Denali
Six million acres of tundra, grizzlies and North America's tallest peak along one road
- Hours
- Open 24 hours, all year
- Entry
- Free entry
- Reservations
- Not required
- Size
- 6,045,153 acres
Denali Weather Now
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Denali protects more than six million acres of tundra, taiga and glaciers in Interior Alaska, crowned by the 20,310-foot peak that is the tallest in North America. It was set aside in 1917 as Mount McKinley National Park, mainly to protect Dall sheep, and was expanded and renamed Denali in 1980. A single 92-mile road is the only way in, and most of it is open only to park buses. The mountain makes its own weather and is fully visible on only about a third of summer days.
In 2021 a fast-moving landslide at Pretty Rocks, near Mile 45, cut the road in half, and buses have turned around at East Fork (Mile 43) ever since. A bridge over the slide was finished on September 2, 2026, and the park expects buses to reach Eielson, Wonder Lake and Kantishna again in 2027. Denali is also home to the only sled dog kennels in the National Park Service, and the dogs still haul gear and patrol the wilderness every winter.
The park and surrounding area
- Park boundary
- Other parks
- Major highway
- Road
- Rivers and lakes
- Town
Plan your trip
- Best time to go
- Late June through mid-August brings the full bus season and long days, while late August and early September add fall color and fewer bugs.
- How long to stay
- Plan two to three days in summer; one day covers the front country in fall or winter.
- Getting there
- Fairbanks (FAI) is about 2 hours north by car, and Anchorage (ANC) is about 4.5 hours south; the Alaska Railroad also stops at the park entrance in summer.
- Wildlife
- Watch for grizzly bears, moose, caribou, Dall sheep, wolves, red foxes, snowshoe hares, arctic ground squirrels and willow ptarmigan.
Plan and book
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Where to stay
Tours and activities
- Guided tours on Viator (opens in a new tab)Day trips, wildlife, photography
- Tours on GetYourGuide (opens in a new tab)Compare options and reviews
- Campsites on Recreation.gov (opens in a new tab)Official federal booking site
What to pack for Denali
- Bear sprayGrizzlies roam the whole park, including near the entrance trails.
- Waterproof rain jacketRain and wind can roll in any day of the year.
- BinocularsMost wildlife is spotted at a distance from the road.
- Insulated layersFall temperatures often drop below freezing and winter brings deep cold.
- Head netMosquitoes are thick on the tundra in June and July.
A first day, start to finish
- Winter Visitor Center near the entrance
- Horseshoe Lake Trail
- Sled dog kennels at Park Headquarters
- Drive to Mountain Vista or Savage River
- Teklanika River pullout for wildlife (fall, weather permitting)
Don't miss
- Denali Park RoadA 92-mile road where private cars stop at Savage River (Mile 15) in summer; in 2026 buses turned around at East Fork (Mile 43), and full bus service to Eielson and Wonder Lake is expected to return in 2027.
- Pretty Rocks BridgeA new bridge over the Pretty Rocks landslide at Polychrome Pass, finished September 2, 2026, that reopens the west end of the road to buses next season.
- Sled Dog KennelsThe only national park sled dog kennels in the US, at Mile 3 near Park Headquarters, where the dogs that patrol the winter backcountry live.
- Savage River LoopAn easy 1.7-mile loop along a braided river at Mile 15, the farthest point most private cars can reach in summer.
- Mountain Vista and Horseshoe LakeA short walk at Mile 13 with a chance to see the mountain on clear days, and a 3-mile round trip to a beaver-dammed lake near the entrance.
Know before you go
Do
- Pay the $15 per person entrance fee online or by card, since the park does not take cash.
- Carry bear spray and stay at least 300 yards from bears and 25 yards from other wildlife.
- Check the road status before driving in fall, since snow can close it at Mile 3 with little notice.
Don't
- Plan on riding a bus into the park in October, because bus service ended in mid-September.
- Expect to drive your own car past Savage River (Mile 15) in summer.
- Bring pets to the sled dog kennels, which are off-limits to pets year-round.
The park is open 24 hours a day, year-round, but services shrink sharply after mid-September. Through October 15, 2026, private vehicles can drive the paved road to Teklanika River (Mile 30), weather permitting; after that the road stays open to Mountain Vista (Mile 13) until snow closes it at Park Headquarters (Mile 3). The Denali Visitor Center has closed for the season, and the Winter Visitor Center near the entrance has been open daily since September 24, 2026.
In fall, drive to Teklanika (Mile 30) early in the morning for your best odds of seeing moose, caribou and bears from the road.Trekker's tip