Denali National Park and Preserve
Established: Created on Feb. 26, 1917, as Mount McKinley National Park. On Dec. 2, 1980, it was increased in size and the name changed to Denali National Park and Preserve.
Location: The main park entrance is along Alaska Highway 3 (also called the George Parks Highway) about 240 miles north of Anchorage, 120 miles south of Fairbanks, and 12 miles south of Healy, the nearest year-round community.
Size: The park covers 7,329.2 square miles, and the preserve is 2,089.9 square miles, a total of 9,419.1 square miles. In comparison, the state of New Hampshire covers 9,279 square miles.
Visitation: A little more than 400,000 people now visit the park each year. The most in one year was 592,431 in 1988.
Entrance fees: $10 per person or $20 per vehicle for a seven-day permit.
Denali Park Road: At 92 miles long, it is the only road in the park. From roughly late May through early September, private vehicles may drive the first 15 miles of road to Savage River. The road to Savage River is paved, and features numerous pull-outs. Mount McKinley can be seen as early as Mile 9, if the day isn’t too overcast. Beyond Savage River, visitors can take one of three bus options: a free courtesy bus or paid shuttle or tour buses. Note that Alaska state law requires most children 7 and younger to use a car or booster seat.
Campgrounds: There are three RVs and/or campgrounds with 232 sites and three tents-only campgrounds with 42 sites.
Information: Go to nps.gov/dena.
Concessions, including shuttle and
tour buses are run by Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture, 800-622-7275 or
reservedenali.com.
