Denali National Park

Denali National Park

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. Among the many peoples who originally called Denali National Park home were the Ahtna, Athabaskan, Koyukon and Tanana.

In the late 1800s and early 1900s, gold seekers 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(Denali) 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.

Denali Facts

Did you know: Denali is not a volcano, and it baffles scientists as to why.

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Courtesy of Alaska Denali Tours

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