Orientation
- Stop first at the Denali Visitor Center just inside the park entrance to orient yourself to Denali. The facility serves as the launching point for many ranger-led programs in the park. Enjoy a meal here or browse the shelves of the bookstore. Buy your tickets for park shuttle buses at the nearby Wilderness Access Center. You'll need to catch a ride to explore Denali past the 15-mile marker of the park access road. A third facility just inside the park boundary, the Murie Science and Learning Center, is the hub for summer educational activities, with displays about the ecology and history of the park.
Touring the Park
- During summer months, passenger vehicles can traverse the first 15 miles of the park road to the Savage River area. This path includes plenty of pullouts that allow travelers to stop and take photos of the mountains and wildlife. The road past the 15-mile marker is covered only in gravel, and traffic is restricted primarily to tour buses. The park's shuttle buses -- buy tickets at the Wilderness Access Center -- allow you to explore the interior of Denali, hopping off and back on at your own pace thanks to several traveling through the park at one time. Carry food and drink with you, because none is available once you leave the wilderness center.
Hiking
- Most of the handful of marked trails center around the visitor center, and many follow the park road or connect the center to other park facilities, including the wilderness center and Riley Creek Campground. The National Park Service deems most hiking opportunities in the easy to moderate range in the relatively flat landscape of Denali, and some are handicapped-accessible. Check with park rangers at the visitor center for trail guides and conditions. Hardy hikers can visit the backcountry for overnight trips, but must get a permit at the visitor center and discuss their itinerary with park rangers before departing.
Camping
- The park and surrounding preserve includes six campgrounds, allowing visitors to stay up to 14 days per year. Only a limited number of these sites will accommodate RVs up to 40 feet in length. Contact concessionaire Doyon/ARAMARK to make reservations, which can be guaranteed as soon as December 1 the year before your trip, at 800-622-7275 or by visiting reservedenali.com. The most visited campground, Riley Creek, has 147 campsites just inside the Denali park entrance, and includes some walk-in, tent-only spots that can be reserved the day of your visit at the wilderness center.
