Overview of Denali National ParkIn many ways, Denali is simpler than most national parks. To understand the park, or plan a visit, it helps to know some basic details:
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![]() Origin of Denali National Park and PreserveMore than a century ago, two remarkable men spent the winter in a cabin not far from the Toklat River. Their experience and interaction with the wild landscape changed them. In turn, they came to have a profound influence on preserving the landscape for generations to come. Charles Sheldon, an early conservationist and gentleman hunter from Vermont, along with Harry Karstens, a legendary outdoorsman and dog musher, struck upon an idea over the long winter to make of the place the world's first national park established to conserve wildlife. By 1917, after almost a decade of hard work, Sheldon and others persuaded Congress to create Mount McKinley National Park. Four years later, in 1921, Karstens was hired on as its first superintendent. About "The Mountain"![]() Geology
Learn about glaciers, earthquakes, landslides, and the fossils that tell the story of Denali's dinosaurs. |
Last updated: January 31, 2025