Current Conditions

Alerts

 

On This Page:

• COVID-19 Notice
• Summer 2023
• Park Road Conditions

Some park operations are currently altered due to the Pretty Rocks Landslide. The closure of the Denali Park Road at Mile 43 is expected to remain in place until partway through summer 2026, while the Polychrome Area Plan is implemented.

The details below supersede all other trip-planning information. If you encounter discrepancies between other parts of our website and this information, go with what you see below.

 

COVID-19 Notice

The National Park Service follows CDC guidance to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Thank you for helping to keep yourself and others safe and healthy.

Mask requirements are based on the CDC COVID-19 Community Levels for the Denali Borough and the Matanuska-Susitna Borough.

Current COVID-19 community level for the Denali Borough (Denali Visitor Center, Kennels, Park Road, etc) : LOW
Current COVID-19 community level for the Matanuska-Susitna Borough (Walter Harper Talkeetna Ranger Station) : LOW

HIGH: masks are required for all people indoors, regardless of vaccination status.
MEDIUM and LOW: masks are optional.

• Practice physical distancing by maintaining at least 6 feet (2 m) of distance between you and others.
• Wash your hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds or use hand sanitizer.
• Cover your mouth and nose when you cough or sneeze.
• If you feel sick, please do not visit the park.

 

Summer 2023

The summer season begins on May 15 each year. Summer operations are affected by the ongoing Pretty Rocks Landslide and the associated closure of the Denali Park Road at Mile 43. To learn more about plans to address the landslide, see the Polychrome Area Plan.

Changes to summer operations due to the landslide are listed below. Other visitor center facilities and services in the park are operating as normal.

• Transit buses and tour buses are traveling no further than the East Fork Bridge (Mile 43 of the Denali Park Road).
• Eielson Visitor Center is closed.
• Igloo Campground and Wonder Lake Campground are closed. All other campgrounds are open.

Other things to know as you plan a summer trip:

• Bus and campground reservations can be made as early as December 1, for the following summer.
• Sanctuary Campground has returned to taking walk-up registrations only. No reservations for this campground are available.

Bear Collaring Closure

As part of an approved study of the effects of traffic and no traffic on the behavior of grizzly bears, a backcountry closure is planned to allow for park staff to attach radio collars on up to a total of 18 grizzly bears. The closure is being implemented to keep people safe from encounters with recently immobilized bears and to minimize disturbance to those same bears. Learn more about the study and view a map of the closure area.

• June 3–10: An area extending from just east of Polychrome Pass to the west will be closed to all human traffic, including pedestrians and cyclists on the road. Because this is on the portion of the park road that is west of the Pretty Rocks Landslide and closed to vehicles, the closure will primarily affect backcountry users. The following backcountry units will be closed: 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18, 19, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, and 36.

Visitor Center and Other Facilities

• The Denali Visitor Center is open daily from 8 am to 6 pm.
• The Sled Dog Kennels are open daily from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. Stop by to meet the dogs, learn about dog mushing, and consider attending a sled dog demonstration.
• Backcountry permits are issued at the Backcountry Information Center, next to the Denali Bus Depot. Open daily 9 am to 6 pm.
• Ranger programs are offered daily in summer. Check the calendar or ask a ranger at the visitor center to learn about other special events.

Entrance Fees and Passes

Entrance fees to Denali are required. You may pay your park entrance fees online or in person upon arrival to the entrance area of the park (credit cards only, no cash). You must be able to show a park pass or proof of online purchase (on a mobile device or printed receipt) if asked by a park ranger. Discounted or free annual and lifetime passes are also available to select groups; learn more about fees and passes in Denali.

 

Conditions on the Denali Park Road

The map below illustrates which parts of the park road are open to private vehicles (thick green line), open to bus traffic (thin black line, summer only), or closed (thin red line). Icons also indicate which park campgrounds are open.

Other red areas on the map show wildlife closures, which are closed to all entry due to nesting or denning activity or sites where a bear or wolf is feeding on a carcass. Temporary wildlife closures (lasting less than 24 hours) may also be in place and not appear on the map; always check at the visitor center upon arrival for the latest information before hiking.