 53. A rest area for bus passengers makes this a great place from which to explore the largest braided river that is crossed by the Park Road.

The Tsenesdghaas Na' trailhead is located six miles south of the Denali Park Road entrance, at Mile 231 of the George Parks Highway. Take a break at the picnic shelter, enjoy a short walk to a viewpoint of the Nenana River, or hike one of the two longer trails that begin here.

Look south of the Denali Park Road at Mile 69 for a view of the Muldrow Glacier, the longest glacier on the north side of the Alaska Range. Don’t look for shiny blue glacial ice, though, because here at the terminus of the glacier the ice is stagnant—unmoving—and covered in tundra. Yes, believe it or not that lumpy, hummocky, shrubby tundra less than a mile away to the south is underlain by ice!

At Mile 11 is a pullout with a great view of Denali. This stretch of the Denali Park Road is the first area where visitors can drive to where they can see North America's highest peak.

Not far downstream from the confluence of Hines and Riley Creek is an area once known as "the hole." An area off limits to the station's children, the illicit traits of the "Roaring 20s"—bootlegging, alcohol manufacturing, gambling, violence, and prostitution—were centered here.

The Riley Creek Bridge, manufactured in Pennsylvania and shipped north on 24 rail cars loaded with 600 tons of steel via the Panama Canal, consisted of seven steel towers decked with 30-foot and 60-foot steel plate girders. When finished, the creek crossing would measure 900 feet in length.

The historic Pearson Cabin in Denali National Park and Preserve

The Denali Depot, open year-round (though mainly busy only in summer), serves as the main railroad stop for visitors arriving in Denali by train. About 11 miles north is a railroad stop in the small town of Healy, which may be more convenient for winter visitors. Connecting Seward, Anchorage and Fairbanks since the 1920s, the Alaska Railroad remains a significant way for visitors to reach Denali. In fact, until the completion of Alaska Route 8 (the "Denali Highway") in the 1950s, the railroad was the only way for visitors to reach the park.

Stony is a scenic stop on most Denali transit buses (except for Toklat-bound buses, which turn around before Stony) and on some Denali tour buses. It is the first base-to-summit view of North America's tallest peak, and is an iconic view for visitors to Denali.

Teklanika is the first significant glacially-fed river visitors encounter on a journey into Denali. The river is cloudy and gray, and is filled with pulverized rock—a product of the glacier feeding it from the nearby Alaska Range. At Mile 30 of the Denali Park Road is the Teklanika Rest Area, affording a great view of the river below.

Riley and Hines Creek meet just upstream of the Alaska Railroad Trestle. Bridges now span each creek, allowing visitors to hike toward Triple Lakes, one of the longest trails in Denali. Not far from this confluence existed one of the first year-round communities in this area, known as McKinley Station. The small community boasted a hotel, post office, school, and numerous homesteads. Some McKinley Station residents used Riley Creek to hunt and trap. Alaska Natives likely used the creeks for similar purposes, although more evidence of Alaska Native use can be found on larger drainages to the west, such as Teklanika River, as well as the Dry Creek area in Healy, to the north. Hines Creek, after the 1917 creation of Mount McKinley National Park, became the easiest way for early tourists to travel into the newly established park, until construction of the park road began in the 1920s.

Built by an enterprising man named Maurice Morino in 1921, the Mount Mckinley Park Hotel was optimally situated near the Alaska Railroad Depot, and business boomed through the 1920s. When park boundaries came east and absorbed McKinley Station in 1932, Morino kept his homestead as a park in-holding. The title passed to the National Park Service in 1947. Three years later in 1950, the dilapidated remains of his hotel were destroyed in a fire started by a transient.

Several intrusions of the igneous Teklanika Formation through the sedimentary Cantwell Formation can be seen on the northwestern side of the road at Mile 35.6. They appear as dark orangey-brown bands—dikes of cooled magma—cutting through the gray outcrop from the lower left to the upper right. The typically gray rocks of the Cantwell Formation are often covered with vegetation in this area. The Teklanika Formation is younger and generally characterized by reddish- or yellow-brown-colored rocks. These two formations represent a very active time in Denali’s history, and their existence heavily influences the local topograhy and the difficulty of road maintenance. Around 80 million years ago, plate tectonics crumpled this area and created the Cantwell Basin. Over the next 10 million years, nearly 2.5 miles (4 km) of cobbles, gravel, sand, and silt filled in this basin. The sediments solidified over time into the sedimentary rock now referred to as the Cantwell Formation. Then around 60 million years ago during the Paleocene Epoch, lavas began to intrude the Cantwell Formation, forming the dikes, sills, and lava flows of the Teklanika Formation. Over the next 5 million years, nearly 2 miles (~3 km) of volcanic rock accumulated on top of the Cantwell Formation, primarily as alternating layers of basalt-andesite and rhyolite lava each several hundred feet thick. The lavas are interspersed with pyroclastic flows and other materials ejected from volcanoes.

Generally open in summer (mid-May to mid-September), the Denali Visitor Center campus is more than just the park's primary visitor center. The Morino Grill and Alaska Geographic Park Store are nearby, as is the Alaska Railroad Depot, which is where passengers can embark on / disembark from the train on its route between Anchorage and Fairbanks.

Between 1926 and 1941, the expansion of the Headquarters District occurred with the development of master plans designed by Thomas Vint (chief landscape architect of the NPS Western Office of Planning and Design). The area covers a little under 12 acres, and includes fourteen historical buildings, as well as the sled dog kennels. From 1942 through the 1990s, the Headquarters District evolved with the addition of some new buildings as well as landscape modifications.

