Six million acres of untouched wilderness. All 20,310 feet of North America's tallest peak. And only 92 miles of roadway. All told, Denali National Park is larger than the entire state of New Hampshire—but even those impressive statistics sketch only the faintest reflection of the park's immensity and grandeur.
To really appreciate Denali, you have to see it in person. Driving, hiking, or even flying through the park is an opportunity to surf seemingly endless waves of land that roll past you in the form of mountains and valleys, all laced together by fast-moving creeks and rivers and peppered with free-roaming bears, moose, wolves, and other wildlife large and small.
Denali sits at the intersection of the ancestral lands of the Ahtna, Dena’ina, Koyukon, Upper Kuskokwim, and Tanana peoples, all of which are part of a larger language group collectively known as the Dené or Athabascan; human artifacts found in the Denali area have been dated back more than 12,000 years.
If you're planning a visit, know that there are visitor amenities, but they're almost all clustered within about a mile of the park entrance, leaving the rest of the land over to wilderness. Consider this your ultimate guide to navigating this terrain—from how to get to Denali, to the best in-park experiences and where to rest your head.
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Getting to and around Denali National Park
There is just one major highway leading to Denali National Park: The Parks Highway connects Denali to Fairbanks, about two and a half hours to the north, and Anchorage, about four and a half hours to the south. Both cities have well-connected airports and multiple car rental options.
If you don't want to drive, limited motorcoach services can get you to Denali during the summer: Try Alaska/Yukon Trails or The Park Connection.
The last, most luxurious option for reaching Denali is the Alaska Railroad which, like the Parks Highway, runs from Anchorage to Fairbanks or vice versa.
You don't need a car to get around in Denali National Park, but if you visit during the shoulder season you can drive your own vehicle as far into the park as road conditions allow.
When to go
Denali National Park's peak season is mid-May through mid-September. Most tour, lodging, and restaurant amenities shut down as soon as the peak season ends, but if you're prepared to DIY a trip in winter conditions—or want to book a day tour out of Fairbanks—you can still visit during the winter.
Visiting during the early-May or mid- to late-September shoulder seasons offers a more secluded experience. Amenities and tour options are extremely limited, but September in particular is a beautiful time for exploring the park, when the weather cooperates.
What to do
Travel the park road
Perhaps the best-known excursion in Denali is taking a bus ride on the lone road running into the park.
Narrated tour buses and hop-on, hop-off transit buses, both joint ventures between global hospitality provider Aramark and Alaska Native corporation Doyon, Limited, used to run all the way down the 92-mile park road—but an ongoing land slump has forced partial closure of the road, so all vehicle traffic currently turns around at mile 43. Officials are building a bridge across the landslide/slump area and hope to have it open by 2025.
For a quick (and free) taste of the park road, you can catch the courtesy shuttle that runs between the Denali Visitor Center and Savage River (mile 15 of the park road).
You can also rent a bicycle from Bike Denali, about a (bikeable) mile outside the park entrance, and explore as far as you like along the park road, or drive your personal vehicle as far as mile 15 during peak season, although the small parking area at Savage River fills up fast.
See North America's tallest peak
It's natural to expect a glimpse of North America's tallest mountain, Denali, when you come to the park that bears its name. But you'll have to venture to at least mile 9 of the park road before the elevation is high enough to reveal 20,310' Denali. If you're feeling adventurous you can also hike to the top of the aptly named Mountain Vista trail, at about mile 12, for more views.
The mountain is often obscured by clouds so if you don't get to see it while in the park, don't despair: You can also catch a glimpse from the Alaska Railroad trains or, if you're driving, from several well-marked waysides along the Parks Highway.
Take a hike
Denali is home to a handful of beautiful hiking trails, including the beloved Savage River and Alpine trails, and the stunning Triple Lakes Trail where you might be able to add beavers to your wildlife-viewing checklist, but you're also welcome to hike off-trail from the park road. Just hop off at any likely-looking pullout and explore.
No matter where you hike, it's important that you carry bear spray, which you can rent from the Alaska Geographic store in the park, next to the Denali Visitor Center—and know what to do if you encounter wildlife. Park rangers are also available to help you choose a hiking destination and coach you on how to handle wildlife encounters. They also lead a variety of group activities, including hikes both on- and off-trail.
Visit with sled dogs
Denali National Park is home to the National Park Service's only working kennel of sled dogs. Rangers demonstrate how they work with the dogs two-to-three times per day through the summer; you can walk to the kennels from the park entrance, or catch a free shuttle bus.
