There are five major terrain categories in the Denali Backcountry. Some afford fast, efficient travel; others are more difficult and will limit your daily mileage. Here's what you can expect:
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Gravel River Bars: these flat, rocky surfaces characterize most major rivers in the park and provide fast, easy travel.
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Wet Tundra: this terrain is marshy and interspersed with hummocks. Travel can be slow and tiring.
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Dry Tundra: dry tundra exists at high elevations and affords good, solid footing for fast, easy travel. Understandably, many of the most popular units are predominately Dry Tundra terrain. However, permits for these units are also the most difficult to obtain, and sightings of other hikers are more common. We recommend you consider other less requested units that may require an initial extra effort to climb above the Brushy Tundra, but then typically also offer large areas of Dry Tundra, as well as exceptional opportunities for solitude.
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Brushy Tundra: accessing many backcountry units requires bushwhacking. Be prepared for this possibility. Brush can exceed six feet in height, and thickness oftenlimits visibility. Extensive bushwhacking makes for slow and often frustrating travel.
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Glacial Moraine: located at the base of glaciers and often denoted on maps by stippled areas, a moraine consists of ice covered with dirt and debris. This is extremely rough and time-consuming travel. |
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