Day hiking in Denali

There are two ways to experience Denali on your own two feet - on a marked trail, or off-trail in the wilderness.

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Trails near the park entrance
Trail guides
Trails beyond the park entrance: Savage River, Eielson Visitor Center, Wonder Lake
Off-trail hiking
Hiking around the Eielson Visitor Center

Trails in Denali

Trails in Denali are largely centered around the Denali Visitor Center. Some of these trails are utilitarian - they travel alongside the Park Road and connect the visitor center with other important facilities in the entrance area of the park, such as the park sled dog kennels, Riley Creek Campground and the Wilderness Access Center. Other trails offer a departure from the immediate surroundings of the Park Road, allowing you to seek a bit of solace and quiet, while still having an obvious, established path to follow.

With a few exceptions, trails in Denali are generally considered easy to moderate in difficulty, and some are ADA accessible.

Below is a map of trails in the entrance-area of the park. Click on it to open a larger, interactive version of the map. (Note: This file requires either Internet Explorer or Adobe Flash Player 9 or higher. You can download Flash Player for free from www.adobe.com).

You can also right-click on the image below and choose "save target as..." to save this .swf file to your own computer.

Trail Guides

Check out resources for self-guided trail hikes. You may wish to download or print these materials in advance, though cell / 3G service is available while on many of these trails, if you wish to access them while hiking.

Trails not in the park entrance area

A few trails exist deeper in the park, beyond the first three miles of the Park Road.

Savage River Area Trails: Located around Miles 13-15 on the Park Road, you can either drive to Savage River and park for the day, or you can board a free bus, called the Savage River Shuttle, at any entrance area facility.

The Savage River Canyon Trail follows the Savage River as it cuts a small canyon through the Outer Range, the mountains immediately north of the Park Road. The trail travels one mile into this canyon, before crossing the small river via a foot bridge, and wends back to the Park Road. There are many moderate and strenuous areas to explore off-trail in this area, too, making it a nice compromise between trail hiking and delving into off-trail hiking. If you depart from the trail and hike uphill in the Savage River area, you will quickly gain views of Mt. McKinley - provided skies are clear enough.

The Mountain Vista Loop Trail is a short (0.6) mile loop near the Mountain Vista day-use area. It is ADA-compliant.

Click here for more information on the Savage River area

Eielson Visitor Center: Located at mile 66, you can reach this center by any shuttle bus traveling to Eielson or beyond. On a clear day, the entire area offers magnificent views of Mt. McKinley.

There are two trails in this area, both well above tree-line. The Loop Trail is a very short, easy trail that winds in a circle just downhill from the visitor center. The Alpine Trail, meanwhile, runs steeply up Thorofare Ridge, which looms above Eielson Visitor Center. This trail is not a loop - it travels up the ridge, and you must travel your same path back down, or continue off-trail on a route of your choosing. The established trail is about one mile long, and gains about 1,000' in elevation.

Click here to download a pdf contour map of the Eielson area

Click here to read about ranger-led hikes from Eielson Visitor Center

Wonder Lake: Located at mile 85, you can reach Wonder Lake with either a Wonder Lake or Kantishna shuttle bus.

There is one trail in this area, leading from Wonder Lake Campground to the McKinley River. It is 2.5 miles one-way, with negligible elevation gain. The trail travels through spruce forest and past several small ponds, offering chance to see water fowl and terrain which is different from much of the park. However, it is plagued most of the summer by mosquitoes, so bring a head net.

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Hiking off-trail

Denali National Park and Preserve is nearly the size of Massachusetts (or just over half as large as Switzerland), and most of the park is devoid of human-made trails.

The idea of hiking in the wilderness, with no trail to follow, excites some hikers and confuses or intimidates others. However, the nature of Denali's Park Road and bus system, and the terrain itself, can make trail-less hiking more approachable than it may seem at first blush.

How do I pick where to start?

This is a question that only you can answer. Every person will want something slightly different out of their day hike, and the sheer size of Denali prevents any one spot from being "the best."

A good strategy is to take an early shuttle bus into the park, traveling to your turn-around point and scouting the terrain from the Park Road. On your return towards the park entrance, you can tell your driver to let you off at whatever area looked most appealing.

After your hike, you need only return to the road and wave down any passing shuttle. You can get a copy of the latest bus schedule upon arriving in the park, or you can download one. While uncommon, the first shuttle or two that you try to re-board may be full, so prepare for a worst-case scenario of waiting an hour for a ride. Many hikers will carry a book, or will cycle through their digital photos just taken during the hike to make the potential wait go by quicker.

Terrain

In a trail-less wilderness like Denali, you will dictate your route. By avoiding terrain traps like pockets of spruce forest and alder, you can make navigation easier. Tree-line in Denali is generally around 3,000' above sea level, and much of the 92 mile Park Road travels near or above that level.

Above tree-line, you will find either brushy tundra, with plants that may slow your travel but allow you to see over them, or alpine tundra, with extremely short vegetation that offers no impediment to your speed or your visibility. In many parts of the park, you will find that the Park Road stays in your view, even after several miles and several hours of hiking.

Click here for more detail on terrain types in Denali

Wildlife

Ideally, you will be hiking with at least one other person, and will stay in areas where visibility is excellent - allowing you to see animals at a great distance, and avoid them when necessary. In areas of brushy or alpine tundra, you can sometimes see for miles.

However, you will likely face areas of reduced or limited visibility while day hiking. When your visibility is reduced, you should make noise, either by talking with your partner, singing, or simply shouting "Hey bear!" every few minutes. The human voice is distinctive, and tells wildlife that you are in the area - thus minimizing surprise encounters, which are the most likely scenario for a large animal to harm a person. Bear bells, whistles, etc., are no substitute for your voice. The first few "Hey bears!" may seem silly, but with enough repetition, they will seem a natural part of hiking in Denali.

Click here for more wildlife safety information

Travel tips

The list below is not exhaustive, but should help in planning your off-trail adventure.

• Carry adequate food and water. There are no restaurants or amenities west of mile 3 on the Park Road. 
• Bring a means to treat water, such as purification tablets or a water filter.
  
• Wear appropriate clothing. Avoid cotton and choose either quick-drying synthetic materials or wool, which insulates even when wet.
  
• Plan for bad weather. Rain is likely (and snow is possible) in summer. A hat, gloves, rain jacket and rain pants may be necessary.
• In the case of a storm, avoid high ridges and exposed areas.
  
• Other gear, such as trekking poles, calf-high gaiters and ankle-high boots will make your hike more comfortable.
• Be prepared to self-rescue and carry a first aid kit. Travel immediately to the Park Road and flag down a ranger or bus driver if you need assistance.
• Be aware of wildlife closures and avoid hiking within them.
• If your children require a child seat on the bus, keep in mind that you'll need to either carry them or safely store them before setting off on a hike. Child seats can be left in the food storage sheds at any campground, in the food lockers at the Toklat River rest stop, or at Eielson Visitor Center. Car seats may not be left by the roadside - they often have food smells that attract animals large and small.
  

Visit the Backcountry Information Center if you have specific questions or concerns.

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