• Image of Mount McKinley and the Alaska Range

    Denali

    National Park & Preserve Alaska

Backcountry Information

Experience Your America
A backcountry ranger gives hikers a safety briefing before they set off into the park.
NPS PHOTO / KENT MILLER
 

Getting started

Planning a backcountry trip in Denali is unlike most other national parks. Denali is about the size of Vermont, with only a handful of trails - most of which are near the entrance of the park for day-hiking, rather than overnight backpacking.

Permits are issued only in person, no more than a day before you begin your backcountry adventure - so use the information on this site as a guide, to familiarize yourself with the permit process and the landscape of Denali, but be ready to hash out the details of your itinerary only once you're in the park, speaking to one of our backcountry rangers. You may also enjoy checking out our landscape panoramas, to get a sense of the scenery and terrain in the park.

A brochure of our online backpacking information is available, though the format is not home-printer friendly. Contact us if you want to receive a printed copy via regular mail.

Summer Backcountry Desk Hours: 9 am - 6 pm

A few key webpages:

Common backcountry considerations:

Additional Resources:

 

Did You Know?

Major vegetation monitoring should allow detection, understanding and potential management of vegetation change

The vast landscapes of interior Alaska are changing. Large glaciers are receding, permafrost is melting and woody plants are spreading. Comparison of "then-and-now" photographs and data from major vegetation monitoring should allow detection, understanding and potential management of these changes.