Denali National Park and Preserve
Denali National Park and Preserve is located in
Interior Alaska and contains
Mount McKinley, the tallest mountain in
North America. The park covers 9,492 mi² (
24,585 km²). The word "Denali" means "the High One" in the native
Athabaskan language and refers to the mountain itself. The mountain was named after president
William McKinley of
Ohio in 1897 by local prospector
William A. Dickey, although McKinley had no connection with the region.
Charles Sheldon took an interest in the
Dall sheep native to the region, and became concerned that human encroachment may threaten the species. After his 1907-1908 visit, he petitioned the people of Alaska and
Congress to create a preserve for the sheep. (His account of the visit was published posthumously as
The Wilderness of Denali, ISBN 1568331525). The park was established as
Mount McKinley National Park on
February 26,
1917. Ironically, only a portion of Mount McKinley (not even including the summit) was within the original park boundary. The park was designated an
international biosphere reserve in
1976. A separate
Denali National Monument was proclaimed by
Jimmy Carter on
December 1,
1978.
Mount McKinley National Park, whose name had been subject to local criticism from the onset, and Denali National Monument were incorporated and established into
Denali National Park and Preserve by the
Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act,
December 2,
1980. At this time the Alaska Board of Geographic Names changed the name of the mountain back to "Denali," even though the U.S. Board of Geographic Names maintains "McKinley". Alaskans tend to use "Denali" and rely on context to distinguish between the park and the mountain. The size of the
national park is 4,740,906.73 acres (19,185.78 km²), of which 4,724,735.16 acres are federally owned. The
national preserve is 1,334,200 acres (543.09 km²), of which 1,304,132 acres are federally owned. On
December 2,
1980, a 2,146,580 acre
Denali Wilderness was established within the park.
|
Grizzly bear in Denali National Park |
Denali habitat is a mix of forest at the lowest elevations, including deciduous taiga (the Russian word for forest). The preserve is also home to tundra at middle elevations, and glaciers, rock, and snow at the highest elevations. Wildlife viewing is a popular summertime recreational activity at Denali, with
grizzly bears,
moose, Dall sheep,
caribou, and occasionally
wolves being seen. Today, the park hosts more than 400,000 visitors who enjoy wildlife viewing,
mountaineering, and
backpacking. Wintertime recreation includes
dog-sledding,
cross-country skiing, and
snowmobiling where allowed.
The national park is located near
Denali State Park.
|
Mt McKinley and Wonder Lake viewed from Denali NP access road |
The park is serviced by a single access road around 90 miles in length. Only a small fraction of the road is paved because
permafrost and the freeze-thaw cycle create an enormous cost for maintaining the road. Private vehicles are not allowed on unpaved portions; however, visitors may access the interior of the park through
buses operated by
concession.
Also available are 6-8 hour "Tundra Wilderness Tours" that include narration of various points of interest in the park by the drivers. The tours travel from the initial
boreal forests through
tundra to
Polychrome Pass, an overlook from which
Mount McKinley can be viewed on clear days (although the weather is clear only 20% of the time). The road near the pass is dangerous, with sheer
cliffs dropping hundreds of feet at the edges, and the extreme conditions prevent construction of guardrails. As a result of the danger involved, and because most of the
gravel road is only one lane wide, drivers are trained extensively in procedures for navigating the sharp mountain curves, and yielding the
right-of-way to opposing buses and park vehicles.
McKinley is not accessible by motor vehicle; the road ends 37 miles (59 km) to its east.
Denali is emerging as a site of interesting fossils, including footprints (
ichnites) that were credited with being the first evidence of prehistoric wading birds, probing in mudflats for food during the
Late Cretaceous Period, when they were first publicly reported in May 2006. A footprint of a carnivorous
theropod had previously been reported in the park.
*
National Park Service: Denali National Park & Preserve*
Brief description by Milepost Magazine*
Photos of Denali National Park*
Reuters News Agency: "Signs of feeding prehistoric birds found in Alaska" 20 May 2006
