about Denali National Park

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Denali National Park: A Special Place

Brief History and Description
Denali National Park and Preserve encompasses the highest mountains in the Alaska Range, including Mt. McKinley, North America's highest peak, at 20, 320 ft. Numerous glaciated peaks and ridges form the backbone of the range, and give Denali it's unique scenic character. The summer season here, a short 3 months, is the backdrop for the essential, life sustaining activities of migratory and resident animal species and a variety of plant communities. Uniquely adapted subarctic species occupy Denali's ridges and valleys. Denali is home for several species of large mammals, including caribou, moose, dall sheep, grizzly bears, wolves, and foxes. Migratory birds, many species of whom travel long distances to breed in Denali, live side by side with hardy, winter tolerant resident birds. Denali's unique geology, including the Alaska Range granite massif and associated highly mineralized metamorphic rock, provides the background for these plant and animal communities. Spruce and mixed hardwood forests along the rivers and lowlands, brushy muskeg in areas of poor drainage and permafrost, and upland low tundra comprise a few of the environments upon which the birds and animals of Denali depend.

For Alaska's Athabascan people, Denali's plant and animal communities, rivers and lakes provided food, clothing and shelter. Their name for North America's highest peak is Denali, the Great One. Native communities existed in the Lake Minchumina and Telida areas prior to contact with western civilization. Migratory hunters left evidence at several sites throughout the area now incorporated into Denali National Park and Preserve.

Through the work of early explorers, including Alfred Brooks, Hudson Stuck and Robert Sheldon, the wilderness of Denali gained national recognition by the early years of the twentieth century. The United States Congress established Mt. McKinley National Park on February 26, 1917, less than a year after the National Park Service was created. Legislation in 1922 and 1932 added northern lands to Denali, creating a park of approximately 2 million acres in size.

In 1971 the George Parks Highway was completed, providing a paved road between Anchorage and Fairbanks and opening Denali National Park to increased vehicle traffic. Prior to that time, the only access to Denali was via the Alaska Railroad or via local unpaved roads connecting the park to the Glenn Highway at Paxson. In response to the increase in access provided by this highway, the NPS instituted the Visitor Transportation System in the summer of 1972. Travelers know Denali best for this system, that takes park visitors on magical 3-11 hour trips into Denali along the park's single road. From the buses, visitors view amazing alpine mountain scenery including (on good days) phenomenal views of Mount McKinley and the rich sub-Arctic plant and animal life. Denali is the most accessible place in the world where visitors have an excellent chance to watch caribou and grizzly bears, along with other large mammals such as Dall sheep, moose, and fox. The VTS, operated by ARAMARK, the Park concessionaire, consists of two components, a Wildlife Tour purchased through hotel companies, and a Shuttle Bus, available to the General Public for a small fee.

Because of increased visitation, the NPS established the Backcountry Management Plan in 1976, which provided for a system of backcountry use areas with quotas for overnight camping in sensitive areas and, at times, closures for sensitive habitat. In 1980, after diligent work by Alaskan citizens, including members of Denali Citizens Council, Congress passed the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act, known as ANILCA, signed by President Carter on December 2, 1980. ANILCA added approximately 4 million acres to Denali.

ANILCA officially changed the park's name to Denali National Park and Preserve. The passage of ANILCA triggered the development of further management policies throughout the last two decades. In addition, the mandates of ANILCA have been the source of conflict as Denali struggles to accommodate increased visitation and the growth of the package tourism industry in Alaska.