• Image of Mount McKinley and the Alaska Range

    Denali

    National Park & Preserve Alaska

Walking the Denali Park Road

sturdy boots make a walk comfortable

Lucy Tyrrell

Taking a Break from Hiking

Even if winter has settled in and the Denali Park Road is now closed to vehicles beyond Mile 3, and the shuttle buses are parked for the winter...

...you can still read Lucy Tyrrell's stories about section-hiking the Denali Park Road during summer 2011.



For the fifth consecutive year, Denali's Research Administrator, walked the 92 miles in sections or stages over the summer in her non-work time. Typically she boarded a shuttle bus west, walked 10-12 miles, and caught a bus back to the park entrance.

Link to Stories (Lucy crafted a story for each section of her walk)

Do you want to walk the Denali Park Road too?
Walking the road is a great way to experience the park at your own pace if you are hesitant or don't have time to hike in Denali's trail-less wilderness.

Get off a shuttle bus and walk for some miles! Choose the section of road, and whether to walk west to east or east to west, with help from the road elevation profile. Ask a ranger or bus driver for suggestions. Know how to respect wildlife and stay safe. Bring water, snacks, warm clothes and rain gear, and a bus schedule.

Enjoy being on the one ribbon of road that winds through Denali's special wilderness.

 

  • Map of Park Road Map of Park Road

    Select where you'd like to walk Read More

Did You Know?

Mount McKinley

Did you know that Mount McKinley, located within Denali National Park and Preserve, is the highest mountain on the North American continent?  Measured from the 2,000 foot lowlands to its snowy summit at 20,320 feet, the mountain’s vertical relief of 18,000 feet is greater than that of Mount Everest.