Denali National Park Vacations tailored just for you -
Lodging, Day Tours and Adventures in Denali National Park
Surround yourself with miles of wilderness, not thousands of tourists...

Denali Lodges
1301 Parks Hwy Suite #5
Wasilla, Alaska 99654
Toll Free 1-(877) 233-6254
Direct: 1-(907) 376-1992

Facts about Denali National Park and Preserve

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Denali Backcountry Lodge LLC, Tours - Operators & Promoters, Wasilla, AK

Established

  • February 26, 1917 (as Mt. McKinley National Park)
  • December 2, 1980 (increased in size and name changed to Denali National Park and Preserve
  • Denali or "The High One" is the Athabaskan name for the mountain officially called Mount McKinley - both names are used for "The Mountain." "Denali" is the name favored by most Alaskans.

Size

  • Park - 4,690,680 acres 7,329.2 sq. miles
  • Preserve - 1,337,523 acres 2,089.9 sq.miles
  • Total - 6,028,203 acres 9,419.1 sq. miles
  • (For size comparison: State of New Hampshire = 9,279 sq. miles, Vermont = 9,609 sq. miles and Massachusetts = 8,284 sq. miles
  • Wilderness designation (most of original Mount McKinley National Park area): 2,125,679 acres 3,321.4 sq.miles
  • Perimeter (boundary, including new park and preserve): 605 miles or 974 kilometers

Visitation

  • 2008: 432,301 visitors
  • 2009: 358,040 visitors
  • 2010: 378,885 visitors

Campgrounds RVs and/or tents:

  • 3 campgrounds (232 sites)
  • Tents only: 3 campgrounds (42 sites)

Park Road

  • Total length: 92 miles or 148 kilometers
  • Paved section: 14.8 miles or 23.8 kilometers

Landmarks and Elevations

  • Denali Visitor Center 1,746 ft / 532 meters
  • Park Headquarters 2,055 ft
  • Sable Pass 3,900 ft
  • Polychrome Rest Area 3,700 ft
  • Toklat 3,090 ft
  • Highway Pass 3,980 ft / 1213 meters (Highest point on road)
  • Thorofare Pass 3,950 ft
  • Eielson Visitor Center 3,733 ft / 1138 meters
  • Wonder Lake Campground 2,090 ft / 637 meters
  • Kantishna Airstrip 1,575 ft
  • Mt. Foraker 17,400 ft / 5303.5 meters
  • Mt. McKinley 20,320 ft (Highest point in North America
  • --South Peak 20,320 ft / 6193.5 meters
  • --North Peak 19,470 ft / 5934 meters
  • Lowest point in park 200 ft / 61 meters (Yentna River at boundary)

Wildlife Species

  • Amphibians 1 (wood frog)
  • Mammals 39
  • Birds 167 (one endangered species: Peregrine falcon;113 species breeding and 16 recorded as accidental)
  • Fish 10 (includes 3 salmon species)
  • Reptiles 0

Lakes

  • Largest is Chilchukabena Lake: 2.6 miles long, 2 miles wide, 2,079 acres
  • Wonder Lake: 2.6 miles long, 1/2 mile wide, 649 acres, 280 feet maximum depth
  • Approximately 12,130 lakes and ponds in the park and preserve
  • 18,679 miles of streams

Glaciers

  • 17% of park's lands area is covered with glaciers
  • Largest glaciers are on south side of Alaska Range (35-45 miles long) --Kahiltna, Ruth Eldridge, Tokositna and Yentna.
  • Largest glacier on north side of Alaska Range is the Muldrow Glacier on Mt. McKinley (34 miles long).
  • Deepest measured glacier: Ruth - 3805 feets or 1160 meters
  • The surface ice of the Ruth Glacier moves about 0.95 meters (3.1 feet) per day.

Earthquakes

  • Number of earthquakes per year: about 700
  • Average magnitude = 2.0 (The 7.9 quake on November 3, 2002 was largest interior Alaska earthquake in state history.)
  • Depth: over 50% between 0-15km, but 32% between 90-130km
  • Location: most events occur within the Kantishna seismic cluster, in the northern foothills of the Denali range.

Weather

  • Average annual precipitation = 15 inches (park headquarters)
  • Wettest months are June, July and August.
  • Average annual snowfall = 80 inches (park headquarters)
  • Highest amount of snowfall occurs in October and November.
  • Coldest temperature recorded at headquarters: -54º F, 2/5/99
  • Highest temperature recorded at headquarters: 91º F, 6/22/91
  • Average January temperature: 2ºF
  • Average July temperature: 55ºF
  • Shortest day (December 21) = 4 hours, 21 minutes of daylight
  • Longest day (June 21) = 20 hours, 49 minutes of daylight
  • Number of years in cooperation with the National Weather Service: 80

Denali Park Sled Dog Kennels

  • Kennels building constructed in 1929
  • Number of adult dogs: 30 (4 retiring this year)
  • Patrol miles per winter: 3,000
  • Sled dog demonstrations inaugurated in 1939
  • The only national park in America with a working kennel

Mt. McKinley Mountaineering Statistics (2010)

  • Number of climbers: 36,075 (Most climbers in one season: 1,340 in 2005)
  • Number of climbers who reached top or "summit": 670 (2010)
  • Summit percentage: 52% (Average summit percentage: 51%)
  • Fatalities: 1 (Total number of fatalities since 1932: 93)
  • First summit of South Peak (true summit): June 7, 1913, Harper, Karstens, Stuck, Tatum
  • First summit of North Peak: April 3, 1910, Anderson, Taylor
  • 18,877 climbers have reached the summit since 1903
  • First woman to summit: June 6, 1947, Barbara Polk Washburn
  • First solo ascent: August 26, 1970; Naoimi Uemura
  • First winter ascent: February 28, 1967; Johnston, Davidson, Genet
  • First winter solo ascent: February 12, 1984; Uemura (died on descent)
  • First successful winter solo ascent completed: March 7, 1988; Tejas
  • Oldest person to summit: July 5, 2004; Mario Locatelli, 71 years, 6 months old
  • Youngest person to summit: June 17, 2001; Galen Johnston, 11 years old