Denali National Park and Preserve

Denali National Park, Alaska: autumn vegetation

Denali National Park and Preserve, vast region with an unspoiled natural environment of alpine tundra and boreal forest (taiga) in south-central Alaska, U.S. It lies roughly equidistant from Fairbanks to the northeast and Anchorage to the south-southeast and is some 200 miles (320 km) south of the Arctic Circle, in the subarctic climate zone. The park and preserve were created in 1980, encompassing the former Mount McKinley National Park (1917) and an additional 6,405 square miles (16,590 square km). In 1976 it was designated by UNESCO as a biosphere reserve.

The park has an area of 7,408 square miles (19,187 square km). The preserve adds another 2,085 square miles (5,400 square km) and adjoins the park in two units, one on the northwest and the other on the southwest; in addition, Denali State Park borders the national park on the southeast. National park headquarters are at the park’s entrance in the northeast corner. A ranger station at Talkeetna, 100 miles (160 km) south of the entrance, manages mountaineering activities in the park.

Alaska Range

The park and preserve encompass the heart of the rugged Alaska Range and a large area of lower hills and outwash plains north of the mountains. Central to the park is Denali, the tallest peak in North America. Denali (“The Great One” or “The High One”) is the ancient Athabaskan Indian name for the mountain. The peak was long named Mount McKinley, for U.S. President William McKinley, but its original name was restored in 2015. Other highlights of the park include the large glaciers of the Alaska Range, Mount Foraker—with an elevation of 17,400 feet (5,304 metres)—and other peaks in the range that exceed heights of 10,000 feet (3,050 metres), the Savage River area west of park headquarters, and the region’s pristine environment.

Denali’s official elevation of 20,310 feet (6,190 metres) was established by the United States Geological Survey in September 2015 after a careful remeasurement of the mountain’s height conducted earlier that year. It superseded the value of 20,320 feet (6,194 metres) that had been the official height since the early 1950s. Prior to 2015 other attempts had been made to measure the mountain’s height. One such survey, conducted in 2010, had used advanced radar technology. The result of that measurement, 20,237 feet (6,168 metres), was made public in September 2013, but it was later determined to be inaccurate.

Winters are long and bitterly cold, typically lasting from late September to April. Temperatures in the coldest months can stay below 0 °F (−18 °C) for extended periods of time and can drop to −40 °F (−40 °C) or colder at night. Summers are short (late May to early September) and cool, with high temperatures averaging about 75 °F (24 °C) on the warmest days. Snow can fall in any month. In winter, snow accumulations are heaviest on the south side of the Alaska Range. Temperatures decrease with elevation, and diurnal temperature ranges can be extreme, especially in winter.

Permafrost underlies much of the park and preserve’s area, but the short summer thaw of accumulated snow and the ground’s surface layer releases more than 1,500 species of plants, including some 430 species of flowering plants. The boreal forest environment in the river valleys supports white and black spruce, aspen, balsam poplar, and paper birch. Above the timberline the tundra zone consists of plants adapted to the short growing season: dwarfed shrubs, tiny wildflowers, blueberries, sedges, and cottongrass. Wildlife is abundant in the park and preserve. Large mammals include moose, brown (grizzly) and black bears, wolves, caribou, and Dall sheep. Among the smaller mammal residents are foxes, wolverines, snowshoe hares, hoary marmots, lynx, and voles and lemmings and other rodents. More than 150 species of birds (most of them migrants) have been seen in the park and preserve, including ptarmigans, ravens, owls, golden eagles, and hawks.

The area of the former Mount McKinley National Park is now designated a wilderness area. Private motor vehicles are largely prohibited in the park and preserve, and access is almost entirely by shuttle buses, which operate from late May to mid-September. Denali, first ascended in 1913, is scaled by hundreds of climbers each year. Other popular activities include wildlife viewing and air tours. In the winter, when most of the park’s access road is closed, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, dogsledding, and limited snowmobiling are available. There are few marked trails; except for a small area near the park’s entrance, hiking is strictly cross-country. Summer-only visitor centres are located near the park entrance and in the interior of the park northeast of Denali. The park has several campgrounds but otherwise provides no overnight accommodations. However, there are several privately operated lodges within the park at the end of the access road that are open during the summer.