13 miles inside Denali National Park, along the park's sole road, is Mountain Vista. It is accessible from late winter through fall for private vehicles, and by a free bus from the visitor center in summer. The area offers picnic tables, trail access, and—when skies are clear—a great view of Denali, even though the mountain is over 80 miles away. In summer, it's often far less crowded than nearby Savage River (Mile 15).

There is only one road in Denali, now stretching about 92 miles from the entrance (it's eastern end) to Kantishna (its western end). Construction began on the road in the 1920s, finishing by the late 1930s. Upon its initial completion, the entrance to the park stood near the Alaska Railroad Depot, which was the only real way for visitors to reach the park, short of a long overland or river journey by horse, foot, or boat.

The Denali Park Road crosses a bridge over the East Fork River at Mile 43. While the Polychrome Plan is underway to build a bridge over the Pretty Rocks Landslide, this location is the end of the road for all traffic on the park road. Transit buses turn around here and return to the park entrance. Toilets are available in the summer when buses are operating. There are no trash cans available, so bring a bag to pack out your own trash. Rangers are frequently present in this area during the busiest hours of the day to answer questions. There are no formal trails here, but you can walk back east on the park road or explore off-trail along the gravel bars of the East Fork River. If you choose to walk on the road, watch out for traffic, including buses and construction vehicles. To prepare for an off-trail adventure, read more about off-trail hiking in Denali to know what to expect. Visitors who are beginning longer backcountry trips from the East Fork area may detour around the landslide to reach areas on the park road further west by traveling off road for approximately five miles along the south side of Polychrome Mountain. Speak to a backcountry ranger about your intended route when getting a permit (required for overnight trips).

Highway Pass is the highest point along the Denali Park Road. This area of alpine tundra offers open views and frequent wildlife sightings.

A few miles beyond the iconic Wonder Lake, the Kantishna area was once outside the boundaries of the park. In 1980, the boundaries of Denali expanded dramatically, and encompassed privately-owned lands in the area. Some private lands have been purchased over time by the federal government, while other inholdings remain. A few of the inholders now run wilderness lodges or other accommodations for travelers.

Summer sight-seeing in Denali is mainly done by bus, and there are several trips to choose from. Narrated tour bus trips are more expensive than non-narrated transit buses. From high up in a bus, it becomes possible to look over roadside brush, allowing you to enjoy the incredible scenery (and wildlife sightings, too!).

While most of Denali’s sole road is restricted just to bus traffic, anybody can drive out to Mountain Vista and Savage River. Located about 15 miles inside the park, the area is scenic, featuring several trails (some short, one long) and a picnic area.

At 6 million acres in size, Denali is incredibly vast, and hiking is possible almost anywhere in the park. However, there are only a handful of established trails in the park, and here you'll find a few suggestions for one or more short hikes from the Denali Visitor Center.

Whether on foot, skis or snowshoes, winter is a great time for you to explore Denali! Snow starts falling as early as September, although in some years the conditions aren't good for skiing until December, and it sticks around until April or May.

Biking the Denali Park Road is a rewarding way to explore the park at a slower speed than vehicles allow. Experience a variety of terrain over the course of just a few hours as you pedal from forested areas up to expansive views of the tundra, then coast back downhill towards a river.

Denali is home to a beautiful variety of plant species, from tall Aspen trees to short Moss campion. With a diversity of habitat types that support water-loving to drought-tolerant plants, Denali is an excellent place to immerse yourself in the subarctic flora. The DenaliFlora App is the perfect companion for your botanical explorations.

Alaska is well known for it’s amazing and abundant berries in August and September—just ask any of the grizzly bears in Denali! A family friendly activity would be to strike off into the tundra and search for berries. Bring your bucket (or empty water bottle) to fill, or simply snack on the go.

Summer sight-seeing in Denali is mainly done by bus, and there are several trips to choose from. Transit bus trips are the cheapest and most flexible option, although they aren't narrated. From high up in a bus, it becomes possible to look over roadside brush, allowing you to enjoy the incredible scenery (and wildlife sightings, too!).

Denali provides habitat for 39 species of mammals, 169 species of birds, 14 species of fish, and one species of amphibian The large animals that are often the most sought after can be surprisingly elusive. The so called “Big Five”—moose, caribou, Dall sheep, grizzly bears, and wolves, receive the most attention, but the is a great place to see a wide variety of wildlife. The longer you spend in the area, the better your chances to see wild animals!

Denali National Park and Preserve has very few formal trails for a park of its size, but hiking off trail offers limitless opportunities for recreation and exploration. The terrain and bus system in Denali make hiking off trail less intimidating and more approachable than it may seem at first.

A backpacking trip in Denali is unlike backpacking in most other national parks. Denali is about the size of Vermont, with only a handful of trails—most of which are near the entrance of the park for day-hiking, rather than overnight backpacking. This opportunity to set your own route and hike through a trail-less landscape amid wild animals and wilderness is rare in the 21st century.

Horseshoe Lake is a lovely destination about 2 miles from the Denali Visitor Center. A trail loops around the entire lake, which is occasionally home to moose, beavers and a variety of bird-life. An early-morning visit to the lake is particularly pleasant, though any time of day is great to hike to the lake.

Aurora is like any weather phenomenon, where a forecast is issued each day. Unlike rain, though, aurora viewing can only occur when the far north is dark enough; and forecasts aren't nearly as precise as weather forecasts. Despite these challenges, any dark night in Alaska is a great time to look outside and hope for some signs of the Northern Lights!

The rugged Alaska Range is home to Denali, the highest point in North America. For some visitors, a flight-seeing trip over or around "the Mountain" can be one of the most memorable parts of a visit to Alaska. Some companies are also authorized to land on a glacier in the park, letting passengers disembark for a short while.

Though Denali's dogs are not available for visitor sled rides, there are opportunities for visitors to arrange for day trips or multi-night trips through a privately owned sled dog kennel in the area.