Alaska's parks
Driving to Denali
Highway is scenic and fast -- but watch for moose
By Leon Unruh / Alaska.com
Denali National Park's lone entrance is 237 miles highway miles north of Anchorage. That's a drive of four to five hours on the George Parks Highway. The entrance is 125 miles south of Fairbanks.
The highway from Anchorage is four-lane asphalt to Wasilla, where construction and a bottleneck slow traffic. West of Wasilla (Mile 42) and then north, the highway is two-lane asphalt all the way to Denali and on to Fairbanks. There is some construction in the summer.
Traffic can be fast. Watch out for moose and cars pulling onto the highway from numerous driveways. Also be alert for high-speed drivers, especially during salmon fishing season south of the Susitna River. Evening traffic is often quite light between the Big Lake turnoff (Mile 52) and Denali.
Cars and SUVs can be rented in Anchorage, Fairbanks and Seward. RVs can be rented in Anchorage and Fairbanks.
Driving the park road
Inside Denali National Park itself, drivers of private vehicles can follow the park road for 15 miles to the Savage River bridge, where there's a small parking lot between the river and the mountains. There's plenty of room to hike, but camping isn't allowed there. This part, built of asphalt, has some hilly parts but generally is a rambling, easy drive in the Savage River valley. Watch for moose and caribou. If the weather's good, you might be able to see Mount McKinley from about Mile 10. There is no fee for this use.
Cars, trucks and RVs are allowed at three campgrounds: Riley Creek, at the entrance; Savage River, at Mile 12; and at Teklanika River; Mile 29.
Fuel
Gasoline, diesel fuel and services are available in a half-dozen places in the 190 miles between sprawling Wasilla and Denali. Fuel prices in the Denali area in the summer of 2002 were about 20 cents higher than in Anchorage. Gas prices in early 2003 start at $1.60 a gallon for unleaded (87 octane) in Anchorage.
There's a gas station in Glitter Gulch just north of the park entrance. The nearest stations after that are in Healy (11 miles north) and Cantwell (27 miles south).
Food
Meals along the highway tend to be, well, highway food. Expect menus to have sandwiches, hamburgers, fried fish sandwiches and so forth.
Talkeetna, which is often a weekend destination for Anchorage residents, has several restaurants with higher goals. Around the Denali entrance, look for grilled salmon and other high-quality food.
Restaurants are available along the highway: Houston (Mile 57), Willow (69), Sunshine (the Talkeetna turnoff at Mile 99), near the Chulitna River crossing (134-135), Cantwell (210), the Denali area (225-238), Healy (240) and Nenana (304). Fairbanks is an hour's drive north of Nenana.
Be prepared
Although smart drivers take emergency supplies when crossing the Alaska Range in winter, summer's trip brings about much less anxiety. A light jacket is usually all that's required for comfort. Cellphone service is available for almost the entire route. (Out-of-state visitors should check with their phone company to make sure its service agreements extend to Alaska.)
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