|
Warming temperatures, longer days, and the arrival of more people
and equipment in the area are signals that services in the park
and local area will open soon.
This
year brings with it a number of significant changes in the park,
the culmination of years of public planning and hard work. This
includes the opening of new buildings in the entrance area and the
replacement of outdated facilities further out in the park.
The
new 14,000 square foot Denali Visitor Center, located at Mile 1.2
on the Park Road on the old park hotel site, will open on a limited
basis on Friday, May 27. The partial opening will include the regular
showing of the new 18-minute, high definition feature film, “Heartbeats
of Denali” in the visitor center auditorium. The center is expected
to be fully operational by July 1, when all the exhibits are installed.
The hours of operation will be 9:00 a.m. – 9:00 p.m. Two additional
new facilities near the Visitor Center will enhance and expand services
for park visitors.
The
Denali Bookstore, with books and other sales items, will open on
Saturday, May 14. The Morino Grill will open with a limited menu
of coffee and pastries on Sunday, May 15 and will be in full operation
beginning Saturday, May 21. The former Visitor Access Center, located
at Mile 0.6 on the Park Road, has been renamed the Wilderness Access
Center. It opens for the season on Tuesday, May 10 and is being
operated by park concessioner Doyon/ARAMARK Joint Venture. The building
will continue to serve as the park’s transportation hub, where visitors
can obtain campsite reservations and tickets for bus tours and shuttle
bus trips into the park.
The
expanded Denali Natural History Tour (DNHT) will include a stop
at the Center to see the film “Across Time and Tundra”. The DNHT
begins operation on Wednesday, May 11 and the Tundra Wilderness
Tour (TWT) shoulder season trips to Teklanika start on Sunday, May
15.
Backcountry permits will be issued at the new Backcountry Information
Center, adjacent to the Wilderness Access Center. Visitors will
be able to obtain backcountry hiking information, view the backcountry
safety video, and purchase topographic maps for route planning.
The facility will open for the season on Friday, May 20 with hours
of operation from 9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Replacement
of the deteriorating Eielson Visitor Center at Mile 66 is scheduled
to begin by mid-summer 2005. The new visitor center is scheduled
to open in 2008. During the construction period a route near the
construction zone will provide safe access to trails and backcountry
units for hikers. Visitor services for bus passengers, including
an information center, bookstore and bus dispatch, will be provided
in temporary facilities at the Toklat Rest Stop at Mile 53, where
all buses will stop for a 30-minute break. Twelve new accessible
restrooms are being constructed as part of planned improvements
to the rest stop, but running water will not be available. Some
buses will go to the Fish Creek Turnaround at Mile 63 during the
construction period, in lieu of the Eielson Visitor Center. Wonder
Lake, Kantishna and camper buses will stop at Toklat and continue
to their destinations further west.
The
Denali Park Road is currently open for private traffic to the Teklanika
Rest Stop at Mile 31. It will close to private traffic past the
Savage River at Mile 15 on Saturday, May 21 when the shuttle buses
begin running. The Murie Science and Learning Center at Mile 1.3
is open for visitor information from 10:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. daily
through Thursday, May 26. Registration and information on summer
educational programs can be obtained by calling (907) 683-1269,
toll-free at (888) 688-1269 or on the web at www.denaliinstitute.org
.
The
Riley Creek Campground at Mile 0.2 is open for camping, but water
and sewer services will not be available until mid-May. A vault
toilet is provided for campers in the “Bear” loop that remains open
year-round, and water can be obtained at the Headquarters building.
Staff will begin collecting fees for camping when the other two
loops open on May 11. Additional campgrounds will open on Saturday,
May 21.
Park
information is available on the web at www.nps.gov/dena
or by calling (907) 683-2294 from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
-NPS-
Privacy
& Disclaimer
Author:Jane
Ahern
www.nps.gov/akso
|
