D
enali, the “High One,” is the name the Koyukon Athabaskan people gave the massive peak that crowns the 600-mile-long Alaska Range. At 20,310 feet, Denali is the highest peak in North America and the number one visitor attraction in the State. The mountain was named Mount McKinley by a prospector in 1897 in honor of soon to be President William McKinley. Congress officially confirmed the name in 1917, however, this peak’s name remained controversial. In 1975 the Alaska Board of Geographic names officially changed the name of the mountain to “Denali.” Ever since then it had petitioned for the Federal Government to do the same. Finally, in 2015 the U.S. Department of the interior officially changed the name from Mount McKinley to Denali. Mount McKinley National Park became Denali National Park and Preserve in 1980 and was tripled in size to six million acres, which is larger than New Hampshire. Denali exemplifies Interior Alaska’s character as one of the world’s last great frontiers for wilderness adventure and remains largely wild, unspoiled and beautiful. 94
Interior Alaska
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denali national park
Denali is readily accessible by car or RV on the Parks Highway or on the Alaska Railroad from either Anchorage or Fairbanks. In summer a number of private bus and van services operate daily from Anchorage and Fairbanks. Visitors to Denali National Park can drive the Park Road for the first 15 miles into Denali National Park to Savage Creek. To go further into the park you will need to take public shuttle busses, or a private tour. The road lottery, which allows a limited number of visitors each year to drive The Park Road in their own vehicle, has been cancelled for 2022. In August, 2021 there was a landslide on The Park Road at Polychrome Pass. This has caused the road to be closed at Mile 43 for the 2022 season. The park will remain open and continue to provide visitors incredible wildlife viewing opportunities, views of Denali, as well as wilderness hiking and camping. Shuttle busses will take guests as far as Mile 43, about the halfway point of the 92 mile Park Road. The National Park Service is working towards building a bridge over the affected areas, to prevent future road closures. Bell’s Travel Guides
