Denali National Park
Denali National Park, AK
Interior Alaska
A single road into six million acres of wilderness, leading toward the highest mountain in North America and some of the best big-animal watching left on the continent.
Denali National Park protects six million acres of subarctic wilderness around the greatest mountain on the continent. Denali itself rises 20,310 feet, the highest peak in North America, so massive that it generates its own weather and stands hidden in cloud more often than not, which makes a clear sighting of the whole mountain one of the great thrills of an Alaska trip. Around it spreads a roadless world of tundra, braided rivers, and low taiga forest, home to the animals the park is famous for.
One narrow road runs into this vastness, and for most of its length private cars are not allowed. Visitors instead ride the park buses deep into the interior, watching for wildlife along the way. Grizzly bears dig for roots on the open tundra, moose browse the willows, caribou drift across the flats, wolves range the valleys, and Dall sheep pick their way along the high ridges. Few places make it so easy to see so much wild, free-roaming life against so grand a backdrop.
What Guests Love
- The chance to see Denali, the tallest peak in North America
- Watching grizzlies, moose, caribou, wolves, and Dall sheep
- The single wild park road deep into the backcountry
- Endless tundra and mountains with almost no development
Worth Knowing
- Private vehicles can only drive the first stretch of the park road; beyond that, travel is by park bus, so plan a bus trip to go deep
- Denali makes its own weather and is often hidden in cloud, so any clear view of the peak is a lucky gift
- The main season runs roughly late May through mid-September; services are very limited outside it
- Bring layers, rain gear, and bug protection, and never approach wildlife along the road
Details
Interior Alaska
Learn about Denali National Park
The mountain and the road
Denali is not just tall; measured from base to summit, it is one of the biggest mountains on earth, its bulk rising abruptly from relatively low surrounding land. Because it stands so high and so far north, it holds fierce weather, and clouds cling to it most days. When the sky clears and the full peak appears, gleaming with snow above the tundra, it is unforgettable.
A single ninety-plus-mile road threads into the park toward the mountain. To protect the wildlife and the wilderness feel, the road is largely closed to private cars, and travel beyond the early section is by park bus. Riding it is the classic Denali experience: hours of tundra and mountain scenery with frequent stops for animals spotted along the way.
A land of wild animals
Denali is one of the last places in the country where a full community of large mammals still roams freely across an intact landscape. The park is known for its big five, the grizzly bear, moose, caribou, wolf, and Dall sheep, and a bus ride in summer often turns up several of them, along with foxes, ground squirrels, golden eagles, and more.
The setting is subarctic and open, with low tundra and scattered spruce giving long sightlines, so wildlife is often visible at a distance across the valleys. In autumn the tundra blazes red and gold and the caribou grow their antlers, one of the most beautiful times to visit before the long northern winter closes in.
Closest Boutels
The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.
Things to Do Near Interior Alaska
Denali Park Road
In the park
The single road into the wilderness, traveled by park bus, and the main way to see the mountain and its wildlife up close.
Nenana and the Ice Classic
About 60 miles north
A small river town on the way to Fairbanks, home of the famous spring Ice Classic betting on the breakup of the Tanana River.
Talkeetna
About 100 miles south
A quirky river town that is the base for flightseeing and climbing expeditions to Denali, with grand views of the Alaska Range.