Alaska's parks
Denali National Park: McKinley and the bears
Here's a guide to activities, bus rides, camping, lodging, weather and wildlife
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
Denali National Park is best known for Mount McKinley, at 20,320 feet the tallest peak in North America.
Several hundred thousand people a year visit the Massachusetts-size park to see the pride of the Alaska Range as well as the bears, caribou and wolves that live in the park.
Denali's location
Denali National Park straddles the Alaska Range. The park entrance is 237 highway miles north of Anchorage and 125 miles south of Fairbanks. Mount McKinley itself is about 140 miles north of Anchorage as the raven flies. (Map)
Population of the Denali area
McKinley Village, a rural area south of the park entrance, has about 140 year-round residents. Healy, 11 miles north, has 1,000 residents.
Notable
Denali National Park was known as McKinley National Park when it was created in 1917. Access at first was by railroad from the 1920s to mid-1950s, when the Denali Highway (Highway 8) reached it from the east. The park was opened to Anchorage and Fairbanks highway traffic in 1968 when the George Parks Highway (Highway 3) reached it.
In 1980, the park was expanded to 6 million acres (9,375 square miles) and the name was changed from Mount McKinley NP to Denali NP. The park gets 360,000 visitors a year.
Activities
Shuttle bus rides into the park
Wildlife and natural history bus tours
Eating and lodging near Denali
There is no longer a hotel inside the park, but there is lodging just outside the boundary -- hundreds of hotel, lodge, inn and chalet rooms. Some of the larger hotels have ATMs (you may be charged as much as $3 for a withdrawal).
Denali weather
Denali's climate says "Alaska." Summers are pleasant, but winters are a real challenge. In mid-June, the sun sets but a bright twilight is as good as day and temperatures at the park entrance may be in the 70s. By late August deep in the park, visitors should expect rain and possibly snow showers.
How to get to Denali
Any way you go, watch for wildlife: moose, caribou and bears. Getting there is a great part of your vacation.
Driving | Bus service | Alaska Railroad
Buses and getting around in Denali
Access to the park's interior is by bus, to hold down the amount of traffic on the only road across the tundra. Two kinds of bus rides are offered: shuttle bus and wildlife/nature tour. The rides range from a couple of hours to 12 hours. The park offers free bus service near the entrance, and taxis are available.
Denali hiking and camping
Denali National Park has five campgrounds for tents or RVs. In addition, privately operated campgrounds are available just outside the park.
Denali campgrounds | Hiking and backcountry camping
Park-area hotels, lodges and camping
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Denali NP services
