News Release

Denali Park Road to Close Overnight at Mile 3

Date: March 15, 2018
Contact: Maureen Gualtieri, [phone]

The National Park Service will close the Denali Park Road to travel beyond park headquarters (mile 3) at 5:30 p.m. tonight, March 15,  as a precaution in advance of a forecasted snowstorm.  Road safety conditions will be re-assessed tomorrow morning to determine if the road will re-open to vehicle traffic.
 
In order to broaden winter recreational opportunities, park managers had opened the Park Road to the Mountain Vista Rest Area (mile 12) on February 9. However, on multiple occasions in the past month, visitors driving the road in the evening have slid off the road on icy or snowy patches. Although no serious injuries have resulted, several park visitors have been stranded overnight in their vehicles due to the lack of cellular phone service and the limited overnight traffic on the park road.
 
In light of these circumstances, park management will be taking a more proactive approach to managing road travel this spring, and visitors should anticipate more frequent overnight road closures beyond park headquarters. Prior to any closures, rangers will conduct a pre-emptive sweep to ensure all visitors are safely off the road. The road will re-open in the morning if weather and road conditions are favorable.