Among the most massive American national parks, Denali encompasses 6 million acres of Alaskan wilderness, bisected by a single road. Visitors travel through taiga forest to reach high alpine tundra and Denali, also known as Mount McKinley, North America's tallest peak at 20,320 feet. The park affords hardy travelers plenty of hiking and tourism opportunities, along with camping spots for overnight trips, between May and September.
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.
Nothing prepares you for Denali: the wildness, the wonder. It's not just Mount McKinley's astounding, 20,322-foot leap into the Alaskan stratosphere; it's the 6 million acres of taiga forest, alpine tundra and snowy peaks taken together, the golden eagles cruising the mountain passes, the Dall sheep raising curled horns on rocky cliffs, the grizzly and her cubs lumbering across the one ribbon of road traversing this vast realm, a kingdom largely untouched by human fingerprints.
Denali National Park has a Visitor Center and campgrounds like other parks, but the management decision not to allow auto access sets Denali apart. Only one, narrow road leads into the park, and private vehicles are largely prohibited. The idea is allow you to experience the natural world as it exists without humans, the world of wolf and caribou, bear and bunny, moose and loon, an opportunity you won't find anywhere else on the planet.
When to Go
Trip timing is critical when you are heading to Denali. Park or no park, this is Alaska, and summer and winter differ dramatically. Most visitors come in summer (May through early September) when the land is warm and welcoming, wildlife abounds and the Denali Park Road is open to shuttle and tour buses. If you plan to bike, mountain climb or backpack, summer is best. Spring and fall trips can be delightful but they are fraught with risk; you might get crisp, sunny days but it is equally possible to find the park knee-deep in snow. In the long winter, the roads ice over and the taiga becomes a white wonderland of snowpack. Riley Creek Campground remains open year-round and it's free in winter, as snow-machining and skiing come into their own.
How To Get There
Denali sits between Alaska's two biggest cities, Anchorage and Fairbanks, and if you're coming from the "Lower 48," take a commercial flight into either one. The park is some 240 miles north of Anchorage and half that distance from Fairbanks along Alaska Highway 3 (the George Parks Highway). If you have a little extra time, it's a blast to travel in luxury on the state-owned Alaska Railroad that chugs its scenic way from South to Central Alaska. You can debark right the Denali park entrance. In summer, a multitude of buses and shuttles also whisk you to Denali from Anchorage and Fairbanks.
The Big Picture
Think of Denali National Park as accessible wilderness, and the park shuttle bus as your room with a view. You're not likely to get lost in the highway infrastructure; Denali has one entrance (where you'll find the Visitor's Center), and one road, the Denali Park Road, 92 miles long. Private vehicles are only allowed on the 15 miles of paved road that runs from the park entrance to the Savage River Bridge. You can travel beyond that point by bike, on foot, or by taking one of the park shuttle or tour buses that ply the dirt road in summer, stopping for views of wildlife and of elusive Mount McKinley. It's a fabulous trip across low alpine valleys and mountain passes. If you take a shuttle, you can get off at any stop along the way, take a hike, then catch another shuttle home; tour buses offer less flexibility but you get the benefit of an on-board naturalist/guide, narrating the journey.
Where To Stay
With only three days in Denali, you'll want to stay in the park. Campers choose between six campgrounds in summer, of which three allow RVs or trailers. The park does not offer any lodges or hotels within its borders, but a few lodges exist on privately owned islands of land deep inside Denali. These are all wilderness lodges, isolated at the far end of Denali Park Road, and include the expensive and luxurious Camp Denali/Denali North Face Lodge and the Kantishna Roadhouse (think all-inclusive resort, massages, live-in naturalists and fine dining) as well as the more modest Denali Backcountry Lodge. You can also backpack almost anywhere in the park; apply for your permit in person, no more than 24 hours before you leave.
Day One: Kantishna Tour
Start your weekend in Denali in expert hands: Sign up for the all-day tour called the Kantishna Experience that takes you to the very end of the park road. Yes, this is a long time to be in a bus, but it's an exciting, gasp-filled trip narrated by experienced naturalists and there are many stops along the way. You're sure to see wildlife, unforgettable vistas, and, with luck, the elusive mountain itself. The Park Road parallels the Alaska Range with myriad viewing points for Mount McKinley along the way, but the mountain is often hidden in cloud cover, so keep your camera at the ready. The tour traverses glorious mountain passes like wondrous Polychrome Pass, and includes stops at Toklat River and Wonder Lake. Food and beverages are included.
Day Two: Legging It Into Backcountry
Pick your pleasure. No trip to Denali is complete without a day hike, and you can choose something to match your comfort level. Most of the established trails start near the park entrance and offer easy to moderate hiking. Park rangers lead trail hikes daily in summer, but you can plan your own self-guided hike by printing off trail info from the park website or reviewing an interactive trail map. Another possibility is to take a shuttle bus to the Eielson Visitor Center or to Wonder Lake for a different selection of trails. It's also possible to hike outside the established trails, but remember that the park is almost the size of Massachusetts, so research the terrain beforehand and hike with at least one other person. In the afternoon, get a bird's eye view of Denali by signing up for a flightseeing trip in a small plane or helicopter.
Day Three: Dog Sleds, Biking and More
After breakfast, hike or take a free shuttle from the Visitor Center to the sled dog kennels to meet and pat the dogs. Rangers offer dogsled demonstrations three times a day in summer and it's a great chance to ask questions and see the dogs in action. Then pack a lunch, hop on rented bikes, and pedal the 15 miles of paved road to the Savage River area for a picnic. Bikes are permitted on the park road and designated bike paths, but not on trails. After dinner, attend the evening speaker series at the Murie Science and Learning Center, where visiting scientists and naturalists discuss Denali and its wildlife.
