• We are concerned about the long term implications of allowing dispersed use of snowmachines in Denali's Backcountry, as seen in Alternative D. This form of use contradicts long-standing policy and stretches existing regulations regarding snowmobile use in our National Parks. Dispersed use is a departure from policy [36 CFR 2.18] that "prohibits snowmachines except on routes and water surfaces designated by special regulation."
• The use of snowmachines in Denali's Backcountry has the potential of impairing the wilderness character of Park lands proposed for Wilderness designation. [As of 1988, 2.25 million acres were proposed, but a new suitability review would likely increase the acreage to be considered.] Impairment would jeopardize future inclusion and protection of these lands under the Wilderness status umbrella.
  In a recent survey of DCC members, over half of the respondents were opposed to recreational snowmachining in Denali's additions.

To learn more about DCC's concerns for the Backcountry Management Plan visit: Talking Points

The National Park Service promulgated Final Regulations in June of 2000, which define traditional activity, as interpreted from ANILA, and close the Old Park, the original two million acres, to all snowmobile access.

The Alaska State Snowmobile Association and the International Snowmobile Manufacturers Association filed a lawsuit, against the National Park Service and the Department of the Interior, which contested the ban on riding inside the original park boundaries and the interpretation of traditional activity. The lawsuit has since been dropped and the Department of Interior under the current Bush administration has vowed to look into relaxing the Snowmobile ban in Denali. Snowmobile proponents are planning new tactics to resolve the legal and political fight for the right to snowmobile in the park through Congress, most likely in the form of an appropriations rider.

A History of Snowmachine Regulation in Denali

The Great Denali Snowmachine Debate
by Mike Tranel, NPS Planner

NPS Groups Sue over Denali Snowmachine Closure
Environmental News Network