|
Denali National Park, located approximately 240 miles north of Anchorage and 120
miles southwest of Fairbanks, is comprised of over 6 million acres of
 richly
diverse terrain and is best known for North America’s highest mountain – Mount
McKinley.
Denali, or "High One," is the native Athabascan name given to Mount McKinley. At
a height of 20,320 feet, Mount McKinley stands out over the surrounding mountain
peaks of the 600 mile long Alaskan Range.
Large mammals - wolves, moose, caribou, Dall sheep and grizzly bears - roam
freely within the park and share this wild land with a host of smaller mammals
including ground squirrels, hoary marmots, pikas and snowshoe hares. These
smaller mammals are abundant throughout the park and serve as an important
component to Denali's food chain.
More then 650 species of flowering plants and a wide variety of mosses, lichens,
fungi and algae, adorn the numerous slopes and valleys of the park.
Among the many peoples who originally called Denali home were the Ahtna,
Athabaskan, Koyukon and Tanana.
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, goldseekers clambered to the area. It was
around this time that railroad executive and avid outdoorsman, Charles Sheldon,
first began work to preserve this unique natural treasure.
Following the establishment of Mount McKinley National Park by President Woodrow
Wilson in 1917, the Park was designated an International Biosphere Reserve by
the United Nations in 1976.
In 1980, the original park was designated a wilderness area and incorporated
into Denali National Park and Preserve.
The use
 of
motorized vehicles within the park is limited to maintained roads and parking
areas. Private vehicles are not permitted past the Savage Check Station located
at mile 14 of the Park Road.
Transport to Denali National Park may be made via the
Alaska Railroad,
motor coach or
rental car.
There are a number of clean and comfortable lodging opportunities available to
Denali National Park visitors both near the park entrance and within the park
itself.
The most well known, luxurious and uniquely situated lodge within the park is
Denali Backcountry Lodge, located at
the very end of the Park Road in the enclave of Kantishna.
Near the park entrance is Denali Cabins – a
charming collection of 45 cedar cabins each containing a private bath, TV, phone
and comfortable beds.
|