• Image of Mount McKinley and the Alaska Range

    Denali

    National Park & Preserve Alaska

Backcountry Mountaineering

The south peak of Mt. McKinley
The highest point in America, 20,320 Mt. McKinley, or Denali.
nps photo / kent miller
 

Mountaineering

If your trip includes mountaineering, please plan accordingly and bring appropriate equipment, such as crampons, ropes, harnesses, ice axes, prussiks, etc.

Inform the ranger at the Backcountry Information Center of your plan and complete a mountaineering permit application.

If you intend to ascend Mt. McKinley or Mt. Foraker, you need a mountaineering permit from our Talkeetna Ranger Station.

Click here for more information on mountaineering

Winter Camping

Winter comes early in the Alaskan interior. Snow can fall in any month of the year, though for backcountry purposes, "winter camping" is any trip between October 1 and April 15.

Click here for more details on winter camping

Did You Know?

This slump occurred as underlying permafrost melted

Warmer temperatures have led to dramatic thawing of permafrost. Thaw releases carbon, as once-frozen materials decompose, but allows increased plant growth. Researchers in Denali are studying whether thawing permafrost will increase or decrease world-wide carbon emissions.