Denali National Park and Preserve Alaska

Looking out over Denali National Park and Preserve in Alaska

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Major Airports:

Fairbanks (FAI)

Ted Stevens Anchorage (ANC)

Kenai (ENA)
States:

Alaska

Discover North America's tallest mountain

On a bus tour along Denali Park Road, count the number of animals visible from the safe, high confines of a comfortable coach seat. Driver guides know the best times and places on the Alaskan landscape to spot Dall sheep, moose and caribou. Elsewhere, the park warns visitors who are hiking to stay 25 meters away from animals (and make that 275 meters for grizzly or black bears). The USA's first national park created to protect wildlife, it was established in 1917 as Mount McKinley National Park and renamed Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980 as it tripled in size.

Most visitors come to Denali National Park and Preserve to see the 6,200-meter-tall Mount McKinley, but it is far more than just a mountain. Denali National Park and Preserve is home to the tallest peak in North America. It is called "Denali", meaning “the high one,” in the Athabaskan languages of Alaska Native tribes. Located just north of Anchorage, Alaska, this is the largest national park in the USA. It boasts more than 2.4 million hectares of tundra, mountains and glaciers, which contrast the area’s vast wetlands and verdant spruce forests.

One of the best ways to view this mountainous park is to take a fixed-wing or helicopter tour from Anchorage. On the ground, you’ll find a wealth of other activities to enjoy. In the warmer months, the park features opportunities to hike, bike, fish and camp, while the colder months bring the snow needed for skiing, snowshoeing and dogsledding. During the summer, spend your time hiking the park’s rugged mountain trails. Denali also offers an amazing chance to view wildlife such as grizzly bears, bald eagles, wolves and moose.