Other tours
You'll see a wide variety of other tour options advertised for Denali National Park, including whitewater rafting, horseback riding, ATV tours, and Jeep tours. With very few exceptions, these take place along the boundary of the park, not actually in it. But adventuring alongside Denali can be a fine—and thrilling—way to spend your visit.
Among companies operating just outside the park, Denali Horseback Tours is a perennial favorite. Their reliable steeds take you off into the hills for beautiful vistas overlooking the park and neighboring lands, without any of the noise or exhaust from a Jeep or ATV tour. If you do want the thrill of a motor-driven vehicle, though, Denali ATV Adventures is hugely popular.
A last, favorite way of seeing Denali at near-distance is from the water. Whitewater rafting tours from companies like the family-owned Denali Raft Adventures take you down the Nenana River, which forms the natural boundary on the east side of Denali National Park. Rafting excursions range from pulse-pounding to relatively sedate, so there’s something for almost everybody.
If you’re ready to splurge on a once-in-a-lifetime experience, Alaska Alpine Adventures is an excellent guide service that does have the required permits to work inside the park. Their custom hiking and backpacking tours demand a fairly high level of physical fitness, but if you’ve been working out regularly before your trip, they might be a good fit.
Where to stay in Denali National Park
Most of Denali's lodges and hotels cluster just outside the park entrance, but you'll find others dotted up and down the Parks Highway, extending as far north and south as the small towns of Healy and Cantwell, respectively.
For a true wilderness experience, consider flying in to one of the backcountry lodges at the end of the Denali National Park Road, like the Denali Backcountry Lodge—the only lodge in this area that’s posh enough to offer (limited) spa service—and the famed Kantishna Roadhouse, which serves gourmet food and offers guided programs in a small-group setting. Usually these lodges are accessed by bus, but due to the partial closure of the park road they're expected to operate on a fly-in-only basis through 2024.
If you like sleeping under the stars, Denali offers numerous options for camping during the summer. Usually all six of the park’s established campgrounds are open through peak visitor season, but only five of those campgrounds are currently accessible (due to the aforementioned road closure). Backcountry summer camping is also an option, as long as you get a permit (available only in person), carry a bear-resistant food container, and take the requisite wildlife-safety training (also only offered in person).
Nearby attractions
If you've brought a vehicle to Denali National Park, consider taking a side trip on the spectacular Denali Highway, which threads an east/west route through spectacularly wild, remote terrain between the tiny towns of Cantwell (near the Denali park entrance) and Paxson, which sits on the north/south Richardson Highway.
This "highway" can be very slow, rough going, so you might want to break up the trip by staying at one of the remote lodges dotted along its length, including the Alpine Creek Lodge (near Cantwell) and the Maclaren River Lodge (near Paxson). You'll also need to make sure your rental car agreement allows travel on gravel highways. Try Alaska Auto Rental, which has locations in Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Denali.
Fairbanks is your closest source of city amenities, and offers a wealth of day and multi-day tours in its own right, like Northern Alaska Tour Company’s flying and driving tours to the Arctic Circle (and beyond), the most authentic gold-panning experience in town with family-owned Gold Daughters, and a chance to roam the forest with reindeer at the delightfully unexpected Running Reindeer Farm. If you happen to visit in winter, Fairbanks is your very best home base for seeing the northern lights.
Also in Fairbanks, don’t miss a chance to learn more about local Alaska Native culture with a stop by the Morris Thompson Cultural and Visitor Center, which houses several dioramas depicting traditional life through the seasons, an excellent gift shop for purchasing Alaska Native crafts, and the Tanana Chiefs Cultural Connections show in July and August.
If you've heard of the famous small-plane "flightseeing" trips around Denali the mountain, it might come as a surprise to hear that most of them don't set out from Denali National Park at all. Instead, the nearby small town of Talkeetna—accessible by driving, the Alaska Railroad, or Park Connection motorcoaches—is the usual launching-off place for flightseeing trips around the mountain, offered by Talkeetna Air Taxi, Sheldon Air Service, and K2 Aviation.
Where to eat
During the summer, there's a surprising variety of dining options packed into the road just outside the park entrance. For casual pub-style grub try 49th State Brewing Company, and for the most upscale meal available in the area, check out the Alpenglow restaurant in the Grande Denali Lodge. Last but absolutely not least, the beloved Moose-AKa's restaurant provides Eastern European cuisine in an authentic tavern setting.