Tall glaciers, snow forest, low shrubs, and a rich wilderness—these and more are what define Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska. The area covers over nine million acres of land rich in biodiversity. Some 2.1 million acres of the area was designated as the Denali wilderness, in 1980.
Close to 595,000 people visited the park in 2018.
History
Human presence was established around 11,000 years ago outside the park boundaries. The harsh climate and scarce resources could be the reason why there isn't enough evidence of human presence in the Denali region. But along the Teklanika River, archaeological sites reveal that the area was used as hunting camps.
In 1906, conservationist Charles Alexander Sheldon raised the idea of making the Denali region, a protected area. The park was finally established on Feb. 26, 1917 and he was named the Father of Denali National Park.
In 1976, the area was also designated as an International Biosphere Reserve.
Things to see
The park changes colors depending on the season. Summer is the time for green forests and bright flowers, while spring and fall are characterized by the yellowish and orange-ish landscape. And most of the park turns into a winter wonderland during winter. Here are some of the things to do at the park:
Bus tours
During the summer, the park provides bus tours because private vehicles are not allowed deep inside the park. The tour can take half a day or the whole day, depending on the visitor’s choice. The drivers of the bus will also talk about the background of all the sites.
There are three different kinds of tours:
1. Denali History Tour – This four-hour tour discusses how Native Alaskans lived and explored the Denali region.
2. Tundra Wilderness Tour – This is an eight-hour trip, which is also the most popular option among tourists. It is an extensive look into the natural resources present in the park. There will be plenty of stops as tourists will have a chance to see wildlife in their natural habitat: caribou, grizzly bears, moose, and wolves. Drivers have high-technology video equipment for zooming in on the animals, the output of which will be showed on the screen inside the bus.
3. Kantishna Experience Tour – This is an 11-hour tour that covers 90 miles. This is the best way to see the overall landscape of the Denali wilderness.
Hiking
Marked trails in Denali are short, which means that people can hike off-trail if they want a more satisfying trek. There are park rangers around to answer questions about the park’s hiking area. For the available easy trails, there is the Horseshoe Lake Trail, which is just a walk around Horseshoe Lake. The Meadow View Trail is a walk overlooking a colorful Alaskan meadow. Morino Trail goes through a spruce forest.
Denali’s longest trail is the 9.5-mile Triple Lakes Trail. The name refers to the three lakes that hikers will pass through. The view of the three lakes is amazing. The pathway also traverses two creeks.
Drive to Savage River
During the summer, private vehicles are allowed within the first 15 miles of the park, which leads to Savage River. Along the route are pull outs to see the different views of the park particularly Denali, the highest mountain in North America, with the summit at over 20,000 feet above sea level.
Camping
The Riley Creek Campground is open the entire year. It is the only campground open outside of summer. There are surrounding woods in this area so visitors can keep their eyes open for some red squirrels and snowshoe hares. Wonder Lake Campground is the closest one to Denali and is open only during summer.
Take a photo of Reflection Pond
The best photo of Denali can be taken at the Reflection Pond. It is called as such because of the perfect reflection it provides of the mountain—the water is still and clear. But of course, all the other areas of the park are just as worthy to be immortalized in photographs.
Flightseeing tours
This is another way to marvel at one of nature’s wonders, known as Denali National Park and Preserve Air Taxi. Some concessionaires will give tourists a chance to have a bird’s eye view of the park. Most pilots are also great at giving a discourse on the glaciers and mountains, and other Denali spots visible from thousands of feet up in the air.
Winter activities
Winter is an opportunity to experience unique activities in the park such as the sled dog demonstration. Sled dogs are significant in the park for winter operations. Tourists can visit the dog kennels around this time. The Northern Lights or Aurora Borealis are also amazing at the park around springtime to winter. Common winter activities in the park are biking, skiing and snowshoeing.